FENCE RULES – CANNON (COUNTY), TENNESSEE

OVERVIEW

Residential fences are permitted on private property within Cannon County, subject to local regulations.

This page applies to properties in the unincorporated areas of Cannon County; incorporated municipalities may regulate fences under their own ordinances.

Fence rules for Cannon County appear primarily in the Official Zoning and Building Codes Resolution of Cannon County, Tennessee, including the fence definition, the statement that setbacks are not applicable to fences for purposes of that resolution, the vision-clearance standard, district regulations, flood-hazard incorporation language, building-code administration article, and enforcement provisions. Related context also appears in Cannon County Building Permits, Cannon County Residential Building Permit FAQs, Cannon County Subdivision Regulations, and the Cannon County Planning Department page.

This page focuses on typical single-family residential fencing. If the jurisdiction’s adopted code or ordinance materials do not state a specific limit or requirement, this page notes that the code does not specify one. If no local code or ordinance is available in the approved source packet, this page notes that the jurisdiction does not publish the relevant standard in the referenced published materials.

Compiled From the Official Zoning and Building Codes Resolution of Cannon County, Tennessee, Cannon County Building Permits, Cannon County Residential Building Permit FAQs, Cannon County Subdivision Regulations, Cannon County Planning Department page, Tennessee State Fire Marshal Residential Jurisdictions & Inspectors, Tennessee State Fire Marshal Residential Permit FAQs, and Tennessee 811 as of July 2026.

GOVERNANCE

Cannon County governs residential fence rules in unincorporated areas through the Official Zoning and Building Codes Resolution of Cannon County, Tennessee and through the Cannon County Planning Department. The Planning Department serves as staff to the Cannon County Regional Planning Commission and the Cannon County Board of Zoning Appeals, and the Planning Department administers and enforces the provisions of the Cannon County Zoning Resolution.

The Cannon County Regional Planning Commission administers the Subdivision Regulations, reviews subdivision plats, reviews proposed amendments to the Zoning and Building Codes Resolution and Zoning Map, and reviews site plans for commercial, industrial, and multi-family residential developments. The Cannon County Board of Zoning Appeals hears special exceptions, variances, and appeals from Land Use Administrator determinations.

Cannon County does not publish a single consolidated residential fence code. Fence-related rules appear in the zoning resolution definition of fence, the setback definition, the vision-clearance rule, subdivision and easement provisions, flood-hazard incorporation language, and building-code administration materials.

Cannon County is listed as EXEMPT for Tennessee residential building-code enforcement, indicating local residential building-code administration. The referenced county permit materials identify local adoption of the 2025 International Building Code, 2025 International Residential Code, and 2025 International Energy Conservation Code, but the referenced published materials do not publish a separate local fence permit requirement for standard residential fences.

PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS

• Building-Code Permit Context: Cannon County is listed as EXEMPT for Tennessee residential building-code enforcement, indicating local residential building-code administration. Cannon County permit materials identify the Cannon County Planning Department as responsible for administration and enforcement of building codes and residential building permits in Cannon County and Woodbury, excluding Auburntown. The referenced published materials do not explicitly state that standard residential fences require a building permit.

• Local Fence Permit: Cannon County does not publish a separate local fence permit requirement for standard residential fences in the referenced published materials.

• Zoning Compliance: Building-code permit administration, Tennessee residential building-code status, and local residential permit materials are separate from zoning, setback, subdivision, floodplain, stormwater, drainage, right-of-way, easement, utility, and plat requirements. Confirm any applicable zoning conditions, visibility limits, plat requirements, floodplain status, and site-specific limitations with the Cannon County Planning Department before construction.

• Floodplain and Development Context: The Official Zoning and Building Codes Resolution incorporates the most recent Cannon County Flood Damage Prevention Resolution by reference, and Cannon County permit materials identify floodplain status as a building-permit application attribute. Fence-related work involving a mapped floodplain, floodway, fill, obstruction, drainage feature, or other flood-hazard condition may need separate review under that floodplain framework.

• Subdivision and Plat Context: The Cannon County Subdivision Regulations govern subdivision of land within Cannon County except areas under the jurisdiction of Woodbury and Auburntown. Those regulations may matter for platted easements, sidewalks, road rights-of-way, utility easements, drainage easements, floodable areas, and other subdivision conditions affecting fence placement.

FENCE PLACEMENT RULES

• Setbacks: The zoning resolution states that, for purposes of the resolution, setbacks are not applicable to fences. The ordinance does not state a separate property-line setback requirement for standard residential fences; however, fences must be located entirely on the owner’s property and must not encroach into rights-of-way or easements.

• Corner and Intersection Visibility: No fence, wall, shrubbery, sign, or other obstruction to vision between the height of 3 feet and 15 feet may be placed within 20 feet of the intersection of the right-of-way lines of any road.

• Subdivision Sidewalk Context: Where subdivision sidewalk rules apply, sidewalks must be located in the road right-of-way at least 1 foot from the property line to prevent interference or encroachment by fencing, walls, hedges, plantings, or structures placed on the property line later.

• Utility and Drainage Easements: The Subdivision Regulations allow utility easements of 5 feet to 20 feet along rear lot lines and lot lines where necessary for utilities, and require stormwater easements or drainage rights-of-way for watercourses, drainageways, channels, or streams, with a minimum width of 20 feet. Fence placement must account for recorded utility, drainage, access, and road-related easements.

• Floodplain and Fill Conditions: Subdivision regulations for land subject to flooding require floodable areas to be identified, require every platted lot to have a flood-free building site, and restrict fill in floodway and stream-bank contexts. These rules are site-condition rules, not ordinary fence setbacks, but they may matter where fence work involves floodplain, stream, drainage, or fill conditions.

• Utility Safety: Tennessee law requires notice through Tennessee 811 before excavation where the Tennessee Underground Utility Damage Prevention Act applies. For fence projects that involve digging, including digging, drilling, augering, boring, grading, or other movement of earth, notice generally must be given at least three full working days before excavation begins. Tennessee 811 is a notification center and does not mark lines itself; member utilities or their locators mark covered facilities, and the excavator must check the positive-response status before beginning work where required. This statewide utility-notice framework is separate from local fence permitting, zoning, development approval, easement limits, right-of-way approvals, floodplain review, stormwater review, drainage review, historic or design review, HOA restrictions, and other applicable requirements.

FENCE HEIGHT AND VISIBILITY RULES

• Maximum Height: The code does not specify a maximum height for standard residential fences.

• Intersection Visibility: The code does specify a visibility rule: no fence, wall, shrubbery, sign, or other obstruction to vision between the height of 3 feet and 15 feet is permitted within 20 feet of the intersection of the right-of-way lines of any road.

• Building Setbacks Are Not Fence Height Limits: The R-1 and A-1 district yard-depth standards apply to buildings and related structures, while the zoning resolution separately states that setbacks are not applicable to fences for purposes of the resolution. Those building-yard dimensions are not stated as residential fence height limits.

• Subdivision and Floodplain Context: Subdivision floodable-area, drainage, sidewalk, easement, and right-of-way standards may affect site layout, but the referenced published materials do not convert those subdivision standards into a defined maximum height for ordinary residential fences.

MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS

• Fence Definition: The code defines a fence as an artificially constructed barrier of wood, masonry, stone, wire, metal, or other manufactured material, or a combination of materials, erected to enclose, screen, or separate areas.

• Residential Materials: The code does not specify separate permitted or prohibited material standards for standard residential fences beyond the fence definition and the intersection-visibility rule.

• Barbed Wire, Razor Wire, and Electric Fence: The code does not specify a separate standard for standard residential barbed-wire, razor-wire, or electric fences. Nonresidential screening rules for automobile graveyards, junkyards, commercial properties, industrial properties, and similar uses are not treated as ordinary single-family residential fence standards.

• Construction Standards: The code does not specify a finished-side rule, opacity rule, post orientation rule, or general residential fence construction standard for standard residential fences.

PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS

Private restrictions operate independently from Cannon County fence rules. Subdivision covenants, HOA rules, deed restrictions, private easements, architectural-review covenants, agricultural agreements, private boundary agreements, recorded agreements, and conservation easements may be more restrictive than the county code.

The zoning resolution states that deed restrictions are not superseded or abrogated by the Zoning Resolution, and deed restrictions do not override the resolution where they are less restrictive than the resolution.

REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT

Fence issues are typically reviewed during permit or approval review when required, and through complaint-based code enforcement. Examples include:

• Vision Obstructions: A fence, wall, shrubbery, sign, or other obstruction in the controlled intersection area may be reviewed under the 3-foot to 15-foot height band and 20-foot right-of-way-line intersection rule.

• Zoning and Placement Questions: Because the zoning resolution states that setbacks are not applicable to fences, placement questions turn on the fence definition, visibility rule, property boundaries, rights-of-way, easements, plats, subdivision conditions, and site-specific limitations rather than ordinary building-yard setback dimensions.

• Building-Code Administration: Cannon County is listed as EXEMPT for Tennessee residential building-code enforcement and publishes local building-code administration materials, but the referenced published materials do not explicitly state that standard residential fences require a building permit.

• Floodplain, Fill, Drainage, and Easements: Fence work that intersects a mapped floodplain, floodway, drainage area, stream, fill condition, utility easement, drainage easement, private road easement, sidewalk area, or road right-of-way may require review under the applicable published site-condition framework.

• Utility Safety: Fence projects that involve digging or other earth movement are subject to the Tennessee 811 utility-notice framework where the Tennessee Underground Utility Damage Prevention Act applies.

USING THIS INFORMATION

This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within Cannon County, based on the referenced published materials as of July 2026.

In addition to local fence rules, certain Tennessee laws apply statewide. See Statewide fence laws in Tennessee.

It is not legal advice and does not replace official ordinances, permits, zoning approvals, zoning certifications, development approvals, State Residential Building Permits, adopted building codes, surveys, or professional guidance. Rules and interpretations may change, and application may vary based on zoning district, site conditions, easements, rights-of-way, floodplain status, stormwater requirements, drainage conditions, historic district status, design-review status, rural or agricultural context, livestock or enclosed-land context, residential building-code status, adopted-code status, opt-out status, pool-barrier use, Tennessee 811 utility safety requirements, overhead utility-line safety, and private restrictions such as HOA covenants, deed restrictions, private agreements, or conservation easements. Before purchasing materials or beginning construction, confirm current requirements and any site-specific limitations with Cannon County Planning Department and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from Cannon County staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.