FENCE RULES – HICKMAN (COUNTY), TENNESSEE
OVERVIEW
Residential fences are permitted on private property within Hickman County, subject to local regulations. This page applies to properties in the unincorporated areas of Hickman County; Centerville may regulate fences under its own ordinances.
Fence-related rules for Hickman County appear primarily in the Hickman County Zoning Resolution, including corner-lot vision limits, district standards, floodplain zoning provisions, agricultural-use limitations, and zoning administration. Subdivision-related fence, drainage, easement, and plat requirements appear in the Subdivision Regulations of Hickman County, Tennessee. Property-maintenance screening appears in Hickman County Resolution No. 19-12.
This page focuses on typical single-family residential fencing. If the jurisdiction’s adopted materials do not state a specific limit or requirement, this page notes that the code does not specify one.
Compiled From Hickman County Administrative Offices and Planning & Zoning materials, Hickman County Clerk website, Hickman County About Us page, Hickman County Zoning Resolution, Hickman County Subdivision Regulations, and Hickman County Resolution No. 19-12 as of May 2026.
GOVERNANCE
Hickman County regulates zoning in the county area covered by the Hickman County Zoning Resolution, which states that it applies outside the Centerville Municipal Corporation. The Official Zoning Atlas of Hickman County, Tennessee establishes zoning district boundaries.
The Building Commissioner administers and enforces the zoning resolution, conducts inspections of compliance, and maintains zoning maps and permit records. The county’s public materials also identify the Building/ADA Coordinator and the Planning & Zoning section within the county administrative offices.
The Hickman County Regional Planning Commission administers subdivision review under the Subdivision Regulations of Hickman County, Tennessee. Those subdivision regulations matter where a fence is part of subdivision improvements, recorded plat conditions, drainage easements, utility easements, flood-prone subdivision design, or a Planning Commission-required hazard fence.
The Building Commissioner also serves as the administrator for the county’s floodplain zoning provisions in Section 4.070.
Hickman County does not publish a consolidated residential fence code. Fence-related limits appear across zoning, subdivision, floodplain, property-maintenance, easement, right-of-way, and visibility provisions.
PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
• Fence Permit: The county materials do not publish a separate fence permit requirement for standard residential fences.
• Zoning and Permit Confirmation: The Hickman County Zoning Resolution contains zoning, setback, visibility, subdivision, floodplain, and plat-related standards that may affect fence placement. Confirm any applicable setbacks, plat conditions, zoning requirements, floodplain review, and permit requirements with the Hickman County Office of Planning and Zoning before construction.
• Agricultural Use Exception: The zoning resolution states that it does not authorize building-permit requirements or zoning regulation for the erection, construction, or reconstruction of buildings or other structures on land devoted to agricultural uses, or later used for agricultural purposes, when the structure is incidental to the agricultural enterprise. The exception does not apply the same way to agricultural lands adjacent to or in proximity to state or federal highways, public airports, or public parks.
• Subdivision Approval: In a proposed subdivision, Planning Commission approval is required before a permit for the erection of any structure in that proposed subdivision may be granted. For subdivision development, the Planning Commission may require fence improvements wherever it determines that a hazardous condition exists.
• Subdivision Fence Improvements: When the Planning Commission requires fencing for a hazardous condition in a subdivision, the fence must be constructed according to Planning Commission standards, and the final plat must note the fence height and required materials. No certificate of occupancy may be issued for an affected lot until those fence improvements have been installed.
• Floodplain Development Permit: In areas regulated by Section 4.070 Floodplain Zoning Regulations, a development permit is required before development activities begin. Fence-related grading, filling, excavation, or other development activity in a regulated floodplain may require review under the county’s floodplain provisions.
• Tennessee Residential Building-Code Status: The county materials do not specify a Tennessee residential building-code permit trigger for standard residential fences.
FENCE PLACEMENT RULES
• Property Lines: The ordinance does not state a setback requirement for standard residential fences from property lines; however, fences must be located entirely on the owner’s property and must not encroach into rights-of-way or easements.
• R-2 Front Yard Context: In the R-2 High Density Residential District, the accessory-structure rule states that, with the exception of signs and fences, accessory structures may not be erected in a required front yard area. The code does not state a separate front-yard fence setback in that provision.
• Corner Lots and Street Intersections: On a corner lot in any district, no fence, wall, hedge, planting, or other object may be erected, placed, planted, or allowed to grow in the intersection visibility area if it materially impedes vision between 2 1/2 feet and 10 feet above the centerline grades of the intersecting streets.
• Floodplain and Floodway Areas: Fence-related work in a regulated floodplain may require development-permit review where the work involves development activity such as grading, filling, excavation, drainage alteration, or other site work. In designated floodways and other special flood hazard contexts, the county’s floodplain rules restrict encroachments, fill, new construction, substantial improvements, and other development unless the applicable engineering and permit standards are satisfied.
• Subdivision Plats and Easements: In subdivisions, recorded plat conditions, drainage easements, utility easements, conservation easements, flood-prone areas, and Planning Commission-required improvements may affect where a fence can be placed. The subdivision regulations require utility easements and drainage easements to be shown on plats where applicable.
• 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 fence post holes, notice generally must be given at least 3 full working days before excavation begins.
FENCE HEIGHT AND VISIBILITY RULES
• Maximum Height: The code does not specify a maximum height for standard single-family residential fences.
• Subdivision Hazard Fences: Where the Planning Commission requires a fence in a subdivision because a hazardous condition exists, the required fence height must be noted on the final plat.
• Corner-Lot Visibility: On a corner lot in any district, within the area formed by the centerlines of intersecting streets and a line joining points on those centerlines 75 feet from their intersection, nothing may be erected, placed, planted, or allowed to grow in a manner that materially impedes vision between 2 1/2 feet and 10 feet above the centerline grades of the intersecting streets. Necessary retaining walls are not prohibited by this section.
• Airport Overlay Height Context: The airport zoning provisions regulate structures and trees within airport overlay surfaces. The airport provisions do not establish an ordinary residential fence height standard.
MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS
• Standard Residential Fence Materials: The code does not specify permitted or prohibited materials for standard single-family residential fences.
• Subdivision Hazard Fences: Where a subdivision fence is required because the Planning Commission determines that a hazardous condition exists, the required materials must be noted on the final plat.
• Property-Maintenance Screening: Hickman County Resolution No. 19-12 identifies a 6-foot privacy fence or evergreen plantings as possible screening where the enforcing officer or Hickman County Health and Safety Board considers screening appropriate for certain property conditions. Trash, litter, or garbage that constitutes a health or odor nuisance may not be remediated by installing screening alone.
• Home-Occupation Screening: For a Type II Home Occupation using an accessory building, the zoning resolution requires the accessory building to be suitably screened from the road and adjacent residential and agricultural lots. That screening may be a decorative fence, year-round vegetation, or both.
• Barbed Wire, Electric Fence, Chain Link, Finished Side, and Fence Orientation: The code does not specify a standard single-family residential rule for barbed wire, electric fencing, chain-link fencing, finished-side orientation, or fence-facing direction.
PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS
Private restrictions operate independently from county zoning and permit review. Subdivision covenants, deed restrictions, HOA rules, private easements, access easements, drainage easements, utility easements, maintenance agreements, agricultural agreements, and private boundary agreements may be more restrictive than Hickman County rules.
The county’s subdivision regulations state that private provisions are treated as private contracts when they exceed public standards and are beyond the jurisdiction of the Planning Commission.
REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT
Fence issues are typically reviewed during permit or approval review when required, and through complaint-based code enforcement. Examples include:
• Zoning and Site Review: Review may address whether a proposed fence conflicts with zoning district standards, required yards, visibility limits, subdivision plat conditions, floodplain rules, easements, rights-of-way, or other site-specific limitations.
• Agricultural Context: Fence or structure work on land devoted to agricultural use may fall within the zoning resolution’s agricultural-use exception when the structure is incidental to the agricultural enterprise, subject to the stated highway, airport, and public-park proximity limitation.
• Corner-Lot Visibility: Review may address whether a fence, hedge, wall, planting, or other obstruction materially impedes visibility within the 75-foot street-intersection vision area between 2 1/2 feet and 10 feet above centerline grades.
• Subdivision Conditions: Review may address Planning Commission-required hazard fencing, final-plat fence height and material notes, drainage easements, utility easements, flood-prone subdivision conditions, and required subdivision improvements.
• Floodplain Review: Review may address whether fence-related grading, filling, excavation, drainage alteration, or other development activity in a regulated floodplain requires a development permit or conflicts with floodway, encroachment, elevation, drainage, or federal and state permit requirements.
• Property-Maintenance Screening: Review may address required or allowed screening under Hickman County Resolution No. 19-12, including the stated 6-foot privacy fence or evergreen-planting screening option where applicable.
• Airport Overlay Review: Review may address airport zoning height and permit requirements where a structure or tree is located in a regulated airport overlay surface.
USING THIS INFORMATION
This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within Hickman County, based on publicly available materials reviewed as of May 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, 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, historic district status, rural or agricultural context, residential building-code status, and private restrictions such as HOA covenants or private agreements. Before purchasing materials or beginning construction, confirm current requirements and any site-specific limitations with Hickman County Office of Planning and Zoning and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from Hickman County staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.