FENCE RULES – JOHNSON (COUNTY), TENNESSEE
OVERVIEW
Residential fences are permitted on private property within Johnson County, subject to local regulations. This page applies to properties in the unincorporated areas of Johnson County; incorporated municipalities may regulate fences under their own ordinances.
Johnson County does not publish a consolidated residential fence ordinance or zoning ordinance for standard residential fences. Fence-related context appears in Johnson County Government newcomer and administrative materials, the Johnson County Subdivision Regulations, Planning Commission agenda materials, FEMA flood-permit notice materials, Tennessee residential building-code status materials, and Tennessee 811 utility-notice materials.
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 Johnson County Government Newcomer Information, Johnson County Administrative Offices, Johnson County Subdivision Regulations, Johnson County Planning Commission agenda materials, Tennessee State Fire Marshal Residential Jurisdictions & Inspectors and Residential Permit materials, and Tennessee 811 utility-safety materials as of July 2026.
GOVERNANCE
Johnson County Government publishes the local administrative materials used for this page. Johnson County states that it does not currently require building permits, that its listed requirements for new structures/additions are septic and electric permits, and that it has no Zoning Department.
The Johnson County Planning Commission administers subdivision plat review under the Johnson County Subdivision Regulations. Those regulations govern subdivision of land within the Johnson County planning region and address plats, road standards, private road maintenance agreements, building-restriction lines, easements, drainage and utility layouts, stormwater and drainage improvements, stream/floodplain items, and final plat certifications.
The Johnson County Property Assessor’s Office is the published contact point for FEMA Flood Permits for new construction.
The Tennessee State Fire Marshal Residential Jurisdictions & Inspectors list identifies Johnson County as OPT OUT for Tennessee residential building-code enforcement. This means Johnson County is not operating under the State Residential Building Permit framework for ordinary one- and two-family residential construction. Mountain City is listed separately, so the county status should not be treated as controlling inside the town.
PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
• Building Permits: Johnson County states that it does not currently require building permits or inspections in the county. The county does not publish a separate local fence permit requirement for standard residential fences.
• Residential Building-Code Status: Johnson County is listed as OPT OUT for Tennessee residential building-code enforcement. The state-adopted IRC fence-permit exemption is not stated as an operating Johnson County permit rule for unincorporated county property.
• Zoning Department: Johnson County states that it has no Zoning Department. The referenced published materials do not explicitly state that standard residential fences require a zoning permit, zoning approval, zoning certification, or certificate of zoning compliance.
• Subdivision / Plat Review: The Johnson County Subdivision Regulations apply when land is subdivided or a subdivision plat is recorded. They do not state that ordinary fence construction on an existing residential lot requires subdivision plat approval.
• Floodplain / FEMA Permit Context: Johnson County states that FEMA Flood Permits for new construction must be applied for in the Johnson County Property Assessor’s Office. The referenced published materials do not explicitly state that standard residential fences require a FEMA Flood Permit.
• Environmental / TDEC Context: For qualifying development, subdivision, or project activity, the Johnson County Subdivision Regulations identify erosion-control permitting for disturbance of one acre or more, aquatic-resource permitting for stream or wetland impacts, and septic plat approval where subsurface sewage disposal systems are used. They do not state a general approval requirement for standard residential fence work unless the fence project is part of those qualifying conditions.
FENCE PLACEMENT RULES
• Property Lines: The referenced published materials do not specify 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.
• Subdivision Plats and Easements: For properties affected by a subdivision plat, the Johnson County Subdivision Regulations require plats to show property lines, streets, buildings, watercourses, drainage features, public utility easements, building lines, lot lines, utilities, and other open-space or reservation areas. Recorded plat conditions and easements may limit where a fence can be placed.
• Building Setback Lines: The Johnson County Subdivision Regulations include building setback lines for subdivision platting, but the referenced published materials do not state that those building setback lines are standard residential fence setbacks.
• Floodplain, Streams, and Drainage: Johnson County’s subdivision checklists call for streams shown on FEMA flood maps to be shown on the design plat and for stream setback easements required by the county flood plain management resolution to appear on the final plat. The referenced published materials do not publish a separate fence-specific stream, drainage, or floodplain placement standard.
• Road and Utility Rights-of-Way: Johnson County subdivision materials address public and private road rights-of-way, private road maintenance agreements, and Mountain Electric right-of-way approval in subdivision plat review. The referenced published materials do not publish a fence-specific right-of-way encroachment permit for standard residential fences.
• 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: Johnson County does not publish a defined maximum height for standard residential fences in the referenced published materials.
• Yard-Based Limits: Johnson County does not publish front-yard, side-yard, or rear-yard fence-height limits for standard residential fences in the referenced published materials.
• Visibility: Johnson County does not publish a fence-specific corner-lot, driveway-visibility, sight-triangle, or clear-vision standard for standard residential fences in the referenced published materials.
• Building-Code Context: Because Johnson County is listed as OPT OUT and does not publish a local residential building-code fence-permit rule, no state-adopted IRC fence-exemption height is stated as an operating county height rule.
MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS
• Materials: Johnson County does not publish a defined residential fence material standard for standard residential fences in the referenced published materials.
• Prohibited Materials: Johnson County does not publish a residential prohibition on chain link, wood, vinyl, masonry, barbed wire, razor wire, electric fencing, or similar fence materials for standard residential fences in the referenced published materials.
• Construction Orientation: Johnson County does not publish a finished-side, opacity, lock, gate, or fence-orientation standard for standard residential fences in the referenced published materials.
• Pool Barriers: The referenced published materials do not publish a county residential pool-barrier rule for fences used around private pools, spas, or hot tubs.
PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS
HOAs, subdivision covenants, deed restrictions, private easements, road-maintenance agreements, agricultural agreements, conservation easements, and recorded plat conditions operate independently of county-published fence materials. They may be more restrictive than Johnson County’s published requirements.
Private restrictions are not shown in the county’s general fence materials and should be checked in deeds, plats, subdivision documents, HOA documents, and other recorded or private agreements.
REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT
Fence issues are typically reviewed during permit or approval review when required, and through complaint-based code enforcement. Examples include:
• Building-Permit Status: Johnson County states that it does not require building permits or inspections in the county, and the Tennessee State Fire Marshal lists Johnson County as OPT OUT.
• No Published Fence Permit: Johnson County does not publish a separate local fence permit, zoning permit, zoning certification, or zoning approval requirement for standard residential fences.
• Subdivision and Plat Conditions: If property is being subdivided or is subject to recorded plat conditions, Johnson County Planning Commission materials address building-restriction lines, easements, rights-of-way, roads, drainage, utility layouts, and stream/floodplain items.
• Floodplain and New Construction: Johnson County publishes a FEMA Flood Permit notice for new construction through the Johnson County Property Assessor’s Office; the referenced published materials do not state a fence-specific floodplain permit standard.
• Property Boundaries and Easements: Fences placed near lot lines, private roads, public road rights-of-way, utility easements, drainage features, or recorded easements can raise site-specific placement issues even where no local fence permit is published.
• Utility Excavation: Fence-post digging, augering, grading, or other earth movement is subject to the Tennessee 811 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 Johnson 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 Johnson County Property Assessor’s Office, Johnson County Planning Commission, and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from Johnson County staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.