FENCE RULES – SAVANNAH (CITY), TENNESSEE
OVERVIEW
Residential fences are permitted on private property within City of Savannah, subject to local regulations.
For properties located outside City of Savannah municipal limits, Hardin County regulates fences in unincorporated areas.
Local fence-related rules appear across the Savannah Municipal Code, the Zoning Ordinance of Savannah, Tennessee, the City of Savannah Community Development Department zoning, codes enforcement, permit application, required inspection, utility, and historic zoning materials, the Historic Zoning Design Review Guidelines, and the locally adopted building-code framework. The City of Savannah does not publish a single consolidated citywide fence chapter for standard residential fences.
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 City of Savannah Municipal Code, the Zoning Ordinance of Savannah, Tennessee, City of Savannah Community Development Department zoning, codes enforcement, permit application, required inspection, utility, and historic zoning materials, the Savannah Historic Zoning Design Review Guidelines, the Savannah Historic Zoning Certificate of Appropriateness application, the Tennessee State Fire Marshal residential jurisdiction materials, the 2012 International Residential Code R105.2 work-exempt-from-permit text, and Tennessee 811 as of July 2026.
GOVERNANCE
Fence-related administration within the City of Savannah is centered in the City of Savannah Community Development Department. The department includes zoning and codes enforcement functions, and the City identifies building-code and municipal-ordinance enforcement through Community Development.
The Zoning Ordinance of Savannah, Tennessee establishes the City zoning districts, residential district regulations, visibility rules, flood-district provisions, site-plan review procedures, and zoning enforcement structure. Chapters 2 through 16 of Title 11 comprise the zoning ordinance for the City of Savannah.
The Savannah Municipal Code adopts the 2012 International Building Code and the 2012 International Residential Code as local building-code materials. The City of Savannah is listed by the Tennessee State Fire Marshal as EXEMPT for Tennessee residential building-code enforcement, indicating local residential building-code administration rather than State Residential Building Permit administration.
The Community Development Department administers zoning information, permit applications, building-code enforcement, and codes enforcement materials. The public permit page lists online applications for building permits, plumbing permits, sign permits, and inspection requests, but it does not list a separate fence permit category in the referenced published materials.
The Historic Zoning Commission administers historic zoning review materials. The Historic Zoning Design Review Guidelines include a dedicated Fences & Walls section, and the Certificate of Appropriateness application identifies review of exterior projects by the Historic Zoning Commission.
For floodplain administration, the zoning ordinance appoints the Building Inspector to administer and implement the flood-district provisions. Utility and easement issues may also involve the Savannah Utility Department where water, sewer, natural-gas, or utility-facility access is affected.
PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
• Building-Code Permit Context: The City of Savannah is listed as EXEMPT for Tennessee residential building-code enforcement, indicating local residential building-code administration. The 2012 International Residential Code R105.2 includes a building-permit exemption for fences not over 7 feet high. The City of Savannah does not publish a separate local fence permit requirement for standard residential fences in the referenced published materials.
• General Local Permit Context: The Savannah Municipal Code and the zoning ordinance publish general building-permit procedures for buildings and accessory buildings, and the City publishes an online Building Permit application category. The referenced published materials do not explicitly state that standard residential fences require that local Building Permit process.
• Zoning Compliance: Building-code permit exemptions, Tennessee residential building-code status, and State Residential Building Permit status are separate from zoning, setback, subdivision, floodplain, stormwater, drainage, historic, right-of-way, easement, utility, and plat requirements. Confirm any applicable zoning conditions, setbacks, plat requirements, and site-specific limitations with the City of Savannah Community Development Department before construction.
• Site-Plan Review Context: Where the zoning ordinance separately requires site-plan review for a use, development, planned unit development, or Board of Zoning Appeals matter, the City Manager, Planning Commission, or Board of Zoning Appeals may require buffering through fencing, planting, or combinations of fencing and planting. The referenced published materials do not explicitly state that standard single-family residential fences require site-plan review.
• Historic-District Review Context: For properties subject to the historic zoning overlay, the Historic Zoning Design Review Guidelines include fence and wall standards, and the Certificate of Appropriateness application states that exterior projects are reviewed by the Historic Zoning Commission.
• Floodplain Development: The zoning ordinance requires a development permit before development activity in covered floodplain areas. Development includes man-made changes such as buildings or other structures, filling, grading, paving, excavation, drilling operations, and storage of equipment or materials. The zoning ordinance also defines flood obstruction to include a wire fence, wall, structure, fill, excavation, or other matter in, along, across, or projecting into a channel, watercourse, or regulatory flood-hazard area where it may impede, retard, or change water flow. Fence work involving those conditions may require floodplain review through the Building Inspector.
• Drainage and Public-Way Work: The code prohibits filling, changing the grade of, or interfering with drainage ditches, curbs, or gutters on a street, road, alley, or public drive without first obtaining a permit from the city manager. Fence work that affects those public drainage features is not treated as an ordinary yard-fence permit issue.
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. The zoning ordinance contains yard requirements for buildings and accessory buildings, but it does not state those building-yard standards as standard residential fence setbacks.
• Public Streets, Alleys, Sidewalks, and Rights-of-Way: The code prohibits using or occupying any portion of a public street, alley, sidewalk, or right-of-way for storing, selling, or exhibiting materials. Fence materials and fence work must remain outside those public areas unless a separate authorization applies.
• Gates and Doors: The code prohibits any gate or door from swinging open upon or over a street, alley, or sidewalk except when required by statute.
• Corner-Lot Visibility: On a corner lot outside the B-3 Central Business District, the zoning ordinance prohibits an obstruction to vision within the area formed by the center lines of the intersecting or intercepting streets and a line joining points on those center lines 90 feet from their intersection. Within that area, there may be no obstruction to vision between 2 1/2 feet and 10 feet above the average street grade at the center line. The section does not prohibit a necessary retaining wall.
• Drainage Ditches, Curbs, and Gutters: Fence placement and construction activity must not fill, change the grade of, or interfere with drainage ditches, curbs, or gutters on a street, road, alley, or public drive without the city-manager permit described in the code.
• Flood-Hazard Areas and Watercourses: In flood-hazard, floodway, channel, stream, or watercourse contexts, the zoning ordinance treats a wire fence, wall, structure, fill, excavation, or other matter as a potential flood obstruction when it may impede, retard, or change water flow or collect debris. This floodplain rule is separate from ordinary property-line placement.
• Historic District Placement: Within the historic district, the Historic Zoning Design Review Guidelines limit privacy and security fences to rear yards and side yard locations beyond the mid-point of the building. The structural members of those fences are to be placed on the inside so they are not visible to public view.
• Planned and Reviewed Development: Where a property is part of a planned unit development, approved site plan, or use requiring site-plan review, approved plan conditions may address setbacks, screening, landscaping, buffering, fencing, drainage, utilities, easements, and rights-of-way. Those conditions are site-specific and are not stated as ordinary residential fence setbacks.
• Utility and Easement Access: Water-system easements and utility facilities must remain accessible where the Savannah Utility Department or another utility has facility rights. Fence placement must not block access to public utilities, recorded easements, or utility facilities serving the property.
• 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
• Citywide Fence Height: The code does not specify a maximum height for standard residential fences. The zoning ordinance contains district height standards for buildings and other structures, but it does not state those standards as a fence-specific maximum height for standard residential fences.
• Building-Code Exemption Height: The 2012 International Residential Code R105.2 building-permit exemption applies to fences not over 7 feet high. This exemption height is building-code permit context; it is not stated as a City of Savannah maximum fence height.
• Corner-Lot Visibility: Outside the B-3 Central Business District, the corner-lot clear-vision area prohibits obstructions between 2 1/2 feet and 10 feet above the average street grade within the 90-foot center-line visibility triangle described in the zoning ordinance.
• Historic District Height: Within the historic district, the design guidelines call for new fences and walls to be constructed in traditional materials and for the height of new fences and walls to be consistent with the height of historic fences and walls in the district. The guidelines do not publish a single numeric maximum height for standard residential fences.
• Vegetation Near Traffic: The property-maintenance provisions prohibit vegetation from interfering with traffic signage or obstructing a driver’s clear view of traffic when approaching or leaving an intersection on a city street.
MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS
• Citywide Materials: The code does not specify a citywide residential material or construction standard for standard fences outside historic-district context.
• Historic Fence and Wall Materials: Within the historic district, the design guidelines favor traditional fence and wall materials and identify wood picket fences, woven wire fencing, and solid privacy fences constructed of vertical wooden uprights as materials that may be considered in rear-yard contexts.
• Incompatible Historic-District Materials: The design guidelines identify artificial siding, plastic panels, landscape timbers, railroad ties, corrugated metal, and vinyl or metal chain-link fencing as incompatible contemporary substitute materials for historic fence or wall materials.
• Visible Vinyl and Chain Link: The design guidelines state that vinyl and metal chain-link fences are not appropriate in front yards or other locations where they are visible from the public right-of-way in the historic district.
• Privacy and Security Fence Orientation: Within the historic district, privacy and security fences must place structural members on the inside so they are not visible to public view.
• Iron Fences: For historic iron fences, the design guidelines call for rust removal, metal primer, and painting in traditional dark green, black, or brown.
• Site-Plan Buffering: Where site-plan review is separately required, the zoning ordinance allows review authorities to require buffering through fencing, plantings, or combinations of those measures. That site-plan authority is not a citywide material standard for ordinary single-family residential fences.
PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS
Private restrictions operate independently from City of Savannah ordinances and Tennessee residential building-code status.
HOA covenants, subdivision restrictions, deed restrictions, private easements, architectural-review covenants, boundary agreements, conservation easements, and recorded private agreements may be more restrictive than the City rules summarized here.
Approved planned unit development documents, subdivision plats, site plans, and recorded covenants may also create site-specific fencing, buffering, screening, easement, or open-space conditions.
The City of Savannah building-code exemption for fences not over 7 feet high does not override private restrictions, recorded easements, approved plan conditions, or historic-district review where those separate requirements apply.
REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT
Fence issues are typically reviewed during permit or approval review when required, and through complaint-based code enforcement. Examples include:
• Residential Building-Code Status: The City of Savannah is listed as EXEMPT for Tennessee residential building-code enforcement, and the City locally adopts the 2012 International Residential Code.
• Building-Code Exemption: The 2012 International Residential Code R105.2 exempts fences not over 7 feet high from building-permit requirements under that code. No affirmative local permit trigger for standard residential fences over that height is published in the referenced published materials.
• General Building and Zoning Processes: The City publishes general building-permit, zoning administration, site-plan review, and enforcement materials through the Community Development Department and zoning ordinance, but those materials do not explicitly state that standard residential fences require a separate fence permit or zoning permit.
• Corner-Lot Visibility: Review or enforcement may involve the zoning ordinance’s corner-lot clear-vision area outside the B-3 Central Business District, including the 90-foot center-line visibility triangle and the prohibition on obstructions between 2 1/2 feet and 10 feet above average street grade.
• Historic District: Fence and wall work on properties subject to the historic zoning overlay may be reviewed against the Historic Zoning Design Review Guidelines and the exterior-project review process of the Historic Zoning Commission.
• Floodplain Development: Fence work involving a wire fence, wall, structure, fill, excavation, drilling, grading, storage of materials, or other development in a covered floodplain, floodway, channel, stream, watercourse, or regulatory flood-hazard area may be reviewed under the floodplain development-permit provisions administered by the Building Inspector.
• Site-Plan Conditions: Where site-plan review, planned unit development review, or Board of Zoning Appeals review applies independently, required buffering, screening, fencing, landscaping, access, drainage, utility, easement, and right-of-way conditions may be reviewed as part of that separate process.
• Streets, Drainage, and Public Ways: Review or enforcement may involve public-street or right-of-way obstruction, gates or doors opening over public ways, drainage ditches, curbs, gutters, and other public-way conflicts.
• Utilities and Easements: Review may involve access to Savannah Utility Department facilities, water-system easements, other utility easements, and Tennessee 811 excavation notice where digging or earth movement is part of the fence project.
USING THIS INFORMATION
This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within City of Savannah, 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 the City of Savannah Community Development Department and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from City of Savannah staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.