FENCE RULES – SPRINGFIELD (CITY), TENNESSEE
OVERVIEW
Residential fences are permitted on private property within City of Springfield, subject to local regulations. For properties located outside City of Springfield municipal limits, Robertson County regulates fences in unincorporated areas.
Fence rules for the City of Springfield appear across the City of Springfield Zoning Ordinance, Building and Codes permitting materials, Planning and Zoning materials, Historic Preservation Commission materials, Floodplain Management materials, and the Subdivision Regulations of Springfield, Tennessee. The City also publishes adopted ICC code references, including the 2021 International Residential Code for 1 and 2-Family Dwellings.
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 City of Springfield Community Development and Planning, Building and Codes, Permitting, Do I Need a Permit?, Planning and Zoning, Project Applications and Submittal Information, Historic Preservation Commission, Floodplain Management, ICC Code References, City of Springfield Zoning Ordinance excerpts, Subdivision Regulations of Springfield, Tennessee, Tennessee State Fire Marshal residential jurisdiction materials, and Tennessee 811 materials as of May 2026.
GOVERNANCE
The City of Springfield administers fence-related rules through the Community Development Department, including Planning and Zoning and Building and Codes functions. The City states that Community Development handles city planning, development regulations, zoning, and building and codes.
The City of Springfield Building and Codes Department handles permitting, inspections, property maintenance complaints, plan review, and code enforcement functions for construction and maintenance of structures within city limits.
The City of Springfield Planning Department is responsible for long-range planning, development review, zoning administration and enforcement, historic preservation, and community revitalization within the City.
The City of Springfield is listed as exempt for Tennessee residential building-code enforcement, indicating local residential building-code administration rather than state residential permit administration. The City’s adopted-code materials identify the 2021 International Residential Code for 1 and 2-Family Dwellings as locally adopted and enforced by the Community Development Department.
The Subdivision Regulations of Springfield, Tennessee apply within the Springfield planning region and may affect fences in subdivision, plat, utility, drainage, floodplain, hazardous-condition, and public-improvement contexts.
PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
• Building-Code Permit Context: City of Springfield is listed as exempt for Tennessee residential building-code enforcement, indicating local residential building-code administration. The City’s adopted 2021 International Residential Code for 1 and 2-Family Dwellings includes a building-permit exemption for fences not over 7 feet high, and the City’s permitting page states that a permit is not required for fences not over 7 feet high. City of Springfield does not publish a separate local fence permit requirement for standard residential fences.
• Zoning Compliance: Building-code permit exemptions are separate from zoning, setback, or plat requirements. Confirm any applicable zoning conditions, setbacks, plat requirements, and permit requirements with Springfield Planning and Zoning before construction.
• Historic District Review: The Project Applications and Submittal Information page states that a Certificate of Appropriateness is required for major renovation projects within the City of Springfield Historic District. The HD Historic Zoning District guidelines include specific residential fence standards for front-yard and side-yard fences.
• Floodplain Permit Context: The Floodplain Management page states that man-made changes to property, including grading, paving, filling, excavating, drainage facilities, new construction, rehabilitation, and any other man-made change to an improved or unimproved lot, need a permit. Fence work involving excavation, fill, grading, drainage changes, or other site work within a floodplain context may fall under this floodplain permit framework.
• Pool Context: The City’s permitting page states that installing a pool requires a permit. The published materials do not specify a separate private residential pool-barrier fence standard for this page.
FENCE PLACEMENT RULES
• Standard Residential Placement: 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.
• Required Yards: Section A-801 states that fences, walls, and hedges may be permitted in any required yard or along the edge of any yard, except within the corner-visibility area described in Section A-801(A).
• Required-Yard Obstructions: Section A-806 states that walls or fences not exceeding 6 feet in height, measured from finished grade level at any point along the length of and on any side of the wall or fence, and not roofed or structurally part of a building, are not considered obstructions when located within a required yard, subject to Sections A-801(A) and A-801(B).
• Corner Visibility: On a corner lot in any district except CC, nothing may be erected, placed, planted, or allowed to grow in a manner that materially impedes vision between 2.5 feet and 10 feet above the center-line grades of the intersecting streets within the area bounded by the street lines and a line joining points along those street lines 50 feet from the point of intersection.
• Historic District Placement Context: In the HD Historic Zoning District, front-yard fences must be compatible with the style of the house. Side-yard fencing may be graduated to a maximum of 6 feet if built so as not to obscure the streetscape sight line.
• Subdivision Hazard Fences: The Subdivision Regulations of Springfield, Tennessee require a subdivider or developer to furnish and install fences wherever the Planning Commission determines that a hazardous condition exists. Those fences must be constructed according to standards established by the Planning Commission and noted on the final plat as to height and required materials.
• Subdivision Easements and Plats: Subdivision plats may identify property lines, public ways, utility easements, drainage easements, floodplain boundaries, and other restrictions. Where such easements or restrictions apply, fence placement must account for the recorded plat and applicable City review.
• Floodplain and Drainage Context: In floodplain, drainage, subdivision, sinkhole, or stormwater contexts, the City’s materials require review of proposed site changes, drainage facilities, floodplain boundaries, easements, and related engineering information. These requirements are site-condition rules, not ordinary fence setbacks.
• 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
• Citywide Height Structure: The code does not specify a single citywide maximum height for every standard residential fence.
• Required-Yard Height Context: Within required yards, Section A-806 treats walls or fences not exceeding 6 feet in height as permitted obstructions when they are measured from finished grade at any point along the length of and on any side of the wall or fence, and are not roofed or structurally part of a building.
• Building-Code Permit Exemption: The City’s permitting materials state that a permit is not required for fences not over 7 feet high. This is a building-code permit exemption and is not stated as a zoning maximum height.
• Corner-Lot Visibility: On corner lots in all districts except CC, fences, walls, hedges, vegetation, and other items may not materially impede vision between 2.5 feet and 10 feet above the center-line grades of intersecting streets within the required 50-foot corner visibility area.
• Historic District Front-Yard Height: In the HD Historic Zoning District, front-yard fences must be a compatible style to blend with the house and must be a maximum of 42 inches to 48 inches in height.
• Historic District Side-Yard Height: In the HD Historic Zoning District, side-yard fencing may be graduated to a maximum of 6 feet if built so as not to obscure the streetscape sight line.
• Subdivision Sight-Distance Context: In subdivision street design, the Subdivision Regulations of Springfield, Tennessee include intersection and sight-distance standards, including minimum sight distance across corners. These subdivision street-design standards are separate from the ordinary corner-lot fence visibility rule in Section A-801.
MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS
• Citywide Residential Materials: The code does not specify citywide permitted or prohibited materials for standard residential fences outside the historic district and subdivision-specific hazardous-condition contexts.
• Historic District Style: In the HD Historic Zoning District, front-yard fences must be of a compatible style to blend with the style of the house.
• Historic District Chain Link: In the HD Historic Zoning District, chain link is not allowed in the front yard.
• Subdivision Hazard Fences: Where the Planning Commission requires fencing because of a hazardous condition in a subdivision, the final plat must note the fence height and required materials.
• Finished-Side Orientation: The code does not specify a finished-side orientation requirement for standard residential fences.
• Barbed Wire and Electric Fences: The code does not specify a standard residential rule for barbed wire or electric fences in the materials reviewed for this page.
PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS
Private restrictions operate independently from City fence rules. These may include HOA covenants, subdivision restrictions, deed restrictions, private easements, architectural-review covenants, agricultural agreements, boundary agreements, or private maintenance obligations.
The Subdivision Regulations of Springfield, Tennessee state that private provisions may be more restrictive than public subdivision regulations and that private provisions exceeding public standards are private contracts beyond the Planning Commission’s jurisdiction.
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-Code Permit Exemption: The City’s permitting page states that a permit is not required for fences not over 7 feet high.
• Zoning and Yard Review: Fence placement may be reviewed against Section A-801, Section A-806, required-yard rules, corner-lot visibility rules, and any applicable zoning district conditions.
• Corner Visibility: Fences, walls, hedges, or vegetation on a corner lot may be reviewed where they materially impede vision between 2.5 feet and 10 feet above the center-line grades of intersecting streets within the required 50-foot visibility area.
• Historic District Review: Fence work in the HD Historic Zoning District may be reviewed against the historic fence standards for front-yard height, front-yard style compatibility, side-yard fence graduation, side-yard maximum height, streetscape sight lines, and chain-link restrictions in front yards. Major renovation projects within the Historic District are subject to the Certificate of Appropriateness process.
• Floodplain Review: Fence work involving excavation, fill, grading, drainage changes, construction, or other man-made changes in a floodplain context may be reviewed under the City’s floodplain permit process.
• Subdivision Review: In subdivision contexts, the Planning Commission may require fences where a hazardous condition exists, and the final plat must note required fence height and materials for those hazard-related fences.
• Easement, Drainage, and Right-of-Way Review: Fence location may be reviewed where a subdivision plat, public way, utility easement, drainage easement, floodplain boundary, or other recorded restriction affects the proposed fence location.
• Property Maintenance and Complaint Context: The Building and Codes Department handles property maintenance complaints and code enforcement functions within the City.
USING THIS INFORMATION
This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within City of Springfield, 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, adopted-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 City of Springfield Community Development Department and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from City of Springfield staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.