FENCE RULES – STEWART (COUNTY), TENNESSEE
OVERVIEW
Residential fences are permitted on private property within Stewart County, subject to local regulations.
This page applies to properties in the unincorporated areas of Stewart County; incorporated municipalities may regulate fences under their own ordinances.
Stewart County publishes county office materials and county road-acceptance standards rather than a consolidated residential fence ordinance. Fence-related information in the referenced published materials appears primarily in the Road Acceptance Standards for Stewart County, Tennessee residential jurisdiction status materials, county office contact materials, and statewide 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 Stewart County Official Website, Stewart County Mayor page, Stewart County Records Request page, Stewart County Highway Superintendent page, Road Acceptance Standards for Stewart County, Tennessee State Fire Marshal Residential Jurisdictions & Inspectors, Tennessee State Fire Marshal Residential Permit FAQs, Tennessee State Fire Marshal Residential Permits, Tennessee State Fire Marshal Currently Adopted Codes, and Tennessee 811 materials as of July 2026.
GOVERNANCE
Stewart County governs fence-related matters for properties in the unincorporated county through the county government structure published on the Stewart County Official Website. The Stewart County Mayor’s Office is the general county office identified on the county site and in records-request materials; the Stewart County Highway Department administers county road matters through the Highway Superintendent.
Stewart County does not publish a consolidated residential fence code, county zoning ordinance, fence permit application, or local building-code chapter for standard residential fences in the referenced published materials. Fence-related county rules are limited to the county road right-of-way restriction in the Road Acceptance Standards for Stewart County, together with Tennessee residential status and Tennessee 811 utility-notice context.
Stewart County is listed as OPT OUT for Tennessee residential building-code enforcement. The State Fire Marshal status key states that OPT OUT means the jurisdiction has passed a resolution opting out of the program. The referenced published materials do not identify a local residential building-code edition for Stewart County.
PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
• Residential Building-Code Status: Stewart County is listed as OPT OUT for Tennessee residential building-code enforcement. Stewart County does not publish a local fence permit requirement for standard residential fences.
• Building-Code Permit Context: Because Stewart County is listed as OPT OUT, the state-adopted IRC fence-permit exemption is not stated here as an operating county permit rule. The referenced published materials do not identify a local residential building-code edition or a separate local building-permit rule for standard residential fences.
• Local Fence Permit: Stewart County does not publish a local fence permit application, zoning permit application, or zoning approval requirement for standard residential fences in the referenced published materials.
• County Road Right-of-Way: Road Acceptance Standards for Stewart County state that no gates, fences, cattle gaps, or other obstructions that hinder traffic or maintenance are allowed and that no fence is allowed within the right-of-way limits in the county road-acceptance context.
FENCE PLACEMENT RULES
• County Placement Standards: Stewart County does not publish county setback, yard-location, or property-line placement standards for standard residential fences in the referenced published materials.
• County Road Rights-of-Way: Road Acceptance Standards for Stewart County require a minimum 50-foot right-of-way for a new road accepted as a county-maintained road, with the right-of-way cleared to the right-of-way limits. In that road-acceptance context, no gates, fences, cattle gaps, or other obstructions that hinder traffic or maintenance are allowed, and no fence is allowed within the right-of-way limits.
• Road Drainage Context: Road Acceptance Standards for Stewart County require accepted roads to be ditched and drained with metal or concrete culverts where needed. The referenced published materials do not state a separate drainage setback or drainage approval rule for standard residential fences outside the county road context.
• 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
• Fence Height: Stewart County does not publish a maximum height standard for standard residential fences in the referenced published materials.
• Yard-Based Height Limits: Stewart County does not publish separate front-yard, side-yard, or rear-yard height limits for standard residential fences in the referenced published materials.
• Visibility Standards: Stewart County does not publish a county sight-triangle, clear-vision, driveway-visibility, or intersection-visibility standard for standard residential fences in the referenced published materials. In the county road-acceptance context, fences and other obstructions that hinder traffic or maintenance are not allowed within the right-of-way limits.
MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS
• Fence Materials: Stewart County does not publish county material restrictions for standard residential fences in the referenced published materials.
• Fence Orientation and Construction: Stewart County does not publish a finished-side, good-side-out, opacity, wall, gate, or fence-construction standard for standard residential fences in the referenced published materials.
• Barbed Wire, Electric Fences, and Security Fencing: Stewart County does not publish a standard residential rule for barbed wire, electric fences, razor wire, or security fencing in the referenced published materials.
PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS
Private restrictions operate independently from county-published rules. Subdivision covenants, HOA rules, deed restrictions, private easements, agricultural agreements, boundary agreements, architectural-review covenants, conservation easements, or recorded plats may impose fence limits even where Stewart County does not publish a county fence permit requirement, zoning approval requirement, height limit, or material standard for standard residential fences.
The referenced published materials do not state that Stewart County enforces private fence covenants as part of an ordinary county fence-review process.
REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT
Fence issues are typically reviewed during permit or approval review when required, and through complaint-based code enforcement. Examples include:
• Jurisdictional Location: Whether the property is in unincorporated Stewart County or inside an incorporated municipality with its own governing authority.
• Residential Building-Code Status: Stewart County is listed as OPT OUT under the Tennessee residential building-code framework.
• Published Local Permit Rules: Stewart County does not publish a local fence permit application, zoning permit application, zoning approval requirement, or local residential building-code edition for standard residential fences in the referenced published materials.
• County Road Right-of-Way: Road Acceptance Standards for Stewart County restrict fences, gates, cattle gaps, and other obstructions within the right-of-way limits in the county road-acceptance context.
• Utility Excavation: Fence installation involving post holes, augering, grading, or other excavation remains subject to Tennessee 811 notice requirements 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 Stewart 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 Stewart County Mayor’s Office, with the Stewart County Highway Department for county road or right-of-way questions, and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from Stewart County staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.