What Happens If I Put Up A Fence Without A Permit?

What happens if you build a fence without procuring a building permit? This question largely depends on whether or not your particular project requires a permit. For instance, if you live in a rural area, the odds are that you won’t need one. However, living in a major metropolitan area makes the process more difficult and will almost always require you to obtain a building permit.

You can receive a fine if you build a fence without a permit if you live somewhere where it’s required. Not all neighborhoods, states, or counties require that you obtain a permit to build a fence. Some neighborhoods or counties may send you a “Stop Work” and will fine you $100 per day if you continue to build the fence.

Whether or not you need to secure a permit for your fence installation project will depend on a few factors including where you live, what type of fence you’re building and whether or not your neighborhood has a homeowner’s association.

We’ll outline these specific elements to hopefully shed some light on the subject and dive into further detail in regards to the consequences of building without a permit when one is required.

As previously stated, building a fence in a major metro area such as Los Angeles or New York, will likely prove to be more challenging than more rural, open locations. In areas that are densely populated, your fence project will be subject to ordinances and zoning laws that take public safety and neighborhood design requirements into account.

Whereas, a farmer located in a rural area may have no trouble building a fence on their property without a permit. Regardless of your situation, you should always consult the building inspector’s office in your city to ensure that you’re following all the proper measures and obtaining a permit when needed.

The particular location, materials and height of your fence may mean that it’s required to adhere to any number of regulations. If you have a homeowner’s association in your neighborhood, their purpose is to protect property values and maintain uniformity through specific established design standards.

Additionally, most municipalities impose precise zoning laws that regulate allowed fence height, materials used and sometimes even the style of fence if you live in an area that’s part of a historic district.

The type of fence you’re allowed to build will depend on your HOA and any established zoning laws in your area. For example, if you live in a residential setting it’s very unlikely that you’ll be permitted to install a barbed wire fence.

In most cases, the cost of the potential penalties will far exceed the price of the original permit. Also, if caught without a permit, you may be required by the city to tear out your work or completely redo it.

Note: If the idea of dealing with your local government and presenting drawing plans sounds unappealing, you can hire a contractor. Although you’ll ultimately need to sign off on the permit, your builder can handle the entire permit process for you. However, if you choose to build the fence yourself, you will be in charge of pulling and paying for permits.

If you want to build the fence yourself, then hey! We love that idea! After all, we urge homeowners to do their own work when they feel comfortable. However, if your fencing area is on unlevel ground, or the ground is too hard to dig posts in and you just don’t want to do it, then the professional will do all of that for you.

They can level your yard, install the fence posts, and deal with the inspectors who come to check out the job site. Plus, if anything is done wrong, it’s on the contractor, and not on you. So if there are fines or fees to pay, it comes from their company rather than out of your own pocket.