FENCE RULES – DAVIE (TOWN), FLORIDA
OVERVIEW
Residential fences are permitted on private property within Town of Davie, subject to local regulations.
Fence rules in the Town of Davie are not contained in one standalone fence chapter. They appear across the Code of Ordinances, Town of Davie, Florida, especially Chapter 12, Land Development Code, and in the Building Division Fence Checklist, Building Division Fence Permits construction sheet, and Planning & Zoning Fence Addendum.
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 the Code of Ordinances, Town of Davie, Florida; Town of Davie Building Division; Town of Davie General Information; Town of Davie Code Compliance; Town of Davie Planning & Zoning; Town of Davie Historic Preservation; Town of Davie Building Division Fence Checklist; Town of Davie Building Division Fence Permits; and Town of Davie Planning & Zoning Fence Addendum as of April 2026.
GOVERNANCE
• Governing Entity: The Town of Davie administers residential fence regulation through the Town of Davie Building Division, Planning & Zoning, Engineering, and Code Compliance Division.
• Primary Code: The principal local code document is the Code of Ordinances, Town of Davie, Florida, especially Chapter 12, Land Development Code.
• Fence-Specific Materials: The Town also publishes fence-specific administrative materials through the Building Division Fence Checklist, Building Division Fence Permits construction sheet, and Planning & Zoning Fence Addendum.
• No Single Fence Chapter: The Town does not publish one consolidated residential fence chapter. Fence rules appear in general zoning standards, sight-triangle standards, Rural Lifestyle Regulations, Scenic Corridors Overlay provisions, and permit checklist materials.
PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
Effective July 1, 2026, Florida’s HB 803, enacted as Chapter 2026-63, changes the building-permit framework for certain single-family residential work. The law requires local governments that issue building permits to exempt an owner of a single-family dwelling, or the owner’s contractor, from the requirement to obtain a building permit for work valued at less than $7,500 on the owner’s property. This building-permit exemption does not apply to work on property located partly or entirely in a Florida Building Code flood hazard area, and it does not apply to electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical, or gas work. To qualify for the exemption, the owner or owner’s contractor must submit a written exemption request to the local enforcement agency with a contract or other documentation showing the nature and value of the work.
This exemption applies to the building-permit requirement. It does not by itself remove local zoning, fence, site, setback, survey, easement, right-of-way, drainage, visibility, floodplain, historic/design, Certificate of Appropriateness, pool-barrier, HOA/private-restriction, or other non-building-code requirements that may apply to a fence project. Because this legislation is new, local governments may update how fence, building, zoning, and site-review procedures are routed. The reviewed-by date on this page reflects the permit and approval orientation found in the official materials at that time. Before relying on the building-permit exemption or beginning work, property owners should ask the receiving building or permitting department how to file the exemption request and should also confirm with planning, zoning, or other applicable local staff whether any separate fence, zoning, site, historic/design, floodplain, easement, visibility, or other approval is required.
• Building Permit: The Town of Davie Building Division Fence Checklist requires a Building Permit Application for fence work and lists Structural as the required permit application.
• Review Stops: Fence permit review includes Planning & Zoning, Structural, and Engineering review stops. Electrical review applies if applicable.
• Online Submittal: The Building Division requires permit requests to be submitted through the Town’s online application submission process, with required documents uploaded according to the applicable permit checklist.
• Notice of Commencement: A Notice of Commencement must be recorded if the job exceeds $5,000.
• Survey and Site Plan: Required submittals include a signed/sealed survey or survey affidavit when applicable, and a site plan showing the proposed work with dimensions and setbacks.
• Zoning Review: The Planning & Zoning Fence Addendum requires fence plans to identify the fence height, type, material, color, design, length of each fence segment, and the location, height, and width of each gate.
• Easement and Drainage Documents: The Fence Checklist requires a hold harmless utility easement agreement if proposed work is located within utility easements, and applicable drainage district approvals if proposed work is located within drainage-related easements.
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 Planning & Zoning Fence Addendum states that fences depicted along a property line are assumed to be completely within the subject lot unless expressly noted otherwise.
• Survey Requirements: The required survey must show all rights-of-way, easements, and similar encumbrances, including those adjacent to the lot or parcel.
• Utility Easements: If proposed fence work is located within a utility easement, the Fence Checklist requires an executed hold harmless utility easement agreement.
• Drainage Easements: If proposed fence work is located within drainage-related easements, the Fence Checklist requires applicable drainage district approvals.
• Sight Triangles: Fences and other structures are restricted within required driveway and street-intersection sight triangles under Sec. 12-113.
• Rural Lifestyle and Scenic Corridor Areas: Properties in AG, A-1, and R-1 zoning, and fences located within a scenic corridor buffer, are subject to additional location, height, opacity, and style requirements under Sec. 12-287 and Sec. 12-284.
• Utility Safety: Florida law requires notice through Sunshine 811 before excavation or demolition. For fence projects that involve digging, including fence post holes, notice generally must be given at least 2 full business days before excavation begins on land.
FENCE HEIGHT AND VISIBILITY RULES
• General Residential Plot-Line Height: Except where the Rural Lifestyle standards apply, no fence or wall along or adjacent to a plot line for residentially zoned property may exceed 6 feet in height.
• Residential Plot Line Adjacent to Nonresidential Zoning: Where a residential plot line is adjacent to nonresidentially zoned property, the height limit for a fence or wall along that plot line is 8 feet.
• Height Measurement: Fence height is measured from the finished grade of the property on which the fence is installed.
• Street-Line Intersection Visibility: In any residential district, no opaque fence, wall, or hedge may exceed 2 feet above the nearest street grade within 25 feet of the intersection of any street lines or produced street lines.
• Sight-Triangle Visibility: Wherever a driveway intersects a public or private street right-of-way, or where a parcel abuts the intersection of two or more public or private street rights-of-way, required sight triangles must provide unobstructed cross-visibility between 3 feet and 8 feet above the ground.
• Sight-Triangle Obstructions: No trees, palms, or structures may be located within a sight triangle. Sod, ground cover, and shrubs may be placed in a sight triangle but must be maintained at a height not exceeding 3 feet.
• Sight-Triangle Dimensions: The Town’s fence addendum diagrams identify a 12-foot sight triangle for a single-family driveway to a right-of-way, a 25-foot sight triangle for a driveway other than a single-family driveway to a right-of-way, and a 40-foot sight triangle for the intersection of two streets.
• Town Engineer Exception: The Town Engineer may authorize different sight-triangle designs that do not compromise public safety.
• AG, A-1, and R-1 Rural Lifestyle Areas: In the Rural Lifestyle area, fences in a required front yard or any required yard adjacent to a right-of-way or scenic corridor are limited to 4 feet in height. In all other locations, fences are limited to 6 feet in height.
• Rural Lifestyle Opacity: In AG, A-1, and R-1 areas, fences outside the building envelope may be no more than 50% opaque. Fences located within a scenic corridor buffer may be no more than 20% opaque.
• Decorative Extensions: In the Rural Lifestyle area, finials and similar decorative elements placed on top of columns or fence posts may extend up to 25% higher than the maximum fence or wall height set by the applicable standard.
MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS
• General Residential Materials: The code does not specify one townwide list of permitted or prohibited materials for all standard single-family residential fences.
• Fence Plan Details: The Planning & Zoning Fence Addendum requires fence plans to show the fence height, type, material, color, design, segment length, and gate location, height, and width.
• Rural Lifestyle Fence Styles: In AG, A-1, and R-1 areas, fences are limited to split rail fences, green or black vinyl-clad chain-link fences, decorative picket fences in a uniform color of white, black, or earth tone, shadow box and board-on-board fences only within the building envelope, and other fence material approved as part of a site plan for the development before October 16, 2002.
• Scenic Corridor Buffer Fences: Fences within a scenic corridor buffer are not intended to be substantial in appearance and must meet the design requirements of Sec. 12-287.
• PVC, Metal, or Aluminum Fences: The Fence Checklist requires signed and sealed plans by a Florida licensed architect or engineer when installing a PVC, metal, or aluminum fence.
• Wood and Chain-Link Fences: Wood and chain-link fences must be installed per the Building Code if they are not designed by an architect or engineer.
• Wood Fence Construction: The Building Division Fence Permits construction sheet provides minimum construction standards for wood fences not exceeding 6 feet in height, including post size, spacing, and concrete footing requirements.
• Chain-Link Fence Construction: The Building Division Fence Permits construction sheet provides chain-link fence construction standards for fences less than 12 feet in height, including post sizes, foundation dimensions, fabric gauge, top rail or tension wire, bracing, post spacing, embedment, and final inspection requirements.
PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS
• Private Covenants: Homeowners’ association rules, deed restrictions, easements, and private covenants operate independently from Town fence regulations and may be more restrictive.
• Town Review and Private Restrictions: A Town permit or zoning review does not determine whether a private restriction allows the same fence.
REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT
Fence issues are typically reviewed during permit or approval review when required, and through complaint-based code enforcement. Examples include:
• Permit Review: Fence work is reviewed through the Building Division permit process, including the required Structural permit application and review stops for Planning & Zoning, Structural, and Engineering.
• Zoning Review: Fence plans are reviewed for applicable fence design standards, sight-triangle rules, Rural Lifestyle requirements, scenic corridor requirements, and site-specific zoning conditions.
• Visibility Review: Sight-triangle obstructions, opaque fences near street-line intersections, and structures within required visibility areas may be reviewed under the Town’s sight-distance and visibility standards.
• Easement and Drainage Review: Fence work within utility easements or drainage-related easements may require the additional easement and drainage district documents identified in the Fence Checklist.
• Construction Review: Wood, chain-link, PVC, metal, aluminum, and pre-cast post-and-panel fences are reviewed against the applicable construction documentation and plan requirements.
• Code Compliance: The Code Compliance Division enforces Town codes and ordinances and accepts online complaints, including property-maintenance and nuisance or eyesore conditions.
USING THIS INFORMATION
This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within Town of Davie, based on publicly available materials reviewed as of April 2026.
In addition to local fence rules, certain Florida laws apply statewide. See Statewide Fence Laws in Florida.
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, and private restrictions such as HOA covenants. Before purchasing materials or beginning construction, confirm current requirements and any site-specific limitations with Town of Davie Building Division and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from Town of Davie staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.