FENCE RULES – MARGATE (CITY), FLORIDA
OVERVIEW
Residential fences are permitted on private property within City of Margate, subject to local regulations.
The City of Margate regulates residential fences primarily through the Code of Ordinances, Chapter 40, Land Development Code, Section 40.702, Fences, Walls and Hedges. The City also publishes administrative fence guidance through the Fence Code Guidelines, the Fence Permit Application Checklist, and the Construction of Residential Fences, Walls and/or Hedges guide.
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 City of Margate Code of Ordinances, Fence Code Guidelines, Fence Permit Application Checklist, Construction of Residential Fences, Walls and/or Hedges, Building, Code Compliance, and Planning and Zoning materials as of April 2026.
GOVERNANCE
The governing authority is the City of Margate.
Residential fence standards are administered through the Code of Ordinances, Chapter 40, Land Development Code, especially Section 40.702, Fences, Walls and Hedges.
The Building and Code Services Department administers building permit review for fence installation.
The Development Services Department and Planning And Zoning administer zoning inquiries, including fence height, location, and setback questions.
The Code Compliance function addresses property-maintenance and code-compliance issues, including fence condition and compliance with published fence standards.
PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
• Building Permit: A Building Permit is required to install a residential fence in the City of Margate.
• Permit Submittal Materials: The City’s fence permit checklist identifies minimum submittal items, including a building permit application, proof of cost, an easement affidavit, and a site survey showing the fence location, fence height, and gate locations.
• Owner-Builder Submittals: If the homeowner is acting as the contractor, the City’s checklist requires the owner-builder affidavit and proof of residency at the job address.
• Pool Fence Documentation: Fences for new or existing pools require applicable pool-barrier documentation under the Florida Building Code and the City’s pool-safety forms.
• PVC and Aluminum Fences: The permit checklist states that a Notice of Acceptance or signed and sealed engineer’s drawings are required for PVC and aluminum fences when applicable.
• Zoning Compliance: Building permit requirements are separate from zoning, setback, or plat requirements. Confirm any applicable zoning conditions, setbacks, and plat requirements with Planning And Zoning before construction.
FENCE PLACEMENT RULES
• Allowed Residential Locations: For one- and two-family dwelling districts, fences and walls are allowed in side, street-side, rear, or required-yard locations, subject to the City’s front-yard and corner-yard restrictions.
• Front and Corner Yard Limits: One- and two-family fences and walls are not allowed in a front yard or corner yard, and are not allowed in front of a home or past the front of a home.
• Corner Yard Measurement: The City’s residential fence guide states that a corner yard is found by drawing a line from the front corner of the home to both streets.
• Property-Line 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.
• Irregular Lots: On an irregularly shaped lot, a wall or fence may extend off the front corners of a house so that it intersects the side property line at a 90-degree angle, and it may not extend farther than the wall of the house closest to the front property line.
• Angled Corner Entrances: On a corner lot where the primary entrance is angled and faces both streets, the side of the home with the primary driveway is treated as the front setback.
• Cul-de-Sac Exception: The code allows walls or fences in a front setback on lots on a cul-de-sac that terminate adjacent to roadways classified by the Broward County Trafficways Plan Map as arterial roadways.
• Gate Operation: Gates must operate entirely on the property where they are installed unless an easement allows access to adjoining property. Gates are prohibited from operating into any right-of-way.
• Rights-of-Way and Access Easements: For property developed after adoption of the Land Development Code, a perimeter fence or wall of a development must be set back at least 5 feet from an adjacent right-of-way or access easement in an area under unified control and ownership. Lots within an existing residential subdivision are exempt from this requirement.
• Utility Easements: A fence or wall proposed in a recorded utility easement requires a notarized affidavit acknowledging the utility provider’s rights and the owner’s responsibility for removal, repair, replacement, and damage.
• Drainage, Canal, or Lake Maintenance Easements: A fence or wall proposed in a recorded drainage, canal, or lake maintenance easement requires written permission from the applicable easement holder.
• 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
• Standard One- and Two-Family Height: Fences and walls in one- and two-family dwelling districts may not exceed 6 feet in height.
• Single-Family Code Height: For single-family attached and detached dwellings, the Land Development Code states a maximum fence or wall height of 6 feet, measured from the grade of the property where the fence or wall is located.
• Residential Nonresidential-Adjacency Exception: A property developed with a permitted residential use may install a wall or fence up to 8 feet high along a side or rear property line that is adjacent to, or separated by a canal right-of-way less than 80 feet in width or an alley from, a nonresidential use.
• Hedges: For one- and two-family dwelling districts, hedges may be 6 feet high. The City’s residential guide states a 10-foot hedge-height exception in side yards that are not at the corner and in rear yards abutting nonresidential property or a right-of-way greater than 100 feet.
• Sight Triangle: For single-family detached dwellings and duplex detached dwellings, the code requires a 10-foot by 10-foot sight triangle. The code does not publish a separate fence-opacity standard for typical one- and two-family fences in that sight-triangle provision.
MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS
• Permitted Materials: The Land Development Code allows aluminum, chain link, concrete block covered with stucco or pre-cast concrete, molded polyethylene composite, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), weatherproofed wood, or other similar material deemed similar by the Development Services Director.
• Prohibited Materials: Barbed wire, razor wire, similar wire, broken glass, plywood, and sheet metal are prohibited.
• Chain Link District Limitation: Chain link or similar-style fences are not permitted within the Corridor, Gateway, and City Center zoning districts, except when used temporarily to secure an active construction site.
• Finished Side: All fences must have the finished side facing the outside of the property. Interior fences abutting properties where an existing fence or wall prevents erection of the fence may have the finished side face into the subject property.
• Maintenance: Walls and fences must be maintained in good repair, free of breaks, discolorations, and graffiti, and in safe condition. Wood fences must have weatherproofing applied.
• Wood Fence Construction: The City’s wood fence requirements state that wood fences must be constructed of decay- and termite-resistant material, designed according to Florida Building Code loads, use corrosion-resistant fasteners, and meet the City’s published wood-fence construction details.
• Chain Link Construction: The City’s chain-link fence design detail applies to fences with unrestricted airflow and includes post spacing, fabric, footing, and height-based construction requirements.
• Pool Barriers: When a fence serves as a pool barrier, the City’s pool-fence materials require compliance with Florida Building Code pool-barrier standards, including limits on openings, chain-link mesh size, diagonal-member openings, gate swing, and self-closing and self-latching gate hardware.
PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS
Private covenants, homeowners’ association rules, condominium rules, and other private restrictions operate separately from City fence regulations.
A City building permit does not establish approval under private covenants or HOA requirements. The City’s permit materials state that the homeowner and contractor are responsible for obtaining homeowner-association approval separately when applicable.
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: Installation of a residential fence requires a Building Permit, with permit documents reviewed by the Building and Code Services Department.
• Zoning Review: Fence height, placement, front-yard restrictions, corner-yard treatment, and setback conditions are reviewed against the Land Development Code and City zoning guidance.
• Easement Review: Fences in utility easements require a notarized affidavit, and fences in drainage, canal, or lake maintenance easements require written permission from the easement holder.
• Right-of-Way Review: Gates may not operate into a right-of-way, and applicable perimeter fence or wall setbacks from rights-of-way and access easements are part of the placement review.
• Visibility Review: The 10-foot by 10-foot sight-triangle requirement for single-family detached and duplex detached dwellings may affect fence and landscape placement near intersections and driveways.
• Maintenance Review: Fences and walls may be reviewed for breaks, discoloration, graffiti, unsafe condition, failure to weatherproof wood fences, or use of prohibited materials.
USING THIS INFORMATION
This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within City of Margate, 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 Building and Code Services Department, Development Services Department, and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from City of Margate staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.