FENCE RULES – PALM SPRINGS (VILLAGE), FLORIDA
OVERVIEW
Residential fences are permitted on private property within Village of Palm Springs, subject to local regulations. For properties located outside Village of Palm Springs municipal limits, Palm Beach County regulates fences in unincorporated areas.
The Village of Palm Springs regulates residential fences through the Code of Ordinances, including Chapter 34, Land Development, section 34-883, Fences, walls and hedges, together with Chapter 10, Buildings and Building Regulations, and the Village’s Fence/Wall Permit Checklist. Permit intake and code/zoning administration are handled through the Planning, Zoning & Building Department and the Planning and Zoning Division.
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 Village of Palm Springs Code of Ordinances, Planning, Zoning & Building Department materials, Building Code Information, Inspection Information, Zoning materials, Code Enforcement materials, and the Fence/Wall Permit Checklist as of May 2026.
GOVERNANCE
The governing authority is the Village of Palm Springs, acting through the Village Council.
The Village does not publish all residential fence rules in a standalone fence ordinance. Fence rules appear in the Code of Ordinances, especially Chapter 34, Land Development, section 34-883, Fences, walls and hedges. Permit administration also connects to Chapter 10, Buildings and Building Regulations, Article II, Florida Building Code.
The Planning, Zoning & Building Department administers permit intake, building code information, inspections, and related forms. The Fence/Wall Permit Checklist identifies the Planning and Zoning Division for front setback confirmation.
The Code Enforcement Unit enforces building and zoning codes and minimum standards for housing, yards, parking, and related property conditions.
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.
• Fence/Wall Permit: The Village of Palm Springs publishes a Fence/Wall Permit Checklist. Submittal requires one permit application form, a completed and signed Fence/Wall Permit Checklist, two copies of a survey, approved easement consent forms from utility companies, a signed/notarized/witnessed Easement Hold Harmless Agreement, and an owner/builder affidavit if applicable.
• Survey and Plan Detail: The survey must show property lines, buildings, streets and bodies of water abutting the property, the location and height of gates, and the type, height, style, location, and engineering detail of the proposed fence.
• Building/Permit Procedure: Section 34-883 states that fences and walls enclosing any use must comply with the permit procedures established in the Village building code in Chapter 10, Article II. The Village’s Building Code Information page states that the Village has adopted the 2023 (8th Edition) Florida Building Code.
• Easement Review: The Fence/Wall Permit Checklist requires approved easement consent forms from all utility companies currently serving the property and a signed/notarized/witnessed Easement Hold Harmless Agreement.
• Inspection Context: The Village’s Inspection Information states that inspections are required on all permits and must be scheduled 24 hours in advance.
• Pool Barrier Context: If a fence or wall is used as a swimming pool protective barrier, the pool provisions state that a pool must be surrounded by a protective fence or wall unless it is entirely screened or enclosed, and that the fence or wall must conform to the residential fence and wall provisions.
FENCE PLACEMENT RULES
• Property Lines and Encroachments: 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.
• Front Setback Orientation: The Fence/Wall Permit Checklist states that in most areas of the Village of Palm Springs, the front setback is 25 feet from the front property line. The checklist also states that the front property line is usually not the edge of road pavement.
• Survey Location Requirement: The Fence/Wall Permit Checklist requires the proposed fence location to be identified on the survey, together with the fence type, height, style, gate height, gate location, and engineering detail.
• Right-of-Way Screening: Any fence or wall adjacent to a right-of-way must be screened on the street side with hedge plants at least three gallons in size, planted two feet on center, and 36 inches high at planting. The code also requires those plantings to be supplemented by trees spaced not more than 20 feet apart.
• Easements: The permit checklist requires utility easement consent forms and an Easement Hold Harmless Agreement, so easement location and utility-company consent are part of the Village’s published fence/wall submittal package.
• Finished Side Orientation: The finished side of all fences must face the street or adjoining property.
• 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
• Front Property Line and Front-Side Area: On properties other than those zoned for commercial or industrial development, a fence, wall, or hedge on the front property line and on the portion of the side property line to the front building setback line may not exceed 4 feet in vertical height. The code measures this height from the average grade of the centerline of the street abutting the front yard.
• Residential Side and Rear Areas: On residentially zoned properties, a fence, wall, or hedge on the rear property line and on the portion of the side property line from the rear property line to the front of the front building setback line may not exceed 6 feet in vertical height. The code measures this height from the finished grade of the lot.
• Visibility Triangle: Where two streets intersect, the code establishes a 30-foot visibility triangle with a clear space and no obstructions to vision. Within that area, fences, walls, and hedges are restricted to 3 feet above the average grade of the street, measured at the street centerline.
• Collector or Arterial Hedge Exception: On residentially zoned properties, a manicured hedge abutting a collector or arterial roadway may have a maximum vertical height of 10 feet, but only outside any visibility triangle and where not in conflict with overhead utilities.
MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS
• Injurious Materials: Walls, fences, or similar structures in any land development district may not contain substances such as broken glass, spikes, nails, electric shock, barbed wire, or similar materials designed to inflict pain or injury to any person or animal.
• Finished Side: The finished side of all fences must face the street or adjoining property.
• Owner-Builder Fence Materials: In the owner-builder permit section, the code references fences constructed of wood, wire, metal, plastic, masonry, and concrete. The code does not identify that list as an exclusive residential fence material list.
• Residential Material Silence: The code does not specify a separate exclusive list of permitted materials for standard residential fences beyond the specific injurious-material prohibition and the fence/wall permit submittal requirements.
PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS
Private covenants, homeowners’ association rules, and recorded restrictions operate separately from Village fence regulations and may be more restrictive than the Village’s public code standards.
Private restrictions do not replace the Village’s fence/wall permit process, easement requirements, right-of-way screening rules, height limits, visibility-triangle standards, or inspection requirements.
REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT
Fence issues are typically reviewed during permit or approval review when required, and through complaint-based code enforcement. Examples include:
• Fence/Wall Permit Review: The Village’s published checklist requires a permit application, signed checklist, survey, easement consent forms, Easement Hold Harmless Agreement, and owner/builder affidavit if applicable.
• Survey and Site Review: Review may include the proposed fence location, type, height, style, gate location, gate height, property lines, buildings, streets, water bodies, easements, and engineering detail.
• Planning and Zoning Review: The Fence/Wall Permit Checklist directs front setback confirmation through the Planning and Zoning Division, and section 34-883 controls fence, wall, and hedge height by location on the lot.
• Visibility Review: Corner-lot and intersection conditions may be reviewed under the 30-foot visibility triangle rule and the 3-foot obstruction limit within that area.
• Right-of-Way and Easement Review: Fences adjacent to rights-of-way are subject to street-side screening requirements, and the permit checklist requires utility-company easement consent forms and an Easement Hold Harmless Agreement.
• Inspection Review: The Village’s inspection materials state that inspections are required on all permits and must be scheduled 24 hours in advance.
• Floodway Review: Fences in regulated floodways that have the potential to block the passage of floodwaters, including stockade fences and wire mesh fences, are subject to the floodway limitations referenced in the Village Code.
• Pool Barrier Review: A pool that is not entirely screened or enclosed must be surrounded by a protective fence or wall that conforms to the residential fence and wall provisions.
• Code Enforcement: The Code Enforcement Unit enforces building and zoning codes and minimum standards for housing, yards, parking, and related property conditions, including complaint-based code enforcement matters.
USING THIS INFORMATION
This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within Village of Palm Springs, based on publicly available source materials reviewed as of May 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 Planning, Zoning & Building Department and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from Village of Palm Springs staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.