Short answer
North Wales Borough requires a zoning permit for every fence, because fences count as residential accessory structures. Fences can be up to 4 ft tall forward of the front of the house and up to 6 ft 6 in in side and rear yards. On a corner lot, a 60 ft clear sight triangle along the street centerlines limits fences to 3 ft. Inside the historic district, ask the borough whether HARB review applies.
| Rule | What the code says |
|---|---|
| Front yard | Nothing over 4 ft forward of the most forward point of the house’s front facade. |
| Side and rear yards | Up to 6 ft 6 in. |
| Corner lots | Fences may go on three sides of a corner lot, up to 6 ft 6 in, as long as the clear sight triangle is kept. |
| Sight triangle | 60 ft along the street centerlines. Nothing between 3 and 7 ft above road grade inside it, though fences up to 3 ft are allowed. |
| Placement | Finished side, with no exposed supports, faces adjacent properties. No private use of land in the ultimate right-of-way. |
| Retaining walls | May rise 1 ft above the ground they retain. |
| Floodway | No permanent structures, including fences. |
| Pools | Meet current UCC rules, or be completely enclosed by a fence or wall at least 4 ft high with a self-locking gate. |
| Permit | Zoning permit required for all residential accessory structures, fences included. |
From North Wales Zoning § 208-8C, § 208-16 and § 208-69, and Historic District Ch. 130.
Building a fence on a North Wales lot
North Wales covers just 0.59 square miles, with about 3,400 people, and most homes date from the late 1800s and early 1900s: singles, twins and rowhouses. With twins and rowhouses, side yards are small or shared. The 6 ft 6 in side and rear limit is generous for a borough, enough for a 6 ft privacy panel with caps, but on a twin lot the fence line is usually the shared property line, so talk with the neighbor before the permit goes in.
Out front, the limit is 4 ft measured forward of the most forward point of the facade. If your house has a front porch, ask whether the line is drawn at the porch or the front wall; we get that answer from the Zoning Officer before setting posts.
Corner lots and the 60 ft triangle
On a corner lot, the code allows fences on three sides up to 6 ft 6 in, but only outside the clear sight triangle. That triangle runs 60 ft along each street centerline from the intersection, and inside it nothing may stand between 3 ft and 7 ft above the road. A fence up to 3 ft is fine there. We read the three-sides allowance together with the 4 ft rule ahead of the facade and confirm the layout with the Zoning Officer before building.
The North Wales Historic Preservation District
Created in 2000, the North Wales Historic Preservation District was the first historic district in the North Penn boroughs. The borough’s code directs its Historical Architectural Review Board to consider fences and gates even where no building permit is needed, and the district’s design guidelines name wrought iron fences among the street’s character-defining features. The code doesn’t say outright that a fence needs a certificate of appropriateness, so if your home is in the district, we ask the borough before ordering material. Aluminum fences that look like wrought iron are often a good fit; see our aluminum fence page.
Pools
A residential pool must either meet current UCC rules or be completely enclosed by a fence or wall at least 4 ft high with a self-locking gate. The pool and its equipment can’t sit in the required side or rear yards, the front setback, or between the front of the house and the right-of-way, which on a small borough lot narrows the options quickly.
Getting the zoning permit
File a written application on the borough form with the Zoning Officer, and notify the Zoning Officer when the work is finished so it can be inspected. The fee is set by Borough Council resolution; we didn’t find the current amount.
Borough or township?
The 19454 North Wales address reaches far beyond the borough, into Upper Gwynedd, Montgomery, Lower Gwynedd and Horsham townships. Upper Gwynedd also allows 6 ft 6 in but handles front yards differently, so confirm which side of the line you’re on. North Wales station on SEPTA’s Lansdale/Doylestown Line, Weingartner Park and the small parks on Second, Fourth, Eighth and Ninth streets are all inside the borough. Our North Wales page lists each municipality.
What we haven’t confirmed
- The permit fee. The borough website wasn’t reachable when we checked.
- Whether a fence in the historic district needs a certificate of appropriateness.
These rules come from North Wales’s code as checked in October 2026. Codes change, so we confirm with the zoning office before every install. Our PA fence permits page covers the rest of the area. If you’re in the historic district, bring a photo of the house to the free estimate and we’ll talk through styles that fit.
Common questions
How tall can a front-yard fence be in North Wales?
Up to 4 ft forward of the most forward point of the front facade. On a corner, the 60 ft sight triangle limits fences to 3 ft.
Do I need HARB approval for a fence in North Wales?
Possibly. The borough’s historic district chapter directs HARB to consider fences and gates even when no building permit is needed. Ask the borough before you order, and we’ll do the same.