Short answer
In Upper Moreland Township, fences in the front-yard restricted area or along any street frontage can be up to 4 ft, and solid fences aren’t allowed in front yards; corner lots have two front yards. Side and rear fences can be 6 ft. Wire fences and unpainted cinder block walls are prohibited, and chain link must be vinyl-coated. Pools need a 4 ft fence with self-closing, self-latching gates. The township’s fence permit process isn’t confirmed.
| Rule | What the code says |
|---|---|
| Front yard | Up to 4 ft in the front-yard restricted area or along any street frontage. No solid fences in the front yard. |
| Side and rear yards | Up to 6 ft in rear or side yards or behind the required front setback. |
| Corner lots | Two front yards, one facing each street; the 4 ft and no-solid-fence rules apply to both. |
| Shallow-setback blocks | Where three or more homes on the same side of the block have nonconforming front setbacks, a 6 ft fence may be allowed in side yards behind the front face of the house. |
| Materials | Wire fences and unpainted cinder block walls are prohibited. Chain link must be vinyl-coated. In the Town Center district, chain link and strictly functional fences are prohibited. |
| Water | No fence in a floodplain, swale or other watercourse, and none that blocks stormwater flow from the site or a neighbor’s. |
| Tennis courts | Over 6 ft only as open wire, not within 50 ft of an adjoining dwelling; up to 12 ft if set back 10 ft from the property line. |
| Pools | Water over 2 ft deep: fence and/or building wall at least 4 ft, no openings over 4 in except gates; gates self-closing and self-latching. |
| Permit | Not confirmed for fences. Pool fences need a permit and plans. Work in the public right-of-way needs a township permit. |
From Upper Moreland Zoning § 350-19A(7) (Use A-7), § 350-77 and § 350-198; Swimming Pools Ch. 304; § 290-7; Fees § 140-33.
Materials: what Upper Moreland allows
The code bans fences of wire and walls of unpainted cinder block, and requires chain link to be vinyl-coated. In practice that means galvanized chain link is out, while black or green vinyl-coated chain link is allowed in side and rear yards. Wood, vinyl, aluminum and composite are all fine within the height limits. In the township’s Town Center zoning district, chain link and purely functional fences are prohibited altogether. See our chain link fence page for vinyl-coated options.
Front yards and corner lots in Willow Grove
Anything in the front-yard restricted area, or along any street frontage, tops out at 4 ft and can’t be solid. Corner properties have two front yards, so a corner home gets those limits on both streets. The township does give some relief on older blocks: where three or more houses on the same side of the block sit closer to the street than today’s setback allows, a 6 ft fence may be permitted in the side yard behind the front face of the house. We ask the township to confirm that a block qualifies before designing around it.
Retaining walls whose top is at or below the average grade of the lot don’t count against the 4 ft front-yard limit.
Pennypack Creek, swales and the rail line
Pennypack Creek helped set the township’s boundaries when it was formed in 1916, and the code keeps fences out of floodplains, swales and watercourses and bans any fence that blocks stormwater flow. Norfolk Southern’s Morrisville Line freight railroad runs along the Turnpike through the township, and SEPTA’s Warminster Line stops at Willow Grove; homes backing onto either should keep fences on their own side of the line. Ida in 2021 caused significant damage in Willow Grove, so we size posts for wind on open lots.
Pool enclosures
Upper Moreland’s pool chapter covers any pool with water over 2 ft deep. The enclosure is a fence, a building wall or both, at least 4 ft high, with no openings over 4 in other than gates. Allowed materials include masonry, wire mesh of at least 9 gauge, and pickets of 3/4 in wood or 20 gauge metal, with posts no more than 10 ft apart. Gates must be self-closing and self-latching and kept closed. An above-ground pool that’s 4 ft or more high on all sides with unclimbable walls only needs its ladder or deck entrance enclosed by a 4 ft fence and self-closing, self-latching gate. Pool fences need a permit and plans.
Who this covers
Upper Moreland had 26,116 residents in 2020 and includes much of Willow Grove. It borders Hatboro, Horsham, Upper Dublin, Abington, Bryn Athyn and Lower Moreland, and part of the Willow Grove ZIP falls in Abington instead, with different rules. Some Huntingdon Valley addresses are in the township too. See our Willow Grove and Huntingdon Valley pages.
What we haven’t confirmed
- Whether a stand-alone residential fence needs a zoning or building permit, and the fee. The code requires a permit for any building or structure without naming fences, and a residential zoning use permit costs $50, but we haven’t confirmed that’s the fence fee.
- Any finished-side rule.
- Whether the 75 ft subdivision sight triangle applies to fences on existing lots.
- The last part of the § 350-19 page, which we didn’t read.
Checked in October 2026 against Upper Moreland’s zoning and pool chapters. Codes change, so we confirm with the zoning office before every install, starting with the permit question. Our PA fence permits page covers nearby townships. We bring vinyl-coated chain link and aluminum samples to the estimate so you can compare them on site.
Common questions
Is chain link allowed in Upper Moreland?
Yes, if it’s vinyl-coated, and not in the Town Center district. Fences of bare wire are prohibited.
Can I put a solid fence along the side street of my corner lot in Upper Moreland?
No. Corner properties have two front yards, and solid fences aren’t allowed in front yards; the limit there is 4 ft and open.