Short answer
Whitemarsh Township allows front-yard fences up to 4 ft, or 5 ft if set back 10 ft and 6 ft if set back 15 ft from the property line, curb or edge of paving, whichever gives the larger setback. Side and rear fences can be 6 ft, and 6 ft is the township-wide cap apart from fenced recreation areas. Fences stay out of the 50 ft clear sight triangle at intersections. The township’s permit process isn’t confirmed.
| Rule | What the code says |
|---|---|
| Front yard | 4 ft. A 5 ft fence if set back 10 ft, or a 6 ft fence if set back 15 ft, from the property line, curb or edge of paving, whichever gives the greatest setback. |
| Side and rear yards | 6 ft. |
| Township-wide cap | No fence or wall over 6 ft unless § 116-33 provides otherwise. |
| Recreation areas | Up to 10 ft around tennis courts, playgrounds or other recreation areas in residential side and rear yards, if chain link or similar open fencing; the part over 6 ft is set back half the required yard. |
| Sight triangle | Formed by the two street lines and a line joining points 50 ft from their intersection; no fence in it unless a full, unobstructed view is shown. |
| Right-of-way | No structures in the ultimate right-of-way unless the owner signs a hold-harmless agreement approved by the Board of Supervisors and recorded. |
| Riparian corridor | Permanent structures, including fences, prohibited in the Riparian Corridor Overlay except as needed for certain permitted uses. |
| Pools | Pools 4 ft deep or more: fence at least 4 ft, no vertical openings over 2 in, no outside footholds; self-closing, self-latching, lockable gates. |
| Permit | Not confirmed. |
From Whitemarsh Zoning § 116-21, § 116-24, § 116-31.1, § 116-33 and § 116-260.
How the front-yard setback scale works
Most townships give one front-yard number. Whitemarsh gives three. At 4 ft, a fence can go anywhere in the front yard. Pull it back 10 ft and it can be 5 ft; pull it back 15 ft and it can be 6 ft. The setback is measured from the property line, the curb or the edge of paving, whichever produces the greatest distance, so on a road with no curb and a wide shoulder, the edge of paving may control.
The scale helps most on deep lots, where a 6 ft fence 15 ft off the road can screen a front-facing yard without crowding the street. Along roads like Skippack Pike, Ridge Pike, Germantown Pike or Bethlehem Pike, we measure from the edge of paving and the recorded line both, then use whichever the code says controls.
Right-of-way and police review
Whitemarsh won’t allow structures in the ultimate right-of-way unless the owner signs a hold-harmless agreement that the Board of Supervisors approves and that’s recorded against the property. The code also says no fence or wall may create a safety hazard as determined by the Whitemarsh Township Police Department, which matters on curves and near driveways where sight lines are short.
Creeks, the Wissahickon and the riparian overlay
The Schuylkill River forms the township’s border with Lower Merion, and Fort Washington State Park’s 483 acres follow Wissahickon Creek through it. Inside the Riparian Corridor Overlay, permanent structures, fences included, are prohibited except as needed for certain permitted uses. Ida’s tornado followed the Route 309 corridor from Whitemarsh toward Upper Dublin in 2021, and the Wissahickon gauge at Fort Washington State Park reached 17.74 ft, nearly the top of the gauge’s 18 ft measuring range. If your lot borders a stream, we check the overlay map before planning a fence line; our floodplain fence guide has more.
Pools
A pool 4 ft deep or more must be entirely enclosed by a fence at least 4 ft high, with no vertical openings over 2 in and no footholds on the outside, and the code sets material standards by fence type. Gates must be self-closing and self-latching, with key or combination locks operable only from outside, mounted at least 3.5 ft above the ground. Pools can’t be in front yards without a special exception and must sit 15 ft from side lines, 20 ft from the rear line and 50 ft from a neighboring house.
Farms and estates
Limestone quarries and large estates shaped early Whitemarsh, and open land remains: Erdenheim Farm’s 475 acres in Springfield and Whitemarsh, all but 23 acres under conservation easement, joined the National Register in 2026. For horse and farmette fencing within the 6 ft cap, see our farmette fence answer.
Which addresses are in Whitemarsh
In our service area, Whitemarsh homes carry Fort Washington, Flourtown, Oreland, Blue Bell or Ambler mailing addresses; those ZIPs are shared with Upper Dublin, Springfield, Whitpain and other municipalities. Your tax bill names the township.
What we haven’t confirmed
- Whether a residential fence needs a permit, and the fee and process. The township permit page couldn’t be opened.
- Any finished-side, barbed-wire or electric-fence rule.
- Whether the 4 ft side and rear setback for accessory structures in § 116-24E(3)(b) applies to fences.
- The rules for semidetached homes and the AD district, which we didn’t read in full.
Read from Whitemarsh’s zoning chapter in October 2026. Codes change, so we confirm with the zoning office before every install. Neighboring townships are on our PA fence permits page. We’ll measure the front setback options on your lot at the estimate, so you can see what 4, 5 and 6 ft would look like.
Common questions
Can I have a 6 ft fence in my front yard in Whitemarsh?
Yes, if it’s set back at least 15 ft from the property line, curb or edge of paving, whichever gives the greatest setback. At 10 ft back the limit is 5 ft, and closer than that it’s 4 ft.
Can I fence a tennis court or playground higher than 6 ft in Whitemarsh?
Up to 10 ft in a residential side or rear yard, if the fence is chain link or similarly open and the part above 6 ft is set back half the required yard.