Short answer
In Lansdale Borough a fence must be at least 2 ft from any sidewalk or alley and at least 10 ft from the street curb, with the sidewalk lying between the fence and the street. Both distances apply at once, so on a lot with a narrow grass strip the 10-ft curb distance usually controls. Fences also have to stay behind the front wall of the house, except short open architectural fences.
The two distances, side by side
| Measured from | Minimum distance | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Edge of a public sidewalk | 2 ft | Zoning § 405-1801G |
| Edge of an alley | 2 ft | Zoning § 405-1801G |
| Street curb | 10 ft, with the sidewalk between fence and street | Zoning § 405-1801G (repeated in the permit packet) |
Both apply. Whichever puts the fence farther back is the one you build to.
Few towns in the area have a curb distance at all. Most townships around Lansdale work from the property line or the ultimate right-of-way instead. Lansdale's rule is written from what you can see on the street: the curb, the sidewalk and the alley.
How to measure it on a Lansdale lot
- Find the face of the curb on your street side.
- Measure 10 ft back toward the house. Mark it.
- Find the back edge of the sidewalk (the side nearer your house) and measure 2 ft from it. Mark that too.
- Use whichever mark is farther from the street. That is the closest your fence line can come.
- Repeat along any alley at the side or back of the lot, using the 2-ft rule.
For example, on a block where the sidewalk sits right against the curb with no grass strip, a 5-ft-wide sidewalk puts the 2-ft mark about 7 ft from the curb, so the 10-ft curb rule pushes the fence back another 3 ft. On a block with a wide planting strip, the sidewalk rule may be the one that bites. Measure your own street; widths vary from one part of the borough to another.
Corner lots and the side street
On a corner lot, the side street has a curb and usually a sidewalk too, so the same two distances apply along that side of the house. On top of that, the permit packet requires a clear sight triangle of 75 ft from the point where the streets intersect, which can take a big bite out of a small corner yard. We sketch the triangle on the site plan before choosing where the fence turns the corner.
Alleys behind the house
Many of Lansdale's older blocks were laid out with rear alleys. The 2-ft alley distance means a back fence cannot run tight to the alley paving. If you have a garage on the alley, plan the gate swing so it doesn't open into the 2-ft strip.
What about the front yard?
The curb and sidewalk distances only tell you how close to the street a fence can come. Lansdale separately limits where fences can go at all: between the front wall of the house and the rear lot line, plus open architectural fences in front that are no more than 3 ft high under the current code. A 6-ft privacy fence in the front yard is not allowed even if it is 10 ft from the curb. Our Lansdale permit page covers the front-yard numbers, including why the borough's permit packet says 4 ft.
Is this in Lansdale Borough or a township?
The curb rule is Lansdale Borough's. A Lansdale mailing address in Upper Gwynedd, Towamencin or Hatfield follows that township's code instead. Towamencin and Hatfield measure from the street's ultimate right-of-way, not the curb, and we found no curb distance in Upper Gwynedd's fence section. Check your tax bill before you measure.
At the estimate we measure from your curb and sidewalk, draw both lines on the site plan and set the fence where the borough will approve it.
Common questions
Who maintains the strip between my fence and the sidewalk?
It is still your property, so you mow and shovel it. Plan a gate on that side if the fence would otherwise cut you off from it.
Does the 10-ft rule apply to a hedge?
The curb distance is written for fences. Plantings at corners still have to respect the 75-ft sight triangle.
My old fence is closer than 2 ft to the sidewalk. Can I replace it in the same spot?
Ask Code Enforcement before you order materials. We treat a replacement as new fence work, which means it is reviewed against today's distances.