FIELD NOTES // PLANNING
It depends on the jurisdiction and the fence you plan to build. Kansas City, Missouri lists fences as building-permit-exempt work, while the City of St. Louis requires permits for new fences and describes a limited replacement exception. Confirm the rules for your actual address before ordering materials or scheduling installation.
By Get Your Fence On · SEPTEMBER 12, 2026 · Updated OCTOBER 20, 2026 · 6 MIN READ
Table 1. Ask the office about your actual proposal
Detail
Why the reviewer needs it
Address and parcel
Identifies the responsible jurisdiction
New or replacement work
Can change the process
Each run's position and height
Yard and street-side rules may differ
Material and any pool use
May trigger additional requirements
Gates, driveways and corners
Shows possible visibility or access issues
If needed, scroll sideways or focus the table and use the arrow keys.
Give the permitting office the street address and, when available, the parcel number. Ask whether the property falls inside that city's limits or under another jurisdiction . A mailing address is a starting point for the conversation, not the final answer about who reviews the fence. The relevant office should confirm whether it handles your location.
For property outside a city, start with the county office responsible for planning or building questions. Boone County, for example, publishes a Resource Management department with permitting and land-use information. Its guidance is a contact point for Boone County projects, not a substitute for the rules in Columbia , another municipality or a different county.
Sources: Boone County, Missouri: Resource Management
Kansas City , Missouri 's official list includes fences among work that does not require a building permit. Its fence FAQ separately describes the city's height and placement rules. That distinction matters: a permit exemption does not mean you can choose any fence height or position on the lot.
The FAQ describes a four-foot maximum for the front yard and street-side yard on a corner lot, and a six-foot maximum for interior side and rear yards. Use the linked city guidance to begin checking an ordinary residential proposal, then confirm how the rules apply to the actual site. This example applies to Kansas City , Missouri, not Kansas City, Kansas or every suburb in the metro.
Sources: Kansas City, Missouri: building-permit-exempt work · Kansas City, Missouri: fence code questions
The City of St. Louis lists new fences among projects that require a residential building permit. It describes an exception for replacement fencing in a rear or side yard when height, material and location remain the same. Calling a project a replacement is therefore less useful than explaining exactly what will change.
The same city page identifies additional review for historic properties and flood areas. A general replacement exception should not be treated as the whole approval process for those locations. These are City of St. Louis examples; confirm the responsible authority separately for property in St. Louis County.
Sources: City of St. Louis: residential permit criteria and exceptions
Prepare a simple sketch showing the proposed fence runs, gate openings, house and adjoining streets. Add the planned height and material to each run. Include photographs of existing fencing and explain whether you are keeping its position, moving it, changing its height or replacing only part of it.
Ask what documents the office needs for your particular application. A rough sketch helps explain the question, but it may not satisfy the office's submission requirements . Request its current checklist before paying for drawings or assuming an old application form is still accepted. Include any pool enclosure, retaining wall or unusual site feature in the initial description.
Show any known easement, drainage area and public right-of-way on the project information you provide. Ask the reviewing office whether the proposed work needs another approval because of its location. Columbia 's Building and Site Development guidance, for example, separately addresses work in rights-of-way, easements and regulatory floodplains.
Keep the property-boundary question separate from the permit conversation. If the line is uncertain, get it resolved before choosing the final fence position. Review any applicable private restrictions through the relevant property documents or association. Tell everyone involved when a boundary or approval is still unresolved so the installation plan does not silently assume it is settled.
Sources: Columbia, Missouri: site development and location-specific permits
A permit decision does not locate buried lines. Before digging post holes, arrange the utility-locate process and identify any privately owned facilities that need separate attention. Missouri 811's homeowner guidance explains that it notifies member utilities, which mark their own underground facilities or provide an all-clear response. It also links to guidance about public and private lines.
Keep the locate information and the approved fence layout together. If the layout changes, resolve the effect on locating and approvals before work moves to a new position. The before-we-dig guide provides a fuller planning sequence; a permit receipt alone is not evidence that the proposed excavation area has been checked.
Sources: Missouri 811: homeowner locate process and private-line guidance
A general question such as do fences need permits can produce an incomplete answer because it leaves out the property and proposed work. Give the office a compact description it can route to the right person.
For example: I am planning a new residential fence at this address. The attached sketch shows each run, material, intended height and gate. The property includes the street frontage and features marked on the drawing. Please confirm whether your office has jurisdiction , what approvals apply, and which documents you require before installation.
Use your actual project information in that request. If part of the design remains undecided, label it as an option. An answer about a four-foot open front-yard fence should not silently become approval for a taller solid alternative.
When an existing fence is involved, identify what will stay the same and what will change. Location, height, material, gates and the extent of removal can all be relevant to the office's answer. The word replacement alone does not communicate those facts.
Photograph the existing fence and mark its route against the proposed layout. If the old fence sits in an uncertain position, resolve the boundary question instead of assuming its age authorizes rebuilding in the same place. Likewise, keeping the old alignment does not settle easement or right-of-way questions.
Where historic, floodplain or other site review applies, ask how that review interacts with the fence question. Avoid collecting a stack of generic approvals that never describes the actual property. The goal is a coordinated answer for one proposed project.
Check fence setbacks and property lines
Plan utility locating before digging
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