Fence materials
Fences must be constructed of material specifically designed and manufactured for fencing purposes. They cannot contain any material which will do bodily harm, such as electric or barbed wire, upturned barbed selvage, broken glass, spikes, or any other hazardous or dangerous materials.
Chicken wire may be used only in a Residential Agriculture (RA) zone for livestock.
Fence building process
Once you have decided on the fence height and materials, you have the information you need to begin.
Get a building permit
You will need a building permit if your fence height and material choice meet one of the following conditions:
- Height is over 7 feet tall
- Fence material is chain link and height is over 8 feet tall
Submit a residential building application. Choose “Alteration/Other” as the type of work.
Prepare your property
Find your property lines: Be sure you know exactly where your property lines are before building a fence. A licensed surveyor can locate your property lines and prepare a topographic survey of your property, showing the property boundaries in relation to the street and existing buildings.
Check your vision clearance areas: Vision clearance is required at street, alley, and driveway corners. Fence construction is limited in vision clearance areas. You can find diagrams of vision clearance areas in SRC Chapter 805.
Call before you dig: Call the Oregon Utility Notification Center two business days before digging. The phone number is 811 or you can find them online.
Call for inspection
If your fence required a building permit, request an inspection to complete the permit process.