How tall can my fence be in Bellaire?
Short answer: In a residential area, a fence or wall can be up to 8 feet tall. Front yards have tighter limits on some busy streets, and a fence must never block a driver's view of the street. The code says no building permit is needed for a fence 8 feet or lower, but the building code leaves pool barriers out of that exemption.
How tall can my fence be in Bellaire?
Layer twoWhat the code actually says, word for wordTap to open
"In all cases fences or walls shall have setbacks that are sufficient to provide clear vision of the street to the driver of a vehicle entering or backing into the street."verbatim
"shall not be deemed to grant authorization for any work to be done in any manner in violation of the provisions of this code or any other laws or ordinances."verbatim
"outside of Development Permits required by Section 9-20.8,"City Code Sec. 24-512. · City Code Sec. 9-321 and Sec. 9-17. · City Code Sec. 9-263 and Sec. 9-17. · City Code Sec. 22-9 and Sec. 24-513.
Layer threeWho handles it: Development Services DepartmentMap
Height
The zoning code says that in residential districts "no fences or walls that are not screening fences or walls ... shall be constructed to a height in excess of eight (8) feet." It adds that fences "eight (8) feet in height or less may be constructed anywhere inside the property lines of a lot zoned residential, except within the front yard" and "according to the table below."
Rule: City Code Sec. 24-512.
Front yard
The front-yard table in the code, "Maximum Height of Fence or Wall Based on Location," covers only certain streets. It looks at how far the fence or wall sits back from the property line next to the right-of-way.
- South Rice Avenue, Chimney Rock Road, Newcastle Drive and Bissonnet Street: 48 inches if the fence is less than 12 1/2 feet back, and 8 feet if it is 12 1/2 feet back or more.
- Bellaire Boulevard: 48 inches if the fence is less than 25 feet back, and 8 feet if it is 25 feet back or more.
- Interstate 610 (West Loop) frontage road and the Union Pacific Railroad: 10 feet. The code says this "applies to fences in the side or rear yard only." It does not mean a fence "of any height is permitted in the front yard."
For every street, the code says: "In all cases fences or walls shall have setbacks that are sufficient to provide clear vision of the street to the driver of a vehicle entering or backing into the street."
We did not find a front-yard height number in the code for streets that are not in the table. Ask the city before you build a front-yard fence on one of those streets, or on a corner lot.
Rule: City Code Sec. 24-512.
Permit
The building codes the city adopted list work that does not need a building permit. The residential code list (Sec. 9-321) includes "Fences not over 8 feet (2438 mm) high." The building code list (Sec. 9-17) says "Fences, other than swimming pool barriers," not over the same 8 feet (2438 mm). Both lists also exempt "Retaining walls that are not over 4 feet (1219 mm) in height measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall," unless the wall is supporting a surcharge (the building code list adds "or impounding" liquids).
The code also says that being exempt from a permit does not let you break other rules. Exemptions "shall not be deemed to grant authorization for any work to be done in any manner in violation of the provisions of this code or any other laws or ordinances." So your fence still has to meet the zoning rules above. The building-code list also says it applies "outside of Development Permits required by Section 9-20.8," so ask the city if your lot is in a flood area.
Rule: City Code Sec. 9-321 and Sec. 9-17.
Pool fences
A pool barrier is the one kind of fence the building-code list leaves out of the permit exemption, so plan on getting a permit. Bellaire has adopted "the 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code" as its swimming pool code. The city code itself does not state a barrier height, so we cannot give you one here. We also did not find a reference in the city code to a state pool-barrier law. Ask the city before you build or change a pool fence.
Rule: City Code Sec. 9-263 and Sec. 9-17.
Materials
We did not find a rule on fence materials for ordinary yard fences. There are two limits to know about. Electric fences are banned: "It shall be unlawful for any person owning or controlling any property in the city to construct, maintain, or permit to remain on such property, any fence charged with electricity." Also, the "screening" walls and fences that the code requires in some places have their own material rules. A wooden one must be "a permanent wooden fence constructed of cedar or redwood" with capped galvanized iron posts set in concrete.
Rule: City Code Sec. 22-9 and Sec. 24-513.
Your deed restrictions or HOA may be stricter than the city code.
What happens if you don't
A fence that breaks the zoning rules in Chapter 24 can bring a fine of up to $2,000, and each day counts as a new offense (Sec. 1-10). Building without a required permit falls under the building code sections, which set their own penalty: a misdemeanor for each day the violation continues, with a fine of not less than $50 and not more than $250 for each day (Sec. 9-17 and Sec. 9-321). An electric fence falls under Sec. 22-9, and we did not find a separate fine for it, so the general penalty of up to $500 applies (Sec. 1-10).
Who to call
Development Services Department.
Sources
- City of Bellaire Code of Ordinances, Sec. 24-512 (fence regulations), Sec. 24-513 (screening), Sec. 9-17 (amendments to building code), Sec. 9-321 (amendments to residential code), Sec. 9-263 (swimming pool code), Sec. 22-9 (electric fences), Sec. 1-10 (general penalty). library.municode.com/tx/bellaire
- Texas Local Government Code Sec. 54.001 (maximum municipal fines).
En español
¿Qué altura puede tener mi cerca en Bellaire? En zonas residenciales, una cerca o muro puede medir hasta 8 pies. En el patio delantero hay límites más estrictos en algunas calles: en South Rice Avenue, Chimney Rock Road, Newcastle Drive y Bissonnet Street el límite es 48 pulgadas si la cerca está a menos de 12 1/2 pies de la línea de propiedad, y 8 pies si está a 12 1/2 pies o más. En Bellaire Boulevard es 48 pulgadas si está a menos de 25 pies, y 8 pies si está a 25 pies o más. Junto a la carretera 610 y el ferrocarril el límite es 10 pies, solo en patios laterales o traseros. En todos los casos, la cerca no debe tapar la vista del conductor hacia la calle. No encontramos un número para el patio delantero en calles que no están en la tabla; consulte a la ciudad. Los códigos de construcción dicen que no se necesita permiso para cercas de hasta 8 pies, pero eso no incluye las barreras de piscina. La ciudad adoptó el Código Internacional de Piscinas y Spas de 2024, y el código de la ciudad no da una altura para la barrera de piscina; consulte antes de construir. Las cercas eléctricas están prohibidas. Los muros de pantalla exigidos por el código tienen reglas de materiales propias. Una cerca que viole las reglas de zonificación puede costar una multa de hasta $2,000, y cada día cuenta como una infracción nueva. Construir sin un permiso requerido tiene su propia multa: de $50 a $250 por cada día. Una cerca eléctrica puede costar hasta $500. Sus restricciones de escritura o de la asociación de vecinos pueden ser más estrictas. Para preguntas, llame al Departamento de Servicios de Desarrollo.