FENCE RULES – VERSAILLES (CITY), KENTUCKY
OVERVIEW
Residential fences are permitted on private property within City of Versailles, subject to local regulations. For properties located outside City of Versailles municipal limits, Woodford County regulates fences in unincorporated areas.
Local fence rules appear in the City of Versailles Code of Ordinances, the Woodford, Versailles, and Midway Zoning Ordinance, the Versailles-Midway-Woodford County Planning Commission zoning-permit materials, the Historic Overlay District Design Guidelines, floodplain materials, and City of Versailles Public Works Department right-of-way standards.
This page focuses on typical single-family residential fencing. If the jurisdiction’s adopted materials do not state a specific limit or requirement, this page notes that the code does not specify one.
Compiled From City of Versailles Code of Ordinances, Woodford, Versailles, and Midway Zoning Ordinance, Versailles-Midway-Woodford County Planning Commission zoning-permit materials and Fee Schedule, Historic Overlay District Design Guidelines, City of Versailles Public Works Department Right-of-Way Standard, and Kentucky Residential Code materials as of June 2026.
GOVERNANCE
The City of Versailles uses a joint planning and zoning structure. The City of Versailles Code of Ordinances incorporates the Woodford, Versailles, and Midway Zoning Ordinance by reference, and the Versailles-Midway-Woodford County Planning Commission administers local zoning and permit functions.
The City has adopted the Kentucky Building Code and Kentucky Residential Code, with local enforcement assigned to the Versailles-Midway-Woodford County Planning Commission.
Fence-related review can involve several offices or boards depending on the location and type of work:
• Versailles-Midway-Woodford County Planning Commission: Administers zoning permits, zoning ordinance requirements, building/zoning permit materials, floodplain-related zoning materials, and subdivision-related planning materials.
• Board of Architectural Review: Reviews Certificate of Appropriateness applications for work in the Historic Overlay District.
• City of Versailles Public Works Department: Administers right-of-way permits for work in City rights-of-way, easements, streets, sidewalks, drainage areas, utilities, and City property.
• City of Versailles Code Enforcement: Administers complaint-based enforcement of City ordinance violations through the Code Enforcement Officer and Code Enforcement Board structure.
PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
• Zoning Permit: The zoning ordinance states that construction, moving, or alteration of a fence may not begin until the Versailles-Midway-Woodford County Planning Commission has issued a Zoning Permit. The current Zoning Permit application and Fee Schedule identify the fence zoning-permit category as fences over 48 inches in height, with a $30 zoning-permit fee.
• Building Permit Baseline: Under the Kentucky Residential Code building-permit baseline adopted by the City of Versailles, fences not over 7 feet high are exempt from a building permit. The City does not publish a separate residential fence building-permit workflow for fences over 7 feet; the local fence-specific workflow is the zoning permit administered by the Versailles-Midway-Woodford County Planning Commission.
• Historic Overlay District Approval: In the Historic Overlay District, a Certificate of Appropriateness is required before a building lot is altered or improved. New fences in yards visible from the public right-of-way must have Board of Architectural Review approval.
• Floodplain Development: Before any development in a special flood hazard area is undertaken, the flood damage prevention provisions require a development permit. The zoning permit application also requires water, sewer, or floodplain verification letters or signatures when applicable.
• Grading or Drainage Work: Grading, excavation, filling, removal of soil, or paving that significantly affects permanent drainage requires a grading permit before work begins.
• Right-of-Way Work: Any disturbance, modification, or change in roads, streets, rights-of-way, easements, or City property, including installation of fencing or walls, requires a City of Versailles Public Works Department right-of-way permit.
FENCE PLACEMENT RULES
• Property Lines: The ordinance does not state a setback requirement for standard residential fences from property lines; however, fences must be located entirely on the owner’s property and must not encroach into rights-of-way or easements.
• Front and Side Street Areas: Fences between any public right-of-way and the building line are subject to the City’s height limits for that area. This includes front-yard areas and side-street areas on corner lots.
• Corner Lots and Visibility Areas: On corner lots in the City of Versailles, no fence, wall, hedge, planting, or other obstruction may be placed or allowed to grow in a way that materially impedes vision between 2.5 feet and 12 feet above the centerline grades of intersecting streets within the defined 25-foot corner-visibility area.
• Approved Subdivision Plans: If an approved subdivision plan contains setbacks, building lines, or other features that exceed the minimum zoning ordinance standards, those approved plan features control.
• Historic Overlay District Placement: In the Historic Overlay District, new fences in yards visible from the public right-of-way require Board approval. Rear-yard fencing that is not visible from any street within the district does not require approval under the Historic Overlay District fence guidance.
• Floodplain, Drainage, and Grading Areas: Fence work that is part of development in a special flood hazard area, or that involves grading, filling, excavation, removal of soil, paving, drainage changes, or other regulated site work, is subject to the applicable floodplain or grading permit requirements.
• Right-of-Way and Easement Areas: Fences and walls may not be installed in City rights-of-way, easements, streets, sidewalks, drainage areas, utility areas, or City property unless the required right-of-way permit has been issued by the City of Versailles Public Works Department.
• Utility Safety: Kentucky law requires notice through Kentucky 811 before excavation where Kentucky’s underground utility damage-prevention law applies. For fence projects that involve digging, including fence post holes, notice must be given not less than two full working days and not more than 10 full working days before excavation begins, unless a different future start date is allowed by law. Kentucky locate requests are valid for 21 calendar days from the initial request. Kentucky law also includes exemptions, including certain agricultural tilling and certain nonmechanized excavation on private property where no operator right-of-way or easement is encroached.
FENCE HEIGHT AND VISIBILITY RULES
• Public Right-of-Way to Building Line: In the City of Versailles, no fence between any public right-of-way and the building line may exceed 4 feet in height.
• Walls and Hedges in the Same Area: No wall or hedge between any public right-of-way and the building line may exceed 3.5 feet in height.
• Side and Rear Yards: The code does not specify a maximum height for standard side-yard or rear-yard fences within the City of Versailles outside the public-right-of-way-to-building-line area. The 8-foot side and rear fence and wall cap in the zoning ordinance is identified for Midway and Woodford County only.
• Agricultural Districts: The fence, wall, and hedge height provision does not apply to agricultural districts.
• Height Measurement: Fence and wall height is measured from the average established grade to the top of the fence or wall.
• Corner Visibility: On corner lots, the zoning ordinance restricts obstructions that materially impede vision between 2.5 feet and 12 feet above the centerline grades of intersecting streets within the defined 25-foot visibility area.
• Street and Driveway Sight Triangles: Landscape material within the zoning ordinance’s sight triangles may not exceed 18 inches in height. The street-intersection sight triangle extends 35 feet in each direction from the curb lines, and the driveway sight triangle extends 15 feet back into the driveway and 20 feet along the curb line. Trees are permitted in those areas only where the trunks are kept clear of branches to at least 5 feet above the sidewalk elevation.
• Kentucky Residential Code Threshold: The Kentucky Residential Code 7-foot figure is a building-permit exemption threshold for fences not over 7 feet high. It is not stated as a City of Versailles maximum fence height.
MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS
• Standard Residential Fences Outside Historic Overlay Areas: The code does not specify permitted or prohibited materials for standard residential fences outside the Historic Overlay District.
• Historic Overlay District Visible Fences: New fences visible from the public right-of-way in the Historic Overlay District should be of wood, iron, or a comparable material and design.
• Historic Overlay District Inappropriate Materials: In the Historic Overlay District, chain-link, concrete block, un-faced concrete, fiberglass, and plywood fences or walls are identified as inappropriate and should not be used.
• Historic Overlay District Privacy Fences: In the Historic Overlay District, solid or privacy-type fences, including stockade fences, should not be used except where necessary for screening or utility areas.
• Historic Views: New fences in the Historic Overlay District should not obscure significant views.
PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS
Private restrictions operate separately from City zoning and permit rules. Subdivision covenants, HOA rules, deed restrictions, private easements, architectural-review covenants, private boundary agreements, and other recorded private agreements may be more restrictive than the public standards described here.
The zoning ordinance states that private deed restrictions and private covenants for a subdivision do not fall within local agency enforcement by the Zoning Administrator. That means private restrictions may still apply, but they are not the same as City zoning enforcement.
REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT
Fence issues are typically reviewed during permit or approval review when required, and through complaint-based code enforcement. Examples include:
• Zoning Permit Review: Fence construction, moving, or alteration under the zoning ordinance, including the published zoning-permit category for fences over 48 inches.
• Building-Permit Exemption Context: The Kentucky Residential Code exemption for fences not over 7 feet high.
• Front and Side Street Height: The 4-foot fence limit between any public right-of-way and the building line.
• Corner and Sight Visibility: The 25-foot corner-visibility area, the 2.5-foot to 12-foot visibility band, and the zoning ordinance’s 18-inch landscape-material limit in sight triangles.
• Historic Overlay Review: Visible new fences in the Historic Overlay District, including material, design, and view-obstruction considerations reviewed by the Board of Architectural Review.
• Right-of-Way and Easement Conflicts: Fences or walls placed in City rights-of-way, easements, streets, sidewalks, drainage areas, utility areas, or City property without the required right-of-way permit.
• Floodplain, Grading, and Drainage Review: Fence-related work that is part of development in a special flood hazard area, or that includes grading, excavation, filling, soil removal, paving, drainage changes, or similar regulated site work.
• Code Enforcement: Alleged violations of City ordinance requirements handled through the City of Versailles Code Enforcement structure.
USING THIS INFORMATION
This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within City of Versailles, based on publicly available source materials reviewed as of June 2026.
In addition to local fence rules, certain Kentucky laws apply statewide. See Statewide Fence Laws in Kentucky.
It is not legal advice and does not replace official ordinances, permits, surveys, or professional guidance. Rules and interpretations may change, and application may vary based on zoning district, site conditions, easements, rights-of-way, floodplain status, stormwater or drainage requirements, road or highway encroachment, historic district status, rural or agricultural context, livestock or farm-boundary context, pool-barrier use, and private restrictions such as HOA covenants, deed restrictions, private agreements, or agricultural conservation easements. Before purchasing materials or beginning construction, confirm current requirements and any site-specific limitations with the Versailles-Midway-Woodford County Planning Commission and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from City of Versailles staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.