FENCE RULES – GEORGETOWN (CITY), KENTUCKY
OVERVIEW
Residential fences are permitted on private property within City of Georgetown, subject to local regulations. For properties located outside City of Georgetown municipal limits, Scott County regulates fences in unincorporated areas.
Local fence rules appear in City of Georgetown Ordinance No. 2015-012, which amends the residential fence section of the Georgetown Code of Ordinances. Related rules also appear in the Georgetown-Scott County Zoning Ordinance, the Subdivision and Development Regulations, the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance, the Stormwater BMP Manual, the Historic Georgetown Design Guidelines, and Georgetown-Scott County Building Inspection materials.
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 Georgetown Ordinance No. 2015-012, the Georgetown-Scott County Zoning Ordinance, the Subdivision and Development Regulations, the City of Georgetown Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance No. 13-028, City of Georgetown Stormwater Ordinance No. 15-001, the City of Georgetown Stormwater BMP Manual, Historic Georgetown Design Guidelines, Georgetown-Scott County Building Inspection permit materials, and City Code Enforcement materials as of June 2026.
GOVERNANCE
The City of Georgetown regulates residential fences through the Georgetown Code of Ordinances and City Ordinance No. 2015-012. Zoning and subdivision matters are administered through the Georgetown-Scott County Joint Planning Commission and its staff.
The Georgetown-Scott County Building Inspection Department enforces the Kentucky Building Code, the Kentucky Residential Code, and the Georgetown-Scott County Zoning Ordinance. The city does not publish one consolidated fence code; residential fence rules are split among the fence ordinance, zoning visibility rules, subdivision and development standards, stormwater and floodplain materials, historic-design materials, and pool-barrier materials.
The Georgetown Historic Preservation Board / Historic Commission administers design review for work in the H-1 Historic Overlay District when a Certificate of Appropriateness is required. Stormwater and floodplain review may involve the Georgetown Stormwater Quality Division, the Planning Commission Engineer, and the Floodplain Administrator, depending on the site condition and type of work.
PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
• Building Permit Baseline: Under the Kentucky Residential Code building-permit baseline, fences not over 7 feet high are exempt from a building permit. City of Georgetown does not publish a stricter local residential fence permit threshold or an all-fences permit rule in the official source materials reviewed for this page. Georgetown’s residential fence ordinance separately limits residential fences to 6 feet, so the local residential height limit is more restrictive than the Kentucky building-permit exemption threshold.
• Local Fence Height Limit: A standard residential fence in Georgetown may not exceed 6 feet in height on property zoned for residential use.
• Zoning Compliance: Building permit requirements are separate from zoning, setback, subdivision, floodplain, historic, right-of-way, easement, and plat requirements. Confirm any applicable zoning conditions, setbacks, and plat requirements with the Georgetown-Scott County Joint Planning Commission before construction.
• Historic District Approval: In the H-1 Historic Overlay District, design review is required for work in a historic district except routine or ordinary maintenance. A Certificate of Appropriateness is required for exterior alterations that affect historic character, new construction, demolition, and relocation. Fence and wall work that affects historic site features or is visible from a public right-of-way may be reviewed under the Historic Georgetown Design Guidelines.
• Floodplain Approval: A Floodplain Development Permit is required before development activities begin in a Special Flood Hazard Area. Fence work involving construction, placement, grading, excavation, fill, or other development in a mapped floodplain, floodway, stream area, or flood-prone area may require floodplain review before work begins.
• Stormwater / Land-Disturbance Approval: Georgetown’s post-construction stormwater ordinance applies to new development or redevelopment projects that disturb at least 1 acre, and to smaller activities that are part of a larger common plan of development. Ordinary fence-post work is not treated as a stormwater-management project by itself, but fence work that changes drainage, obstructs a drainage easement, affects a stormwater facility, or is part of larger land disturbance may require review.
• Pool Enclosure Approval: A fence used as an in-ground swimming pool enclosure is reviewed through the pool-permit process. A final inspection of the pool enclosure fence must be approved before the pool receives final approval or a certificate of occupancy.
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.
• Public Right-of-Way: A fence that extends past the front of a house in a residential zone may not extend into the public right-of-way.
• Corner Lots and Visibility: Corner lots in all districts except the B-3 Central Business District must be free from obstruction to traffic visibility between points 70 feet measured along the street center line from the intersection of the center lines. The zoning ordinance states that this rule does not prohibit a necessary retaining wall.
• Sight Triangles: A sight triangle is a triangular area at a street intersection where nothing may be erected, placed, planted, or allowed to grow in a way that limits or obstructs motorists’ sight distance.
• Drainage Easements and Public Drainage Systems: Fences may not obstruct a public drainage system, drainage easement, stormwater channel, pipe, storage area, stormwater facility, or the Waters of Scott County. The Stormwater BMP Manual states that no channel alteration or construction that would obstruct stormwater flow is allowed within a drainage easement.
• Floodplain and Stream Areas: Construction in waters or floodplains is restricted. Where there is no feasible alternative to work in a waterbody or floodplain, the disturbed area must be stabilized and the work must comply with the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance and other required permits.
• A-5 Rural Residential Subdivision Context: For a major A-5 Rural Residential subdivision development, the zoning ordinance requires fencing along the perimeter of all lots that abut A-1 Agricultural land before final plat approval. This is a subdivision-development rule, not a general city-lot fence setback.
• 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
• Residential Maximum Height: On property zoned for residential use, a fence may not exceed 6 feet in height.
• Front-of-House Fence Height and Openness: A fence extending past the front portion of a residence may not exceed 4 feet in height if it interferes substantially with visibility and the passage of air and light. A fence past the front of a house must not use fabric that covers more than 50 percent of its surface area.
• Acceptable Open Fence Examples: The ordinance gives chain link fences without inserts and picket fences with pickets no wider than the space between them as examples of acceptable open fencing fabric. The examples are illustrative, not an exclusive list.
• Corner Visibility: On corner lots outside the B-3 Central Business District, the 70-foot traffic-visibility area measured along the street center lines must remain free from obstruction.
• Pool Enclosure Height: An in-ground swimming pool barrier must be at least 48 inches above grade measured on the side facing away from the pool. The maximum vertical clearance between grade and the bottom of the barrier is 4 inches on the side facing away from the pool.
• Pool Barrier Openings: Pool-barrier openings may not allow passage of a 4-inch diameter sphere. Chain-link pool barriers have a maximum mesh size of 2 1/4 inches square, unless slats fastened at the top or bottom reduce the openings to not less than 1 3/4 inches.
• Pool Gates: Pool pedestrian-access gates must open outward away from the pool, be self-closing, and have a self-latching device. Other gates must have a self-latching device.
MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS
• Stockade Fences: Stockade fences are forbidden for residential fences in Georgetown.
• Barbed Wire and Razor Wire: Barbed wire and razor wire may not be used in the construction of any fence on property zoned for residential use.
• Electrified Fences: Electrified fences are prohibited in residential zones, except that the prohibition does not apply to in-ground pet fences using low-voltage wiring.
• Front Fence Openness: A fence extending past the front of a house may not use fabric covering more than 50 percent of its surface area.
• Historic District Materials: In the H-1 Historic Overlay District, fences visible from a public right-of-way should use materials compatible with historic Georgetown, including masonry, stone, brick, wrought iron, or wood. Existing wrought iron or cast iron fences and masonry walls should be repaired and retained whenever possible.
• Historic Front-Yard Fences: In the historic district, front-yard fences should be low and transparent. Chain-link fences are discouraged in visible locations. Split-rail and stockade fences should not be used. Concrete and concrete-block walls are discouraged.
• Historic Stone Walls: Restoration of historic stone fences or stone walls should use the same material and mortar mix as the historic wall. Dry-laid stone walls should remain dry-laid.
• Finished Side: The code does not specify a finished-side orientation requirement for standard residential fences.
PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS
Private restrictions operate independently from City of Georgetown fence rules. A subdivision plat, deed restriction, HOA covenant, architectural-review covenant, private easement, drainage easement, utility easement, stormwater maintenance agreement, agricultural agreement, or private boundary agreement may be more restrictive than the public fence rules.
The zoning ordinance states that where the zoning ordinance conflicts with private covenants or deeds, the most restrictive requirement applies. Private restrictions are not the same as city fence permits, and this page does not determine whether a private restriction applies to a specific lot.
REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT
Fence issues are typically reviewed during permit or approval review when required, and through complaint-based code enforcement. Examples include:
• Residential fences over 6 feet in height.
• Front-of-house fences that exceed the 4-foot front visibility standard or use fabric covering more than 50 percent of the fence surface.
• Fence placement in a public right-of-way, drainage easement, utility easement, or public drainage system.
• Obstructions within the 70-foot corner-visibility area or within sight triangles.
• Stockade fences, barbed wire, razor wire, or prohibited electrified fences on residential property.
• Fence or wall work in the H-1 Historic Overlay District that requires design review or a Certificate of Appropriateness.
• Fence work in a Special Flood Hazard Area, floodway, stream area, drainage area, or stormwater facility area.
• Fence work used as part of a regulated swimming pool enclosure.
• Fence-post digging where Kentucky 811 notice is required.
USING THIS INFORMATION
This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within City of Georgetown, 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 Georgetown-Scott County Building Inspection Department and the Georgetown-Scott County Joint Planning Commission and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from City of Georgetown staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.