Paperwork is the part of a fence project most homeowners dread, and it’s the part that most often causes delays when it’s skipped. 76 FENCE Main Line takes care of it. We research your municipality’s requirements, prepare permit submissions, coordinate with your HOA if you have one, and submit the PA One Call (811) utility locate before any digging begins.
You get a fence that’s compliant, and you don’t have to spend your lunch hour on hold with a zoning office.
Do you need a permit for a fence?
Often, yes. Many Main Line municipalities, including Lower Merion Township, Radnor Township, Tredyffrin Township, Upper Merion Township, Haverford Township and Easttown Township, require a zoning or fence permit or some form of review before a fence goes up. Boroughs such as Narberth, Malvern and West Chester have their own processes as well.
What those rules cover varies: height limits, setbacks from property lines and roads, which side of the fence faces out, corner-lot sight lines, pool barrier requirements, and more. We don’t publish specific numbers for any township because the rules differ and they change. Instead, we check the current requirements for your property as part of every project.
A quick rule of thumb: assume a permit or review may be required until we’ve confirmed otherwise. It’s far easier to get approval before a fence is built than to modify one after an inspector or neighbor raises a concern.
What we handle for you
Municipal permits
We confirm whether your township or borough requires a permit or review and prepare the application with a plot plan and fence details.
HOA approvals
We provide the drawings, product specs and photos your association needs for architectural review. See HOA fencing.
PA One Call (811)
We submit the utility locate request at least three business days before digging, as Pennsylvania law requires.
Inspections
When an inspection is required, as it often is for pool barriers, we build to pass it and coordinate the timing.
Historic districts and design review
The Main Line has a lot of history, and some neighborhoods sit within historic districts or areas where the municipality reviews the appearance of fences visible from the street. That review may look at materials, style and height alongside the zoning rules.
In these settings, materials like painted wood picket, black aluminum or ornamental steel often fit the character of older stone and brick homes. We’ll help you choose a design that suits the house and prepare the materials the reviewers need.
Pool fences have extra requirements
If your fence is part of a pool barrier, Pennsylvania’s Uniform Construction Code (based on the ICC codes) applies. In general, the barrier must be at least 48 inches high, and gates must be self-closing and self-latching and open outward, away from the pool. Your township inspector has final say, and local rules can add requirements. Learn more on our pool fences page.
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Why 811 matters on every job
Pennsylvania’s PA One Call law (Act 287) requires notice at least three business days before digging, so utility owners can mark their buried lines. Fence post holes can go down roughly three feet, deep enough to reach gas, electric, water, cable and fiber lines. We submit the locate request for every project, including repairs that involve new posts. Read the full explanation in our PA One Call 811 FAQ.
Keep in mind that 811 marks public utility lines. Private lines, such as a line to a detached garage, a sprinkler system or landscape lighting, usually aren’t marked, so tell us about anything like that during the walkthrough.
Property lines and neighbors
Permits and setbacks depend on knowing where your property line is. If you have a survey or pins are visible, great. If the line is unclear, especially along a shared boundary, we may recommend having it confirmed before we build. It’s also good practice to talk with neighbors before a fence goes up along a shared line.
For more on this, see who owns the fence between neighbors and our fence permit FAQ.
How permitting fits into your timeline
- Walkthrough and estimate: we measure, discuss design, and note any permit, HOA or historic review likely to apply.
- Submissions: after you approve the estimate, we prepare and submit what’s needed.
- Approvals and locate: review times vary by municipality and HOA. We submit the 811 request ahead of the install date.
- Installation: most residential jobs take about a day or two on site once materials arrive.
See the full sequence on our process page.
Questions about your property’s rules? Call or text 484-779-6307 or book a free estimate. We’ll check the requirements for you.