Maximum allowed height of a garden fence

The problem of the height of a fence is a daunting one because different people often preferring different heights. Someone may ask ‘why should the height be a concern?’ Because many people have had disputes over the height of their fence. This is now the prevalent question which many people ask a fencing company,

The legal height of a fence is 6’6” or 2 meters. However, you can build or create your fence up to any height even more than 2 meters but you will have to get planning permission by the relevant UK authorities at your local land registry offices. Without their permission, you are only allowed a fence up to 6’6”.  On the front garden of the house, the authorities will allow you up to 4 ft of fencing which would be 2 ft lower than at the back of the house.  The fence should be made of suitable material that would made from non-hazardous material.

Legal issues may arise concerning the height of the fence because of the impact the fence may have on the surrounding properties. Does the fence deprive light to the surrounding properties? Especially when the windows of the neighbour are nearby where you want to erect your fence. Does it install in such a way that it may tamper with the neighbour’s property on either side? Does it pose any danger that may cause an accident or damage to a neighbour’s property?

Most legal issues of fencing in Bristol are defined in the building and construction regulations. Some are under planning law and others under case law. It should also be noted that the highway Act 1980 assigned the responsibility to the Local Highway Authority to ensure the safe use of the public highway.  The same section also deals with all the problems that are caused by poorly installed fences and walls, where a pedestrian has gotten hurt while walking through a public pathway nearby. It is mostly applied on the lands which are adjoining to the highway.

Going with the general saying about consequences, there is a consequence of everything you do either on your surrounding environment or your neighbour’s, even the height of your fence as we have discussed earlier. It is recommended that the serious discussions should be held by the concerned parties before putting up any fence structure. Check with the planners and your neighbours first to avoid any conflicts.

When you are thinking of fencing your garden, first of all research what kind of fence you want to put up. This will be a good foundation for you to learn about the panel heights too. Typically, your be looking for 1 foot gravel boards, 5 ft fence panels and 8ft posts (2 ft dug under ground) to give a total high within 6ft.