This is the City of Orlando, not unincorporated Orange County, Winter Park or other nearby cities.
When Orlando requires a fence permit
From the City's Apply for a Fence Permit page and Fence Guide (read 26 October 2026). A permit is required if ANY of these apply:
| Trigger | Notes |
|---|---|
| Commercial property, or a residential property with three or more units | Duplexes and single homes are exempt from this one |
| Taller than six feet | Measured from "the established normal building site grade" |
| Concrete, masonry or block, or posts with concrete/rebar reinforcement | Walls need electronically signed construction drawings |
| Used as a required pool or spa barrier | See the state pool rule below |
| A property with an alley at the rear | |
| A corner lot | |
| On or near a public easement shown on the survey | |
| Vehicular gates or powered gates (electric, solar) | |
| Part of a demolition permit | |
| Required under Florida Building Code Chapter 33 (safeguards during construction) | |
| In a floodplain or floodway | Check the City's flood map |
A fence in a historic district needs a Certificate of Appropriateness even when replacing parts of an existing one, and "Plastic or vinyl fences are not permitted in historic districts." HOA approval is separate. Every fence, permitted or not, must meet City Code, and "non-compliant fences may incur code enforcement penalties."
What you may build
| Rule (residential districts) | Limit |
|---|---|
| Front yard | 4 ft |
| Side, street-side and rear yards | 6 ft |
| Street-side yard abutting a neighbor's front yard | 4 ft |
| Side and rear next to commercial or industrial property | 8 ft |
| Location | On or inside your property line, out of corner and driveway sight triangles |
| Gates across driveways | Set back at least 20 ft from the property line |
| Wood fence | Finished side faces out |
Planned Development (PD) zones can have their own rules; the City says to contact Planning at cityplanning@orlando.gov.
Pool barriers
A fence that serves as a pool barrier always needs the permit. Florida's § 515.27 lets a new residential pool pass final with a barrier meeting s. 515.29 or one of the other listed safety features (safety cover, exit alarms, self-closing door latches at least 54 inches up, or an in-pool alarm).
How to apply
- Draw the site plan on a copy of your survey: property lines and dimensions, easements, adjacent streets, buildings and A/C units with setbacks, driveways and patios, and the fence's location and height. Removing a tree needs a separate tree permit.
- Submit the Residential Fence Permit application linked from the City's page. "Allow two business days for processing."
- Upload plans when e-plan emails the permit number and an invitation.
- Pass the final inspection. "Your fence project is complete after receiving your approved final inspection."
Permitting Services: 407-246-2271, digitalpermits@orlando.gov.
What it costs
From the City's Permitting Development Fees - Residential (1 or 2 units), effective January 2026. Construction cost is the greater of the contract price and the ICC valuation:
| Fee line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Building permit, first $1,000 of construction cost | $66.24 |
| Each additional $1,000 | $4.41 |
| Technology surcharge | 3% of the permit fee |
| Concurrency surcharge | 5% of the building permit fee |
| DCA operational trust fund surcharge | 1%, minimum $2 |
| Administrative inspection fund | 1.5%, minimum $2 |
| Re-inspection (failed) | $150 |
| Work without a permit | an additional 100% of the permit fee |
On a $5,000 fence the permit fee is $66.24 + 4 x $4.41 = $83.88 before the surcharges.
What 910 Orlando fence permits show
| Measure | City of Orlando fences |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 910 |
| Firms and owners that filed them | 185 |
| With a permit in the last 12 months | 98 |
| Usual filed value | $4,600 |
| Middle half of firms' usual value (53 firms) | $2,430 to $5,549 |
| Usual days from issue to final | 55 |
| Share held by the five busiest | 40.2% |
| Firms matched to an active Florida license | 57.3% |
| Busiest / quietest month | October (123) / December (77) |
Because most plain backyard fences need no permit, these are the harder jobs: corner lots, alleys, easements, pool barriers and gates. A few companies do most of them: Fence Outlet Inc filed 52 in the last 12 months, and the five busiest hold 40.2%. Only 57.3% of fence filers matched an active Florida license by name; Florida has no state fence-contractor license (City of Cape Coral notice, December 2025), so many fence companies have nothing to match; ask the company which license, if any, the permit is pulled under. Prices by job size are on the Orlando fence cost page.
See every Orlando fence company by permits →
Related
Other cities' rules: do I need a permit for a fence. National prices: fence installation cost. Choosing the installer: hiring a fence contractor. Licenses: Orlando contractor license lookup. Past permits on your house: Orlando building permit search. Monthly counts: Orlando permit statistics.
What this does not tell you
Our fence group counts only permitted fences, so it misses the exempt ones. We do not have a reliable finished share for Orlando fences; days to final cover permits that reached final. Filed values are the applicant's estimate.
How we know this
Permit triggers, height and location limits, plan requirements and steps are quoted from the City of Orlando's Apply for a Fence Permit page and Fence Guide; fees from Permitting Development Fees - Residential (1 or 2 units), effective January 2026; the pool rule from Florida Statutes § 515.27; all read 26 October 2026. Counts are City of Orlando permits on homes classified as fences, October 2023 to September 2026; days run from issue to final.
Numbers come from City of Orlando building permits for one- and two-family homes, data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to put up a fence in Orlando?
Not if all of these hold: a one- or two-family home, a fence six feet or less, outside a historic district, made of wood, vinyl, chain-link, aluminum, wrought iron or plants, and compliant with any SP or PD overlay. A permit is required on a corner lot, a lot with a rear alley, on or near an easement, in a floodplain, for a pool barrier, for masonry or concrete, for vehicle or powered gates, or over six feet.
- How tall can a fence be in Orlando?
In residential districts, four feet in front yards and six feet in side, street-side and rear yards, or four feet in a street-side yard that abuts a neighbor's front yard. Side and rear fences may reach eight feet next to commercial or industrial property. Gates across driveways must be set back at least 20 feet from the property line.
- How much is a fence permit in Orlando?
Fences go on a residential building permit, which the City's January 2026 schedule prices at $66.24 for the first $1,000 of construction cost plus $4.41 for each additional $1,000, before surcharges. A $5,000 fence comes to $83.88 before the 3% technology, 5% concurrency and other surcharges.
- How long does a fence permit take in Orlando?
The City says to allow two business days for the application to be processed; you then get an email with the permit number and an invitation to upload plans. In our file the usual Orlando fence permit passed final 55 days after issue.
- Do I need a survey for a fence permit in Orlando?
You need a site plan, which can be drawn on a copy of your survey, showing property lines, easements, adjacent streets, buildings and A/C units with their setbacks, driveways and patios, plus the proposed fence location and height.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Do I need a fence permit in Cape Coral? Height, waterfront and front-yard rules, who can pull it, fee
- Do I need a fence permit in Chicago? Not up to 5 feet; yes for a 6-foot backyard fence
- Do I need a fence permit in Cleveland? Yes: the site plan the City wants, the fee lines and who pulls it
- Do I need a permit? 13 common home projects, checked against city rules and permit files
- Do I need a fence permit in Saint Paul? Yes, for every fence: the $45 plan review, height limits and when an inspector comes
For one city
- Apply for a Fence Permit — City of Orlando (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Fence Guide — City of Orlando (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Permitting Development Fees - Residential (1 or 2 units), effective January 2026 — City of Orlando (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Florida Statutes § 515.27 Residential swimming pool safety feature options (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Notice to Industry: Permitting for Fence Installation (updated 13 December 2025) — City of Cape Coral (2026-10-23)
- Verify a Licensee — Florida DBPR Online Services (2026-10-22)