For most fences in Scottsdale, yes. The city's walls and fences page says a permit is required to build a fence taller than 3 feet. Phoenix, Paradise Valley, Tempe, Mesa and the other nearby cities and towns each write their own rules. We look up the rule for your address before work starts.
Do I need a permit to build or replace a fence?
The City of Scottsdale lists four cases that need a permit: building a fence taller than 3 feet, adding height to an existing fence over 3 feet, building a retaining wall, and replacing an existing fence. So a like-for-like replacement is permit work here, which surprises many owners. Walls and fences up to 3 feet in residential zones need no permit, but the city still asks for a courtesy site plan approval so the wall meets the zoning and stormwater ordinances. Retaining walls always need engineered plans. Building in a public utility easement needs written approval from every utility company.
How tall can my fence be? Is 6 feet allowed?
In side and rear yards, generally yes. Scottsdale sets wall and fence heights in section 7.104 of its Basic Zoning Ordinance and in the development standards for each zoning district. The city's standards sheet for the R1-7 single-family district, as one example, shows 3 feet in the front yard and 8 feet at the side and rear. Districts differ, corner lots have their own limits, and many subdivisions have amended standards, so we confirm the numbers for your parcel with the city.
How close to the property line can I build? Do I need a survey?
You can normally build on your own side or on the line by agreement, and you must stay out of the public right-of-way and recorded easements. Most Scottsdale lots already have a block wall near the boundary, and the wall is not proof of where the line is. When the boundary is not marked, or a neighbor disputes it, order a plot plan or a survey before any post is set. Only an Arizona registered land surveyor can mark the line.
I live in a historic district. What can I build?
Speak to the city's historic preservation staff before choosing a design. Scottsdale's zoning ordinance has a Historic Property overlay, and a few postwar neighborhoods in the south of the city carry it. Changes visible from the street, which can include a front wall or fence, may be reviewed. We find out what the review asks for and price a design that fits it.
Can my condo association or HOA restrict my fence?
Yes, and in Scottsdale it very often does. Planned communities across the city record covenants that set wall height, paint color, view fence design and gate style, and those are frequently tighter than the city code. Have the written approval in hand before materials are ordered.
We are adding a pool. What fence does code require?
Two layers of rules apply. The state law, A.R.S. 36-1681, covers a home where a child under six lives. It requires a wall, fence or barrier at least 5 feet high with no opening that a 4-inch sphere can pass, at least 20 inches from the water's edge, and gates that are self-closing and self-latching, open outward from the pool and have the latch at least 54 inches above the ground. A city may adopt its own ordinance if it is equal or more stringent. Scottsdale regulates pool barriers through its own building code in Scottsdale Revised Code chapter 31, and it publishes separate barrier requirements for short-term rentals. The city's inspector has the last word, so we build to the city's current sheet.
The inspector failed my existing fence for the pool. Who brings it up to code?
A licensed fence contractor does this work. Typical corrections are new self-closing hinges, a latch raised to the required height, a gate reversed so it swings away from the water, picket gaps narrowed, a low stretch raised, and planters or boulders moved back from the outside of the wall. Hand us the inspector's written notes and the estimate will answer them line by line.
My association only allows a 4-foot open fence, but I want privacy. What are my options?
Look for privacy that the rules already permit. Dense desert planting such as hopbush or a line of ocotillo behind a 4-foot open fence screens a patio without a solid wall. A freestanding screen close to the seating area may fall under different rules than a perimeter fence. If neither works, ask the design committee for a written variance. Look at the plat as well, because drainage and utility easements can rule out a fence altogether.
My lot is in the desert north of the city or backs onto a wash. Can I fence all of it?
Often not all of it. Scottsdale's rules for its northern desert areas limit walls so that washes and natural open space stay open, and the city reviews any wall against its stormwater ordinance. Many owners there enclose only the area around the house. Tell us where the washes are and we will check with the city what can be built.
Who calls 811 before digging, me or the contractor?
The party doing the digging. In this state the request goes to Arizona 811, and it must be made at least two full working days before the dig. The utilities then mark their own lines. We file the ticket on jobs we install. Utilities do not mark private lines, so walk us past any drip irrigation, pool plumbing, low-voltage lighting and gas runs to a fire pit or barbecue.
My contractor wants to skip the permit and reuse the old holes. What is the risk?
The risk is yours as the owner. Scottsdale's page says a fence or wall built without a permit stays under violation until an Arizona licensed engineer or architect submits a sealed assessment, plan review and permit fees are paid, a permit is issued and the work passes inspection. That costs far more than the permit would have. Arizona's handyman exemption from licensing also does not cover work that needs a building permit.
The city says my existing fence breaks the current rules. Can I just repair it?
Ask the city's planning staff before you spend money. Small repairs to an older wall are often left alone, but Scottsdale treats replacement as permit work, and a replacement is judged against today's rules. Where that line falls for your fence is the city's call.
A real price needs someone to stand on your lot and measure. That visit is free. Call (480) 530-6409, or text a photo of the fence line to the same number.