Fence Installation in Berkeley Heights, NJ

Berkeley Heights, in Union County, has the most unusual fence rule of any town we serve — one rule for every yard, and it trades height for distance. Under § 3.1.3 of Appendix A, the township's land use ordinance, fences and walls " shall not be higher than five (5) feet unless setback from the lot line a minimum of a distance equal to their height." A fence on the property line maxes out at five feet; a six-foot fence is lawful only if it steps six feet inside the line — and the township enforces it: a 2026 zoning violation notice ordered an unpermitted, over-height fence removed or lowered to five feet.

Solanos Fence installs vinyl, aluminum, WPC composite, wood and chain link fencing in Berkeley Heights, NJ — and handles fence repair as well. We also sell fence materials for pickup at our Fairfield location. Berkeley Heights is part of our Union County service area.

Berkeley Heights' Fence Rules: § 3.1.3

Berkeley Heights regulates fences in § 3.1.3 of Appendix A — its Municipal Land Use Procedures Ordinance — with pools at § 3.1.7 of the same appendix and construction permit fees at § 15.04.020 of the Township Code. A zoning permit is required for all fences and walls(§ 3.1.3). The main rules:

Height trades against setback (§ 3.1.3)."Fences and walls shall not be located in any required sight triangle and shall not be higher than five (5) feet unless setback from the lot line a minimum of a distance equal to their height." One rule governs every lot line — there are no separate front-, side- and rear-yard caps. A fence at the line may be at most five feet; a taller fence must sit inside the line by at least its own height (six-foot fence, six feet in; seven-foot fence, seven feet in). The section states no absolute ceiling for a fence that is properly set back.
Solid fences are allowed (§ 3.1.3). The section sets no openness or percent-solid rule and bans no fencing material for homes generally — a solid privacy fence is lawful in any yard, subject to the height/setback trade-off. A fence of five feet or less may sit right on the property line; the only "inset" the code imposes is the trade-off itself.
Two exceptions (§ 3.1.3). There is " no height limitations other than the maintenance of a clear sight triangle on living fences and fences around utility and industrial uses." A living fence (a hedge) may grow past five feet at the line; an ordinary built fence may not.
Sight triangles and corner lots (§ 3.1.3; § 3.1.2H). Fences and walls " shall not be located in any required sight triangle" — that is an outright ban on building inside the triangle at an intersection, not just a height limit, and even the excepted living fences must keep the triangle clear. Corner lots carry front-yard setbacks on both intersecting streets in most zones — § 3.1.2H carves the downtown development and downtown housing zones out of that two-frontage rule and gives attached-housing and R-15A lots their own frontage treatments.
Zoning permit and survey (§ 3.1.3)." A zoning permit is required for all fences and walls." The township's zoning application must be submitted with a current survey, drawn to scale, showing existing conditions and the proposed work, together with construction plans or a manufacturer's brochure showing the details and dimensions of what will be built.
Fees — two separate schedules, stated separately. Under the township's zoning application fee schedule, the fence fee is $50 up to 400 linear feet and $100 for more than 400 linear feet. The codified construction permit fee schedule (§ 15.04.020B.9) separately sets fence permit fees — expressly including barriers surrounding swimming pools — at $100 up to 400 lineal feet and $300 for 401 lineal feet or more; fences over six feet high are instead priced on estimated construction cost (§ 15.04.020B.10). Which of the two schedules applies to a given project depends on the permits the project needs — they are not added together here, and your permit paperwork confirms the total before you build.
Pools: a four-foot enclosure with a four-inch opening limit (§ 3.1.7F). Every outdoor pool, before it is filled, must be " completely surrounded by a fence or wall not less than four (4) feet in height," built " so as not to have openings, holes or gaps larger than four (4) inches in the shortest dimension" except for doors and gates. A house or accessory building may form part of the enclosure. Gates must carry a self-closing and self-latching device that keeps them securely closed whenever the pool is not in use or attended (a door of a dwelling that forms part of the enclosure is excepted), and the duty applies to existing pools as well (§ 3.1.7H). The pool itself must sit at least 12 feet from either side lot line and 12 feet from the rear lot line, at least 5 feet from any building, and pools are prohibited in front yards(§ 3.1.7A–C).
No deer-fence exception. Appendix A contains no deer-fence provision at all — a tall deer fence gets no relief from § 3.1.3, so a deer fence over five feet must be set back from the lot line by its full height, like any other fence.
Enforcement is active. The township's zoning officer issues violation notices under § 3.1.3 — in 2026, a notice for a fence "installed without a zoning permit and in violation of the maximum fence height allowed of five (5') feet" ordered that "the fence installed shall be removed or lowered to the maximum 5 feet high."

Town reference: Township of Berkeley Heights Code, Appendix A (Municipal Land Use Procedures Ordinance), § 3.1.3 (fences and walls) and § 3.1.7 (swimming and wading pools); construction permit fees at Township Code § 15.04.020.

Fencing Berkeley Heights Properties

Berkeley Heights design starts with a tape measure, not a catalog. Because height and setback trade against each other, the first question on every lot is how much yard you can give up: a six-foot privacy fence set six feet inside the side and rear lines is a very different backyard from a five-foot fence on the line — on a smaller lot, the setback can take a real bite out of the usable yard, and on a corner lot the required sight triangle removes some ground from play entirely, whatever the height. There is no separate front-yard regime to navigate — the same five-foot/at-the-line rule runs along the street frontage too.

Pools are the straightforward part of a Berkeley Heights project. The township's own barrier numbers (§ 3.1.7F) are a four-foot minimum enclosure with openings no larger than four inches, and because a 54-inch pool fence stands under the five-foot § 3.1.3 cap, the enclosure can run on the property line without triggering any setback — the placement planning goes into the pool itself, which needs 12 feet from the side and rear lines and cannot sit in a front yard. During a free estimate we walk the lot with you, measure the setback room inside your lines, check the corner sight triangle, and confirm whether a pool is involved before we talk about styles. Anything not settled above is confirmed per property at permit time.

Fence Styles for Berkeley Heights Homes

White Vinyl Privacy Fencing

White vinyl privacy fencing works in Berkeley Heights — with the township's trade-off written into the plan. Our standard six-foot panels are a set-back fence here: § 3.1.3 allows six feet only on runs set back at least six feet from every lot line they run along. Where a run must sit on the property line itself, the cap is five feet, for vinyl as for everything else. The section sets no openness rule, so solid privacy panels are permitted either way — placement, and placement alone, decides the height.

Black Aluminum Fencing

Black aluminum fencing follows the same § 3.1.3 rule as a yard fence — five feet at the line, or set back by its height. As a pool barrier it is the cleanest fit in the township code: our 54-inch style stands a full six inches over § 3.1.7F's four-foot minimum, its 3.75-inch picket spacing sits inside the township's four-inch opening limit, and at four and a half feet it triggers no § 3.1.3 setback, so the enclosure may run on the lot line. The township's gate standard — self-closing and self-latching, kept closed whenever the pool is not in use or attended (§ 3.1.7F) — is the hardware standard SF installs; compliance is judged on the complete installed barrier, and the township's pool permit process reviews the barrier's specifications, including its gates, before the pool is filled.

WPC Composite, Wood, Post-and-Rail and Chain Link

WPC composite fencing in black, teak or gray follows the vinyl pattern exactly: solid panels to six feet on set-back runs, five feet at the line. Wood picket and board fences do the same work in a traditional material, and post-and-rail suits larger rear yards where stepping inside the lines costs little. Chain link is permitted for Berkeley Heights homes — § 3.1.3 bans no material generally (restrictions exist only in the township's downtown design districts) — under the same height/setback trade-off as every other fence. We price these styles after reviewing your footage, gates and terrain.

Fence Installation Prices in Berkeley Heights

Current installation specials start at $23 per linear foot for six-foot white vinyl privacy fencing and $28 per linear foot for 54-inch black aluminum pool-barrier fencing. Minimum project is 150 ft, and both offers apply within our service area. Gates and removal of an existing fence are not included — they are priced separately (gates from $500 for a single gate and from $1,000 for a double gate). In Berkeley Heights, placement decides the height — read the vinyl price with the township's rule. Section 3.1.3 caps a fence at the property line at five feet, so the $23 six-foot vinyl price applies to runs set back at least six feet from the lot lines; a run on the line itself is a five-foot fence, and we price it after reviewing the property. The $28 pool line runs as written: the 54-inch aluminum satisfies the township's own pool-barrier numbers (§ 3.1.7F — at least four feet, openings no larger than four inches) and needs no setback. Every Berkeley Heights fence starts with the zoning permit — $50 up to 400 linear feet on the township's application fee schedule.

See our fence installation deals for current terms.

Fence Materials for Berkeley Heights DIY Projects

Installing it yourself? Our Fairfield shop stocks white vinyl panels and posts, black aluminum panels and posts, and WPC packages. Bring a copy of your survey — the zoning application needs a current survey drawn to scale, with the proposed fence shown, in any case — and plan your layout around the same rule we build to: five feet at the property line, or step the fence inside the line by its full height if you want it taller. The zoning permit comes first either way. Call ahead to confirm stock and pickup.

Browse fence materials for sale.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fences in Berkeley Heights

How tall can a fence be in Berkeley Heights?

Five feet at the property line — and taller only by stepping back. Section 3.1.3 sets one rule for every yard: a fence may not be " higher than five (5) feet unless setback from the lot line a minimum of a distance equal to their height." A six-foot fence must sit at least six feet inside the line. The only exceptions are living fences and fences around utility and industrial uses, which carry no height limit other than keeping the sight triangle clear.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Berkeley Heights?

Yes — " a zoning permit is required for all fences and walls" (§ 3.1.3), whatever the height. On the township's zoning application fee schedule the fence fee is $50 up to 400 linear feet, $100 over 400. The application goes in with a current survey drawn to scale showing the proposed fence, plus plans or a manufacturer's brochure with dimensions. Once zoning approves, the township's application form directs you to inquire with the Building Department to determine whether a building permit is also required for the project. Construction permit fees are a separate, codified schedule (§ 15.04.020B.9) — $100 up to 400 lineal feet and $300 for 401 or more, expressly including pool barriers — which applies where a construction permit is part of the project.

I want a six-foot privacy fence on my property line — can I?

Not at the line: § 3.1.3 caps any fence on the lot line at five feet, and the township has ordered an over-height fence lowered for exactly this. Your options are to set the six-foot fence six feet inside the line, build five feet at the line, or apply to the Zoning Board for a variance — the route the township's own planning review treats a six-foot fence at the line as needing.

What are Berkeley Heights' pool fence rules?

The township's own pool section (§ 3.1.7F) requires every outdoor pool to be " completely surrounded by a fence or wall not less than four (4) feet in height," with no " openings, holes or gaps larger than four (4) inches in the shortest dimension" except at doors and gates. Gates need a self-closing and self-latching device that keeps them securely closed when the pool is not in use or attended. A house or accessory building may form part of the enclosure, and the enclosure duty applies to existing pools too. The pool itself must be at least 12 feet from the side and rear lot lines, at least 5 feet from any building, and never in a front yard (§ 3.1.7A–C). Our 54-inch aluminum pool fence clears the township's height and opening numbers, and at four and a half feet it needs no lot-line setback — compliance is judged on the complete installed barrier at permit.

I have a corner lot — what changes?

Two things. In most zones your lot carries front-yard setbacks on both intersecting streets (§ 3.1.2H — the downtown development and downtown housing zones are excepted, and attached-housing and R-15A lots have their own frontage rules), and fences and walls " shall not be located in any required sight triangle" (§ 3.1.3) — no fence of any height may be built inside the sight triangle at the intersection, and even a living fence must keep it clear. The height/setback trade-off itself is unchanged: five feet at either street line, or step inside by the fence's height.

Can I put up a tall deer fence?

Only under the same rule as every other fence. Berkeley Heights' land use ordinance has no deer-fence exception, so a deer fence taller than five feet must be set back from the lot line by its full height — a seven-foot deer fence sits seven feet in. At five feet or under, it may run on the line.

Do you offer payment plans?

No, we don't offer payment plans.

Request a Free Fence Estimate in Berkeley Heights, NJ

Call 973-220-7638 or contact Solanos Fence online. Tell us your approximate footage, the style you're considering, whether a pool is involved, and how much room you have inside your lot lines — in Berkeley Heights that setback room decides your fence's height, so we'll plan around it first. You can also see everywhere we work on our Union County fence page.

Solanos Fence| 1275 Bloomfield Ave, Building 3 Suite 51, Fairfield, NJ 07004 | 973-220-7638 | NJ Home Improvement Contractor Registration #13VH06388200