Fence Installation in Cedar Grove, NJ

Cedar Grove is a residential Essex County township in the Watchung foothills — the Cedar Grove Reservoir, Mills Reservation on its border, the Peckman River, and quiet subdivisions off Pompton Avenue. Its fence rules are simple to state and strict in the details: four feet toward the street, six feet on the rest of the lot, the finished side facing out, and nothing standing in a right-of-way or a sight triangle.

Solanos Fence installs vinyl, aluminum, WPC composite, wood, post-and-rail and chain link fencing in Cedar Grove, NJ, and handles fence repair as well. We also sell fence materials for pickup at our Fairfield location. Cedar Grove is part of our Essex County service area.

Cedar Grove's Fence Rules: § 268-10.1

Cedar Grove regulates fences and walls in § 268-10.1  ("Fences and walls") of its Zoning code (Chapter 268, Article IV). Permits come in two layers. A construction permit is required for fences six feet or over, and for any fence or barrier around a swimming pool of any height  (Chapter 119); the construction fee for that work is figured on the job's estimated cost — there is no flat fence fee — and a Zoning Approval review fee of $25 applies under Chapter 119. Both figures are confirmed at application. The Township's Zoning Application must be accompanied by a property survey showing the proposed improvements with all dimensions. The main rules:

  • Four feet in the front yard, six feet on the rest of the lot. A fence or wall within a front yard shall not exceed 4 feet, and a fence or wall built upon the remainder of any lot shall not exceed 6 feet  (§ 268-10.1C). These limits do not apply to retaining walls. A standard six-foot privacy fence is therefore allowed in Cedar Grove in the side and rear yards.
  • Fences may stand in any yard, on the line. Fences and walls may be located in any front, side and/or rear yard  (§ 268-10.1A), and — except for screening of outdoor storage or refuse units — they are exempt from the accessory-structure setback requirements  (§ 268-10.1B), so an ordinary fence may sit on the property line, subject to the encroachment rule below.
  • Corner lots: the street side counts as a front yard. Under Chapter 268's general yard rules, the side yard of a corner lot that faces the street is regulated in all respects as if it were a front yard — so the four-foot cap applies on the street side of a corner lot, not six feet.
  • Sight triangles stay low (§ 268-17.6). No fence, vehicle, object or obstruction over 30 inches may stand within a sight triangle. The sight points are measured 90 feet where there are no stop controls, 75 feet at stop-controlled streets, and 15 feet at driveways.
  • Finished side faces out (§ 268-10.1E). All fences shall be constructed with the finished side facing out and away from the property on which the fence is located.
  • No encroachment (§ 268-10.1F). No fence or wall shall encroach upon a public right-of-way or a sight triangle easement.
  • Retaining walls have their own cap. Walls erected for structural purposes of retaining soil under an approved lot grading plan shall not exceed 8 feet, measured from the lowest finished grade (§ 268-10.1D), and the four- and six-foot fence limits do not apply to them.
  • Pools: a 48-inch enclosure, locked gates. Under § 237-12, every private swimming pool must be enclosed by a fence not less than 48 inches high, with any opening or mesh not greater than 6 inches and at least one gate, and the gates must remain securely locked at all times when the pool is not in use; where possible, the fence should be at least 3 feet from the edge of the pool. Chapter 268 also requires pools and their appurtenances to sit in the rear or side yard, at least 15 feet from all property lines, inside the required fencing designed and installed in compliance with the Building Code.

Township reference: Township of Cedar Grove Code, Chapter 268, § 268-10.1 — "Fences and walls"; pool fencing in Chapter 237, § 237-12 — "Fencing requirements"; permit and fee provisions in Chapter 119, and the Zoning Application through the Township's Building Department.

Fencing Cedar Grove Properties

Cedar Grove's rules divide a lot into two zones. Toward the street — the front yard, and on a corner lot the street-facing side yard as well — a fence tops out at four feet, so front runs are picket-height by design. Everywhere else on the lot the cap is six feet, which is exactly the height of a standard privacy fence, so a full six-foot enclosure works the way homeowners expect in the side and rear yards. Because fences are exempt from the accessory-structure setbacks, a fence may sit on the property line itself — but it may not lean into a public right-of-way or a sight triangle easement, and inside a sight triangle nothing over 30 inches may stand at all, which is the measurement that governs corner lots and driveway exits.

The permit steps shape the schedule: a six-foot fence — the most common Cedar Grove project — is itself a "fence six feet or over" under Chapter 119 and needs the construction permit, as does any pool barrier of any height, and the Zoning Application is built around a survey showing the proposed improvements with all dimensions. Fences also carry a standing upkeep duty: under § 198-2A, fences are among the accessory structures that must be kept structurally sound and in good repair. During a free estimate we walk the lot with you, mark the front-yard line where the four-foot cap takes over, check corner and sight-triangle conditions, and flag what the survey needs to show. Anything not settled above is confirmed per property at permit time.

Fence Styles for Cedar Grove Homes

Black Aluminum Fencing

Black aluminum fencing suits Cedar Grove's two-zone heights: an open aluminum picket run at four feet is the natural front-yard fence, and at six feet it closes the side and rear lines with a finished look from both sides, which fits the finished-side-out rule in § 268-10.1E. Around pools, our 54-inch black aluminum pool-barrier style is the standard choice: it stands above the 48-inch minimum in § 237-12, its picket spacing is 3.75 inches — inside that section's six-inch opening limit — and an appropriately spaced aluminum picket design may meet the pool-barrier standard, subject to the proposed model and approval — compliance is judged on the complete installed barrier — height, picket spacing, ground clearance, and self-closing, self-latching gates — under the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code, not on the panel alone, and Cedar Grove's own pool rule (§ 237-12) also requires the gates to remain securely locked whenever the pool is not in use.

White Vinyl Privacy Fencing

White vinyl privacy fencing works at full height on most of a Cedar Grove lot: our standard panels — six feet high by eight feet wide with 2-inch by 7-inch rails — sit exactly at the township's six-foot limit for the remainder of the lot (§ 268-10.1C). Vinyl is finished the same on both sides, which satisfies the finished-side-out rule automatically. In the front yard, a six-foot solid vinyl fence does not fit — front-yard fences are capped at four feet — so front runs call for a lower style.

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

WPC composite fencing in black, teak or gray is subject to the same Cedar Grove height rules — four feet in the front yard, six feet on the rest of the lot. Wood picket is the traditional match for the township's subdivisions and the classic four-foot front-yard fence. Post-and-rail suits larger rear yards, including lots near the reservoir and Mills Reservation, and chain link remains practical for rear boundaries and dog runs within the height limits. We price these styles after reviewing your footage, gates and terrain.

Fence Installation Prices in Cedar Grove

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 Cedar Grove, the six-foot vinyl special fits the Township's six-foot limit for the side and rear yards — the remainder of the lot (§ 268-10.1C); front yards are capped at four feet, so front-yard runs and other specialty layouts are priced by individual estimate.

See our fence installation deals for current terms.

Fence Materials for Cedar Grove DIY Projects

Installing it yourself? Our Fairfield shop stocks white vinyl panels and posts, black aluminum panels and posts, and WPC packages. Bring your measurements or a copy of your survey — Cedar Grove's Zoning Application will ask for a survey showing the proposed improvements with all dimensions anyway — and we can help build a materials list that respects the four-foot front-yard cap, the six-foot limit on the rest of the lot and the finished-side-out rule. Call ahead to confirm stock and pickup.

Browse fence materials for sale.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fences in Cedar Grove

How tall can a fence be in Cedar Grove?

It depends on where on the lot it stands. § 268-10.1C caps a fence or wall in a front yard at 4 feet and a fence or wall on the remainder of any lot at 6 feet. Those limits do not apply to retaining walls; a wall built to retain soil under an approved lot grading plan may reach 8 feet, measured from the lowest finished grade (§ 268-10.1D).

Can I put a six-foot privacy fence in my backyard?

Yes — six feet is Cedar Grove's limit for the remainder of the lot (§ 268-10.1C), so a six-foot privacy fence is allowed in the side and rear yards. Two things to plan around: a fence six feet or over requires a construction permit under Chapter 119, and the restricted part of a Cedar Grove lot is the front — front-yard fences, including the street side of a corner lot, are capped at four feet.

I have a corner lot — what changes?

Under Chapter 268's general yard rules, the street-facing side yard of a corner lot is regulated in all respects as if it were a front yard — so the four-foot cap, not six feet, applies along the street side. A fence also may not encroach on a sight triangle easement (§ 268-10.1F), and under § 268-17.6 nothing over 30 inches may stand within a sight triangle, measured from sight points 90 feet apart with no stop controls, 75 feet at stop-controlled streets, and 15 feet at driveways.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Cedar Grove?

Often, yes. Under Chapter 119, a construction permit is required for fences six feet or over, and for any fence or barrier around a swimming pool of any height; the construction fee is figured on the job's estimated cost — there is no flat fence fee. A Zoning Approval review fee of $25 applies under Chapter 119, and fees are confirmed at application. The Township's Zoning Application must be accompanied by a property survey showing the proposed improvements with all dimensions.

Can my fence sit in my front yard?

Yes, at four feet or under. Fences may be located in any front, side and/or rear yard (§ 268-10.1A) and are exempt from the accessory-structure setback requirements (§ 268-10.1B), so a front-yard fence may sit on the property line — but it shall not exceed 4 feet  (§ 268-10.1C), it must be built with the finished side facing out (§ 268-10.1E), and it may not encroach on a public right-of-way or a sight triangle easement (§ 268-10.1F).

What are Cedar Grove's pool fence rules?

Section 237-12 requires every private swimming pool to be completely enclosed by a fence not less than 48 inches high, with any opening or mesh not greater than 6 inches and at least one gate; the gates must remain securely locked at all times when the pool is not in use, and where possible the fence should be at least 3 feet from the edge of the pool. Chapter 268 also requires the pool and its appurtenances to be in the rear or side yard, at least 15 feet from all property lines, inside the required fencing. A construction permit is required for any pool fence or barrier of any height, and the installed barrier — height, picket spacing, ground clearance, and self-closing, self-latching gates included — must meet the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code. An appropriately spaced aluminum pool-barrier design may meet that standard, subject to the proposed model and approval.

Do you offer payment plans?

No, we don't offer payment plans.

Request a Free Fence Estimate in Cedar Grove, NJ

Call 973-220-7638 or contact Solanos Fence online. Tell us your approximate footage, the style you're considering, whether your lot is a corner lot, and whether there's a pool — we'll plan the next steps around your property and Cedar Grove's rules. You can also see everywhere we work on our Essex County fence page.

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