Fence Installation in Cliffside Park, NJ

Cliffside Park, a borough in Bergen County, keeps its fence rules unusually direct: no fence over six feet anywhere in the borough, a building permit before any fence goes up, a survey drawn into the application, and the finished side facing outward with every post, brace and piece of hardware turned to the inside. The permit fee is codified twice and agrees both times — $100 for a fence up to six feet. Around pools the borough writes its own barrier numbers, and they are the ones a standard pool panel is built to: at least four feet high with no opening over four inches.

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

Cliffside Park's Fence Rules: § 18-6.9

Cliffside Park regulates fences in § 18-6.9 of its zoning code (Chapter 18), with visibility at intersections in § 18-6.10, pool fencing in Chapter 16 (§ 16-14), and the fee schedule in Chapter 11 (§ 11-1.4). The main rules:

Six feet, everywhere (§ 18-6.9c). "No building permit shall be issued for any fence in excess of six feet in height." The section sets one borough-wide maximum — it draws no front-yard, side-yard or rear-yard height distinctions of its own.
Permit first (§ 18-6.9b). No fence may be erected in the borough without first applying to the Building Department for a building permit. Over six feet, a permit "may not be issued without a variance" (§ 18-6.9d4), and § 18-11.3 names fencing expressly: no construction permit issues until the Zoning Officer and Construction Official have determined that the work complies with the code.
A survey goes with the application (§ 18-6.9d1–2). The application must supply a survey showing the parcel's boundaries and the street it faces, the distances from the street-abutting corner to the nearest intersection, the dwelling and buildings on the lot, the property lines where the fence is to be erected, the fence's location with reference to the property lines, and the height of the proposed fence.
Finished side out (§ 18-6.9e). "All fences… shall be constructed so that the finished side of the fences faces outward. The posts, bracing, supports and other structural members of the fence, as well as the hardware, shall face the interior area enclosed by the fence."
Keep the setback areas clear (§ 18-6.9i). "No fence shall be constructed in any front or side yard within the set back areas" — a fence does not go inside the front or side yard setback of the zoning district.
Drainage (§ 18-6.9f). A fence must be built to allow the flow of natural drainage and may not block or dam surface water so that it ponds.
Corner lots and visibility (§ 18-6.10). In a residential zone, no visual obstruction may exceed three feet in height above street grade within 25 feet of the intersecting street lines bordering a corner lot — and § 18-6.9h makes every fence, corner lots expressly included, comply. On a corner lot, the lesser dimension is considered the front yard (§ 18-6.4).
Barb wire (§ 18-6.9d5). "Barb wire fences will only be permitted in industrial zones."
Retaining walls (§ 18-6.9g). Retaining walls, subject to municipal engineering approval, are permitted within all yard areas and are not subject to the height restriction in § 18-6.9.
Pools (§ 16-14). A pool enclosure must be at least four feet high with no opening, hole or gap larger than four inches in any dimension, and gates with approved locking and latching devices (see Pool Fences below).
Floodway fences (Ch. 31, § 31-8d). In a floodway, a fence must have sufficiently large openings that it will not catch debris or obstruct floodwater, under N.J.A.C. 7:13 — the chapter names barbed-wire, split-rail and strand fences as designs that can meet the rule and a fence with little or no open area, such as chain link, lattice or picket, as one that does not.

Town reference: Borough of Cliffside Park Code, Ch. 18, §§ 18-6.9, 18-6.10, 18-6.4, 18-11.3; fees at Ch. 11, § 11-1.4; pools at Ch. 16, §§ 16-2, 16-5, 16-13, 16-14; floodplain at Ch. 31, § 31-8d.

Fencing Cliffside Park Properties

Cliffside Park design is a one-cap borough: six feet is the ceiling for every fence, front of the lot to the back, so the planning questions are placement, not height tiers. The fence stays out of the front and side yard setback areas (§ 18-6.9i), the finished face turns outward with the structure on the inside (§ 18-6.9e), and on a corner lot the three-foot visibility cap inside 25 feet of the intersection shapes the street corner (§ 18-6.10). Drainage matters in a borough built on the Palisades slope: § 18-6.9f requires the fence to let natural drainage flow through rather than dam it. During a free estimate we walk the lot with you, check the setback areas and the corner condition, confirm the drainage path, and settle the barrier spec if a pool is involved, before we talk about styles. Anything not settled above is confirmed per property at permit time.

Fence Styles for Cliffside Park Homes

White Vinyl Privacy Fencing

White vinyl privacy fencing is Cliffside Park's standard backyard fence: our six-foot panels sit right at the § 18-6.9c cap, and vinyl's finished face on both sides makes the finished-side rule (§ 18-6.9e) straightforward — the borough wants posts, bracing and hardware on the inside, and a vinyl run presents a clean face to the neighbors either way. Keep the run out of the front and side yard setback areas (§ 18-6.9i) and inside the three-foot visibility zone at a corner (§ 18-6.10), and the borough's rules are met.

Black Aluminum Fencing

Black aluminum fencing does its Cliffside Park work around the pool, where the borough writes its own barrier numbers: under § 16-14 the enclosure must be at least four feet high and built "so as not to have openings, holes or gaps larger than four inches in any dimensions," with pickets held to the same four-inch horizontal limit. Our standard pool panel is 54 inches with pickets spaced 3.75 inches apart — inside the borough's four-inch figure — and compliance is judged on the complete installed barrier: height, openings, and gates equipped with approved locking and latching devices, locked whenever the pool is not in use (§ 16-14). Gate hardware is priced separately. Aluminum also serves as an open yard fence anywhere the six-foot cap and the setback rules allow.

Chain Link Fencing

Chain link is a permitted Cliffside Park fence within the same frame as every other style — building permit first, six feet at most, finished side out, and out of the front and side yard setback areas. The one place it fails is the floodplain: Chapter 31 names chain link among fences that do not meet the floodway openness rule. We price chain link work after reviewing your footage, gates and terrain.

WPC Composite Fencing

WPC composite fencing in black, teak or gray follows the vinyl pattern: solid panels at up to six feet, finished face outward, posts and hardware on the inside. WPC gives you the look of wood in a panel that never needs staining, and on a sloped lot the runs are stepped or racked so the fence lets drainage flow as § 18-6.9f requires.

Wood Fencing

Solid wood fencing — stockade and board-on-board privacy designs — fits the same six-foot frame, and wood is the flexible material for Cliffside Park's grade changes, since boards can follow the ground where a panel steps. The borough's construction rules apply in full: finished side facing outward, posts, bracing, supports and hardware facing the interior (§ 18-6.9e), and the fence built so natural drainage is never blocked or dammed (§ 18-6.9f).

Fence Installation Prices in Cliffside Park

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 Cliffside Park, read the specials against the code: the six-foot vinyl price runs at the borough's borough-wide cap (§ 18-6.9c) — no fence of any height over six feet may be permitted without a variance — and every run stays out of the front and side yard setback areas (§ 18-6.9i), with the three-foot visibility cap at a corner (§ 18-6.10). The 54-inch aluminum pool fence sits within the borough's own barrier numbers — at least four feet high, no opening over four inches (§ 16-14), our pickets at 3.75 inches — judged as a complete installed barrier with its locking and latching gate hardware, which is priced separately. Every Cliffside Park fence starts with the permit — the fence permit fee is $100 (see Fence Permits below).

See our fence installation deals for current terms.

Fence Permits in Cliffside Park

No fence goes up in Cliffside Park without a building permit from the Building Department (§ 18-6.9b), and § 18-11.3 adds the zoning check: no permit for fencing issues until the Zoning Officer and Construction Official have determined the work complies with the code. The fee is stated in two codified places and both say the same thing for a standard fence: § 18-6.9d3 sets "a onetime fee for such building fence permit" of $100, "which may be amended annually by resolution," and the borough's construction fee schedule (§ 11-1.4, Schedule A) prices fences up to six feet at $100 and over six feet at $200 — though a fence over six feet also needs a variance before it may be issued at all (§ 18-6.9d4). The application carries a survey with the information § 18-6.9d lists: parcel boundaries and the street, distances from the street corner to the nearest intersection, the dwelling and buildings on your lot and the buildings erected upon adjacent premises, with distances noted, the property lines at the fence, the fence's location against those lines, and the proposed height. A pool permit is separate — Chapter 16 prices a private swimming pool permit at $25 (§ 16-5), payable annually on May 1. Solanos Fence prepares the survey-based application and permit paperwork with you — our New Jersey Home Improvement Contractor registration is #13VH06388200.

Pool Fences in Cliffside Park

Cliffside Park writes its pool barrier into Chapter 16. Under § 16-14, every permanent private swimming pool and wading pool must be completely surrounded by a fence or wall that is at least four feet in height and "constructed so as not to have openings, holes or gaps larger than four inches in any dimensions except for doors or gates" — and if a picket fence is used, "the horizontal dimension shall not exceed four inches." A dwelling or accessory building may serve as part of the enclosure. Gates must meet the same specifications as the fence itself and "be equipped with approved locking and latching devices which shall be locked at all times when the pool is not in use." The pool itself stays out of the front yard, at least five feet from any property line and at least ten feet from the main building — the location rules apply to pools with a capacity of more than 250 gallons (§ 16-13). Solanos Fence builds the enclosure as a complete barrier: our standard pool panel is 54 inches with pickets spaced 3.75 inches apart — inside the borough's four-inch figure — with gate hardware selected to meet § 16-14's locking and latching requirement and priced separately; the borough's application also asks for the fence's location, height and aperture dimensions and the gate's locking or latching devices (§ 16-3.1b.3). One floodplain caution: a pool-enclosure fence in a floodway that meets the pool standard but not Chapter 31's openness rule needs a flood variance (§ 31-8d).

Fence Materials for Cliffside Park DIY Projects

Installing it yourself? Our Fairfield shop stocks white vinyl panels and posts, black aluminum panels and posts, and WPC packages. The permit comes first either way — the building permit with its survey (§ 18-6.9b, d), and the $100 fence fee. Two cautions before you buy: Cliffside Park measures a fence application against the survey, including the distance from your street corner to the nearest intersection, so work from a current survey rather than an assumed line; and build so the fence lets natural drainage flow (§ 18-6.9f) — a run that dams surface water on a sloped lot is a violation, not just a nuisance. Call ahead to confirm stock and pickup.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Fences in Cliffside Park

How tall can a fence be in Cliffside Park?

Six feet — that is the borough's single cap: "No building permit shall be issued for any fence in excess of six feet in height" (§ 18-6.9c). The section draws no separate front-yard, side-yard or rear-yard heights, and a fence over six feet may not be issued without a variance (§ 18-6.9d4).

Do I need a permit for a fence in Cliffside Park?

Yes — a building permit before any fence is erected (§ 18-6.9b), with the Zoning Officer and Construction Official confirming the work complies (§ 18-11.3). The fee is $100 for a fence up to six feet (§ 18-6.9d3; § 11-1.4, Schedule A). The application requires a survey showing the parcel boundaries, the street and the distance to the nearest intersection, the buildings on the lot and on adjacent premises, with distances noted, the property lines at the fence, the fence's location, and its proposed height (§ 18-6.9d1–2).

Can I put a fence in my front yard?

Not inside the setback area: § 18-6.9i provides that "no fence shall be constructed in any front or side yard within the set back areas." Outside the setback area the six-foot cap applies as elsewhere — and on any lot the finished side faces outward with posts and hardware on the inside (§ 18-6.9e).

I have a corner lot — what changes?

Visibility at the intersection. Under § 18-6.10, within 25 feet of the intersecting street lines bordering a corner lot, no visual obstruction may exceed three feet above street grade — and § 18-6.9h applies that rule to every fence, corner lots expressly included. On a corner lot the lesser dimension counts as the front yard (§ 18-6.4), and your application survey must show the distance from the street-abutting corner to the nearest intersection (§ 18-6.9d1).

What are Cliffside Park's pool fence rules?

Chapter 16 sets them: the enclosure must be at least four feet high, with no opening, hole or gap larger than four inches in any dimension, and pickets no more than four inches in horizontal dimension (§ 16-14). Gates must meet the same specifications and carry approved locking and latching devices, locked at all times when the pool is not in use. The pool itself must sit at least five feet from any property line and ten feet from the main building, and never in a front yard (§ 16-13). Solanos Fence builds the enclosure as a complete barrier — our standard pool panel is 54 inches with 3.75-inch picket spacing, inside the borough's four-inch figure — and confirms the spec for your property at the estimate; gate hardware is priced separately.

Can I install a chain link fence at my Cliffside Park home?

Yes — chain link is permitted within the borough's general frame: permit first, six feet at most, finished side out, and out of the front and side yard setback areas. The exception is the floodplain, where Chapter 31 names chain link among fences that do not meet the floodway openness rule. We price chain link work after reviewing your footage, gates and terrain.

Do you offer payment plans?

No, we don't offer payment plans.

Request a Free Fence Estimate in Cliffside Park, NJ

Call or text 973-220-7638 for a free estimate. Tell us your approximate footage, the style you're considering, whether your lot is a corner lot, and whether a pool is involved — we'll plan the next steps around your property and Cliffside Park's rules. Cliffside Park is part of our Bergen County service area, and you can see everywhere we work there.

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