Fence Installation in Lodi, NJ

Lodi, a borough in Bergen County, draws its fence line at the front of the house: in a residential front yard, no fence or wall may exceed four feet, and it must be 50 percent open. Behind the front yard the borough relaxes — "a solid fence not exceeding six feet in height can be installed on the remaining side and rear." Two Lodi rules cut against what most Bergen County towns do: a corner lot is expressly not treated as having two front yards, and the fence fee is already fixed in the borough's codified schedule — $100, worded "good side facing out," the same finished-side rule the fence section itself imposes.

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

Lodi's Fence Rules: § 585-11D

Lodi regulates fences in § 585-11D of its zoning code (Chapter 585), with pools in § 585-11A, permits in § 585-21, fees in Chapter 235, Schedule A, and floodway rules in Chapter 258 (§ 258-81). The main rules:

  • Front yard: four feet and 50 percent open (§ 585-11D(1)).  "In a residential front yard, no portion of any fence or wall may exceed a height of four feet and 50% open."
  • Side and rear: solid to six feet (§ 585-11D(1)).  "A solid fence not exceeding six feet in height can be installed on the remaining side and rear" — the borough's privacy fence, expressly allowed.
  • Corner lots (§ 585-11D(2)).  "A corner lot shall not be considered to have two front yards" — the street side of a corner home is not a second front yard under Lodi's fence text.
  • Finished side out (§ 585-11D(3)).  "The face or finished side of any fence must face the adjacent property." The codified fee schedule repeats the point, pricing the fence fee for a fence with the "good side facing out."
  • No barbed wire (§ 585-11D(6); Ch. 240).  "No fence shall be erected with barbed wire or any other material harmful to humans or animals," and Chapter 240 prohibits barbed wire in every zoning district except I-L Light Impact — existing barbed wire elsewhere had to come down within 90 days of the chapter's adoption.
  • Retaining walls (§ 585-11D(4)). A retaining wall, series of retaining walls or sound barrier wall four feet or more in total height always requires engineered drawings, approved by the Borough Engineer before a construction permit issues, with a minimum of $1,500 placed in escrow before the review.
  • Nonresidential boundaries (§ 585-11D(5)). Along the boundary of a nonresidence district, a fence or wall in a required yard may reach six feet; in the C-R Regional Commercial District, eight feet.
  • No line setback in the fence text. Section 585-11D states no setback of a fence from a property line, and no separate side-yard versus rear-yard heights — the only height numbers are the front yard's four feet and the six-foot solid fence behind it.
  • Pools (§ 585-11A(3)). A pool enclosure must be at least four feet and not more than six feet high, with no aperture over three inches  (see Pool Fences below) — tighter than the state standard, and tighter than our standard panel.
  • Floodway fences (Ch. 258, § 258-81). 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 Lodi Code, Ch. 585, §§ 585-11A, 585-11D, 585-21; fees at Ch. 235, Article IV, Schedule A; barbed wire at Ch. 240; floodplain at Ch. 258, § 258-81.

Fencing Lodi Properties

Lodi design turns on which side of the front yard a run falls. In front, the fence is small and open by law — four feet at most, half open — so the street-facing design is a picket-style fence, not a privacy panel. On the side and rear, the borough expressly allows the solid six-foot privacy fence most homeowners are actually shopping for. A corner lot gets Lodi's unusual break: the code says it is not two front yards, so the street-side run is judged as a side yard — the six-foot solid fence can follow it, finished side facing the adjacent property, which on a corner includes the street side. Pools carry the borough's own aperture rule, and a lot in a floodway swaps the whole design for the Chapter 258 openness rule. During a free estimate we walk the lot with you, fix where the front yard ends, 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 Lodi Homes

White Vinyl Privacy Fencing

White vinyl privacy fencing is the fence Lodi's text describes for the backyard: "a solid fence not exceeding six feet in height can be installed on the remaining side and rear" (§ 585-11D(1)), and our standard six-foot panels sit right at that cap. Vinyl's finished face on both sides makes the finished-side rule (§ 585-11D(3)) straightforward — Lodi's fee schedule even prices the fence as "good side facing out." Toward the street the product changes: the front yard fence is a four-foot, 50 percent open design (§ 585-11D(1)), which in vinyl means a picket-style run, not a privacy panel.

Black Aluminum Fencing

Black aluminum fencing is an open fence by construction, which makes it Lodi's natural front-yard fence — a four-foot aluminum picket run meets the front yard's height and 50 percent openness test (§ 585-11D(1)) — and a clean side and rear fence within the six-foot cap. Around a pool, Lodi writes its own aperture rule: "no aperture in such fence or gate shall be more than three inches in width" (§ 585-11A(3)), and our standard pool panel — 54 inches with pickets spaced 3.75 inches apart — is wider than three inches. Lodi pool enclosures are therefore designed and quoted per property by free estimate, after confirming a barrier spec that satisfies § 585-11A (see Prices and Pool Fences below).

Chain Link Fencing

Chain link is an open fence, so it fits Lodi's front-yard test — four feet and 50 percent open — and works on the side and rear within the six-foot cap. Two cautions: chain link is named in Chapter 258 as a fence that does not meet the floodway openness rule, so it does not belong in a Lodi floodway, and no fence in Lodi may be built with barbed wire outside the I-L district (§ 585-11D(6); Ch. 240). 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 to six feet on the side and rear, and open designs only in the front yard, where the four-foot, half-open rule controls. WPC gives you the look of wood in a panel that never needs staining, with a finished face toward the neighbors on both sides.

Wood Fencing

Wood covers both Lodi bands: open picket and spaced-board designs for the front yard's four-foot, 50-percent-open test, and solid stockade or board-on-board privacy fencing to six feet on the side and rear. Wood is also the flexible material for a lot with grade changes, since boards can follow the ground where a panel steps. Whatever the material, the finished side faces the adjacent property (§ 585-11D(3)).

Fence Installation Prices in Lodi

Current installation special: $23 per linear foot for six-foot white vinyl privacy fencing. Minimum project is 150 ft, and the offer applies 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 Lodi, read the special against the code: the six-foot solid vinyl price is for runs on the side and rear, where § 585-11D(1) expressly allows a solid fence to six feet — the front yard is a different fence, four feet and 50 percent open. Every Lodi fence also starts with the borough's codified $100 fence fee  (see Fence Permits below).

One special we do not run as a flat price in Lodi is the aluminum pool fence. Lodi's own pool rule caps any aperture in the pool fence or gate at three inches  (§ 585-11A(3)), and our standard 54-inch pool panel spaces its pickets 3.75 inches apart — wider than Lodi allows. Lodi pool enclosures are therefore quoted by free estimate, after we confirm a barrier spec that meets § 585-11A for your property.

See our fence installation deals for current terms.

Fence Permits in Lodi

Lodi's fence paperwork runs through the Zoning Department and the Construction Code Official. The borough's Zoning Permit Application carries a FENCE checkbox and states plainly that it "is not a building, fire or health permit" — permits may be needed after zoning approval is granted. Its submission rules require a survey indicating all current structures on the site, and the photocopy rules are strict: the survey copy "must be an exact copy (not enlarged or it will be refused)" and "accurate to the scale matching the application or it will be deemed incomplete and returned to you." The general building permit rule (§ 585-21) calls for applications in duplicate with plans in duplicate, including an accurate survey at the scale of the Borough's Tax Maps, sealed by a land surveyor licensed in New Jersey  (§ 585-21B(1)), and the Building Official determines conformity within five days (§ 585-21C(1)). The fee itself is in the borough's codified fee schedule (Ch. 235, Article IV, Schedule A), under the Construction Code Official: "Fence (under 6 feet in height – good side facing out) $100.00" — and the same $100 for a fence over six feet — with in-ground pools at $200 and aboveground pools at $50, each plus an additional $50 for the pool fence, and a $60 minimum fee in the same table. Neither borough form prints a fee; the $100 is the codified schedule's figure.

One Lodi requirement catches contractors out: under Chapter 204, no one may engage in the business of erecting fences for which a permit is required "until such person shall be licensed by the Borough of Lodi" (§ 204-2A) — a borough contractor license, applied for through the Codes Enforcement Officer (§ 204-5), on top of a contractor's state registration; a homeowner who performs and supervises their own work is excepted (§ 204-2B). Solanos Fence prepares the survey-based application and permit paperwork with you — our New Jersey Home Improvement Contractor registration is #13VH06388200.

Pool Fences in Lodi

Lodi sets its pool barrier in § 585-11A(3): "All private swimming pools shall be completely enclosed with a permanent substantial fence at least four feet in height, but not to exceed six feet in height. No aperture in such fence or gate shall be more than three inches in width." The fence and gate must be "so designed, constructed and maintained so as to prevent unauthorized or accidental access to the pool by children except when the pool is in use under the supervision of the owner of the pool or by his or her permission." The borough sets no self-closing, self-latching or latch-height rule of its own. Placement is also the borough's: the pool sits behind the rear line of the residence, its surface covers no more than 33 percent of the rear yard area, and no part of the pool surface — filters and equipment included, measured from the outermost walkway line — comes closer than six feet from the rear or side property lines or ten feet from any structure, accessory buildings included (§ 585-11A(1)–(2)). Because our standard aluminum pool panel spaces its pickets 3.75 inches apart — wider than Lodi's three-inch aperture cap — Solanos Fence quotes Lodi pool enclosures by free estimate, after confirming a barrier spec that meets § 585-11A for your property. One floodplain caution: a pool-enclosure fence in a floodway that meets the pool standard but not Chapter 258's openness rule requires a flood variance (§ 258-81).

Fence Materials for Lodi DIY Projects

Installing it yourself? Our Fairfield shop stocks white vinyl panels and posts, black aluminum panels and posts, and WPC packages. The paperwork comes first either way — the zoning application with its exact-copy survey, and the codified $100 fence fee. Two cautions before you buy: Lodi's front yard rule (four feet, 50 percent open) makes the street-facing run a different product from the backyard privacy fence, so measure and order them separately; and Lodi's pool aperture cap is three inches  (§ 585-11A(3)) — tighter than a standard pool panel — so confirm the barrier spec before ordering pool materials. Call ahead to confirm stock and pickup.

Browse fence materials for sale.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fences in Lodi

How tall can a fence be in Lodi?

Six feet on the side and rear, as a solid fence (§ 585-11D(1)). In the front yard, the cap is four feet and the fence must be 50 percent open. Along the boundary of a nonresidence district a fence in a required yard may reach six feet, and in the C-R Regional Commercial District, eight feet (§ 585-11D(5)).

Can I put a fence in my front yard?

Yes — a small, open one: no portion of a front yard fence or wall may exceed four feet, and it must be 50 percent open  (§ 585-11D(1)). The finished side must face the adjacent property (§ 585-11D(3)).

I have a corner lot — what changes?

Less than in most towns: Lodi's code states that " a corner lot shall not be considered to have two front yards" (§ 585-11D(2)). The street-side run is therefore judged as a side yard — a solid fence to six feet — rather than as a second front yard with the four-foot, half-open test. The front yard facing the home's front still follows the front-yard rule.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Lodi?

Yes. Fences go through the borough's zoning application — which requires a survey indicating all current structures on the site, submitted as an exact, to-scale copy — and the codified fee schedule (Ch. 235, Article IV, Schedule A) prices the fence at $100 under the Construction Code Official, worded for a fence with the good side facing out. The general building permit rule (§ 585-21) requires applications and plans in duplicate, including a survey sealed by a New Jersey-licensed land surveyor. And a contractor erecting fences in Lodi must also hold a Borough of Lodi contractor license under Chapter 204 — homeowners doing their own work are the exception (§ 204-2).

What are Lodi's pool fence rules?

The pool must be "completely enclosed with a permanent substantial fence at least four feet in height, but not to exceed six feet in height," and " no aperture in such fence or gate shall be more than three inches in width" (§ 585-11A(3)). The fence and gate must be designed, constructed and maintained to prevent unauthorized or accidental access by children except during supervised use; gate hardware such as self-closing and self-latching devices is a matter for the state construction code, which governs the parts of the barrier Lodi's own text does not reach. The pool itself sits behind the rear line of the residence, at least six feet from the rear and side lines and ten feet from any structure (§ 585-11A(2)). Because the three-inch cap is tighter than a standard pool panel's spacing, Solanos Fence quotes Lodi pool enclosures by free estimate after confirming a compliant barrier spec.

Can I install a chain link fence at my Lodi home?

Yes — chain link is an open fence, so it fits the front yard's four-foot, 50-percent-open rule and the six-foot cap on the side and rear. The exception is a floodway, where Chapter 258 names chain link among fences that do not meet the floodway openness rule — and no barbed wire may top any Lodi fence outside the I-L Light Impact district. 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 Lodi, 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 Lodi's rules. Lodi 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