Fence Installation in Maplewood, NJ

Maplewood is a classic Essex County commuter town — Maplewood Village’s small downtown, Memorial Park, and older colonials and Tudors on tree-lined streets. Its fence code allows a full six-foot fence on a residential lot, and up to eight feet along a rear property line that abuts the rear property line of the property behind it — but it is strict about where a fence may stand toward the street, and corner lots carry their own set-back and screening rules.

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

Maplewood’s Fence Rules: § 271-43

Maplewood regulates fences and walls in § 271-43 ("Fences and walls and security doors") of its Zoning and Development Regulations (Chapter 271). Under § 271-43F, before erecting any fence greater than two feet in height or greater than 16 feet in length, the property owner must apply to the Construction Official for a fence construction permit; after the fence is built, the Construction Official inspects it and, if it complies, issues a certificate of approval. The fence construction fee in Chapter 123 is currently $50, confirmed at application. All fences also require zoning approval: a Zoning Review comes first under Chapter 272 (the current fee for fences is $80), the Township lists fences among the residential work that requires a Zoning Permit, and the fence permit application requires a copy of the property survey with the desired fence location marked. The main rules:

Six feet is the general residential limit. Fences in residential zones — except those required to enclose swimming pools — may not exceed 6 feet in height (§ 271-43A(1)). A standard six-foot privacy fence is therefore allowed in Maplewood as of right in the side and rear yards.
Eight feet on a back-to-back rear line. Along a rear lot line that abuts the rear lot line of the adjoining lot, a fence may be up to 8 feet high (§ 271-43A(1)) — the one place Maplewood allows more than six feet outside a pool enclosure.
Toward the street, placement controls. No fence may be located on a lot line closer to the front property line than the building setback line established elsewhere in Chapter 271 — with two exceptions: a fence three feet or less in height, and a fence in a permitted front yard that is under four feet and at least 75% open (§ 271-43A(2)).
Corner lots: a taller side-street fence is possible, set in and screened (§ 271-43C). On a corner lot, a fence of up to six feet may be erected along the side-street frontage, provided it sits not less than four feet from the side property line, not more than one frontage is enclosed, and evergreen trees or shrubbery planted on the street side screen the fence from view and are continuously maintained.
Sight triangles stay low (Chapter 232). Any wall, fence or other structure inside a sight triangle at an intersection may not exceed 42 inches in height, with the triangle itself set by AASHTO sight-distance standards as adopted by the Township Engineer.
Finished side faces out (§ 271-43G). Every fence or wall with a finished side must be built with the finished side facing outward, toward adjacent properties or the street; the code defines the finished side as the side opposite the posts, rails, supporting boards or piers.
Pools are the exception to the six-foot limit — with their own fence rule. § 271-43A(1) excepts fences required to enclose swimming pools from the six-foot limit, and Chapter 243 (§ 243-9H) requires a private pool to be completely surrounded by structurally adequate fencing that effectively excludes children or trespassers, with gates that automatically return to a closed, latched position and are kept locked when the pool is not in use. Neither Maplewood section states a numeric pool fence height — the installed barrier’s height and details are confirmed under the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code at permit time.

Township reference: Township of Maplewood Fence Permit Application — reproducing § 271-43, "Fences and walls and security doors"; zoning review steps and fees in Chapter 272: Zoning Review and Permits and through the Township’s Zoning Division.

Fencing Maplewood Properties

Maplewood’s rules shape a project differently from most Essex County towns. In the side and rear yards the height allowance is generous — six feet generally, and eight feet where the rear line is back-to-back with the neighbor’s rear line — so a full privacy enclosure works the way homeowners expect. The strictness is at the front: placement is measured against the building setback line, and only a low fence (three feet or less), or a low and mostly open fence (under four feet and at least 75% open), may stand forward of it.

Corner lots need the most care of all: the corner-lot exception in § 271-43C allows a six-foot fence along the side-street frontage, but only set at least four feet inside the side property line, on one frontage only, and only behind an evergreen screen on the street side that is continuously maintained — and nothing over 42 inches may stand inside a sight triangle. The permit steps shape the schedule too: the Zoning Review under Chapter 272 comes before the Zoning Permit and any construction permit that needs a zoning determination, the applications are built around a survey with the fence location marked, and a fence over two feet high or over 16 feet long needs the § 271-43F construction permit and a post-installation inspection before the certificate of approval issues. During a free estimate we walk the lot with you, check whether your rear line qualifies for eight feet, mark the setback line and any corner conditions, and flag what the survey needs to show. Anything not settled above is confirmed per property at permit time.

Fence Styles for Maplewood Homes

Black Aluminum Fencing

Black aluminum fencing is a natural Maplewood fence: an open aluminum picket run is a clean fit for the front yard’s low, 75%-open exception, and at six feet it closes the side and rear lines of a colonial or Tudor lot without a solid wall’s visual weight; its finished look from both sides fits the finished-side-out rule in § 271-43G. Around pools, our 54-inch black aluminum pool-barrier style is the standard choice: fences required to enclose a pool are excepted from the six-foot limit in § 271-43A(1), 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 Maplewood’s own pool rule (§ 243-9H) also requires the gates to return automatically to a closed, latched position and stay locked when the pool is not in use.

White Vinyl Privacy Fencing

White vinyl privacy fencing works at full height in Maplewood: our standard panels — six feet high by eight feet wide with 2-inch by 7-inch rails — sit exactly at the township’s general six-foot limit for side and rear yards. Along a rear line that abuts the rear line of the property behind you, the code allows up to eight feet (§ 271-43A(1)); taller rear-line layouts are priced by individual estimate. Vinyl is finished the same on both sides, which satisfies the finished-side-out rule automatically. In the front yard, a solid vinyl fence does not fit Maplewood’s exceptions — forward of the building setback line, only a fence of three feet or less, or an under-four-foot fence that is at least 75% open, may stand.

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

WPC composite fencing in black, teak or gray is subject to the same Maplewood height rules — six feet generally, up to eight feet on a qualifying rear line. Wood picket is the traditional match for Maplewood’s older homes, and spaced wood pickets are the classic way to meet the front yard’s 75%-open exception. Post-and-rail suits larger rear yards, 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 Maplewood

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 Maplewood, the six-foot vinyl special fits the Township’s general six-foot limit (§ 271-43A(1)). Eight-foot rear-line runs, front-yard open fences, corner-lot screened layouts and other specialty layouts are priced by individual estimate.

See our fence installation deals for current terms.

Fence Materials for Maplewood 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 — Maplewood’s fence permit application will ask for a survey with the desired fence location marked anyway — and we can help build a materials list that respects the six-foot general limit, the eight-foot rear-line allowance and the front-yard placement rules. Call ahead to confirm stock and pickup.

Browse fence materials for sale.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fences in Maplewood

How tall can a fence be in Maplewood?

Six feet in most places. § 271-43A(1) caps fences in residential zones at 6 feet, except fences required to enclose swimming pools. Along a rear lot line that abuts the rear lot line of the adjoining lot, a fence may go up to 8 feet. Toward the street, placement rules apply instead of a simple height cap: forward of the building setback line, only a fence of three feet or less, or a fence under four feet and at least 75% open, may stand (§ 271-43A(2)).

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

Yes — six feet is Maplewood’s general residential limit (§ 271-43A(1)), so a six-foot privacy fence is allowed in the side and rear yards as of right. If your rear line abuts the rear line of the property behind you, that rear run may go up to eight feet. The restricted part of a Maplewood lot is the front: forward of the building setback line, only a low fence — three feet or less, or under four feet and at least 75% open — may stand, and corner lots have their own exception (below).

I have a corner lot — what changes?

Section 271-43C gives corner lots a specific exception: a fence of up to six feet may be erected along the side-street frontage if it is set not less than four feet from the side property line, not more than one frontage is enclosed, and evergreen trees or shrubbery planted on the street side screen the fence from view and are continuously maintained. Chapter 232 separately bars anything over 42 inches inside a sight triangle at an intersection.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Maplewood?

Yes, on two tracks. Under § 271-43F, a fence construction permit from the Construction Official is required before erecting any fence over 2 feet high or over 16 feet long, with an inspection and a certificate of approval after installation; the Chapter 123 fee for fence construction is currently $50, confirmed at application. Separately, all fences require zoning approval: fences are listed as residential work requiring a Zoning Permit, a Zoning Review under Chapter 272 is a condition precedent, and the current Chapter 272 fee for a fence Zoning Review is $80. The fence permit application requires a copy of your property survey with the desired fence location marked.

Can my fence sit in my front yard?

Only a low one, and only within limits. § 271-43A(2) bars a fence on a lot line closer to the front property line than the building setback line, with two exceptions: a fence three feet or less in height, and a fence in a permitted front yard that is under four feet and at least 75% open. The fence must also stay out of any sight triangle, where Chapter 232 caps structures at 42 inches.

What are Maplewood’s pool fence rules?

Fences required to enclose swimming pools are excepted from the six-foot limit in § 271-43A(1), and § 243-9H requires the pool to be completely surrounded by structurally adequate fencing that effectively excludes children or trespassers, with gates that automatically return to a closed, latched position and are kept locked when the pool is not in use. Maplewood’s sections state no numeric pool fence height; the installed barrier — height, picket spacing, ground clearance, and self-closing, self-latching gates included — must meet the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code, and the Township’s Construction Division requires a construction permit for any size fence surrounding a pool. 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 Maplewood, 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 your rear line backs onto another rear line (which can allow an eight-foot rear run) — we’ll plan the next steps around your property and Maplewood’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