Fence Installation in Montclair, NJ

Montclair climbs the eastern slope of the First Watchung Mountain, and its lots climb with it — from the flatter, tighter streets of the South End and Frog Hollow, up through the Victorian, Tudor and Colonial blocks around Watchung Plaza and Walnut Street, to the large, wooded estate lots of Upper Montclair and the Mountain District, where yards terrace behind stone retaining walls. It is also an old-house town: much of the housing stock predates 1940, and whole neighborhoods sit in designated historic districts. A fence here has to fit the slope, the house and the code at the same time.

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

Montclair’s Fence Rules: § 347-27

Montclair regulates fences in § 347-27 of its Zoning Code (Chapter 347), with retaining walls in § 347-27.1. A Zoning Permit is required for fencing up to 6 feet high on one- and two-family residential properties — the Township’s general zoning permit fee is $50(there is no separate fence fee), and a copy of your property survey must accompany the application so the fence location can be noted on it. Fencing over 6 feet requires a Building Permit from the Building Office instead, and fencing to enclose a swimming pool also requires a Building Permit. The main rules:

• 4½ feet in front of the rear corners of the house, 7 feet behind them. In most zones, on an interior lot, a fence or wall in front of the extreme rear corner(s) of the principal building may not exceed 4½ feet; on the remainder of the lot it may go up to 7 feet. This rule shapes most Montclair projects: the tall privacy fence belongs in the backyard, and any run stepping forward alongside the house drops to 4½ feet.
• Corner lots have two different 4½-foot zones (§ 347-27A(2)). Along the street the house fronts on, the 4½-foot limit runs up to the extreme rear corner of the house; along the side street, it runs between the side street line and the setback of the house. Those are two separate measuring lines — rear corner on the front-street side, building setback on the side-street side — and the 7-foot limit applies only on the remainder of the lot.
• Stricter rules in the R-O and R-O(a) Zones. In front of the rear corners, only open fences — 25% or less solid, or voids at least two inches — may reach 4½ feet; solid walls cap at 3 feet, and stockade and other solid fences are not permitted there at all. Behind the rear corners, the 7-foot limit applies as elsewhere.
• 2½ feet in the corner sight triangle — the triangular area formed by 25-foot lengths of the two intersecting street lines on a corner lot.
• Finished side faces out(§ 347-27F): the finished side must face adjacent properties or the street. No barbed wire on a partition fence without the adjacent owner’s written consent. Tennis-court fences in side or rear yards are the one taller exception — up to 10 feet, at least 20 feet from property lines (10 feet with a maintained hedge or dense shrubs at least 4 feet high at planting).
• Retaining walls have their own code (§ 347-27.1). Same 4½-foot / 7-foot split and 2½-foot corner triangle. If a fence or rail sits on top of a wall, height is measured to the top of that fence; if the combined height exceeds the maximum, the fence must be set back one foot for every foot of its height. Terraced walls count as one wall unless separated by at least four feet horizontally, and every retaining wall over 4 feet must be designed by a licensed professional engineer.

Township reference: Montclair Township Zoning Code (ecode360), Article III — § 347-27 Fences and § 347-27.1 Retaining Walls; permit steps on the Township’s Zoning Permits page.

Fencing Montclair Properties

The practical starting point is the rear-corner line. Montclair does not ban front-yard fences outright — it caps them. Forward of the rear corners a fence is 4½ feet in most zones, and in the R-O and R-O(a) zones it must be open-style, with no stockade or other solid fence allowed there at all. Most privacy projects therefore start the six-foot run at or behind the rear corners, with a lower, more open section where the line steps toward the street. On corner lots — common around Watchung Plaza, Walnut Street and the South End grid — the 4½-foot limit applies along both streets but is measured differently on each: to the rear corner of the house on the street it fronts, and to the house’s setback line on the side street. Inside the 25-foot corner triangle at the intersection itself, no fence of any style may exceed 2½ feet, so the layout is drawn from the survey, not paced off from the curb.

The slope is the second factor. On Upper Montclair and Mountain District lots, backyards often sit behind stone or masonry retaining walls, and under § 347-27.1 a fence on top of a wall counts toward the wall’s height — a tall wall plus a six-foot privacy fence can exceed the limit unless the fence is set back one foot for each foot of its height. We flag wall-plus-fence combinations at the estimate stage, because they change where the fence line can go.

Two more Montclair-specific checks: local historic landmarks and properties in local historic districts need Historic Preservation Commission approval before a fence goes in — under § 347-136 a Certificate of Appropriateness covers exterior work, and fences that will not substantially affect the landmark or district are handled as a Minor Application(§ 347-128). With districts such as Marlboro Park, Erwin Park and the Mountain District covering large parts of town, designation status is worth checking early. And because the permit split turns on height, a standard six-foot privacy fence stays in the simpler Zoning Permit route even though § 347-27 allows seven feet behind the house. During a free estimate we walk the lot with you, check the survey against the fence line you have in mind, and flag which rules your project touches before anything is priced. Anything not settled above is confirmed per property at permit time.

Fence Styles for Montclair Homes

Black Aluminum Fencing

Black aluminum fencing is the natural fit where Montclair limits height and openness: its open picket profile is an "open fence" in the code’s terms, so it works at 4½ feet alongside the house, in the R-O zones where solid fences are barred in front of the rear corners, and in the forward areas near corners — with one hard exception: inside the corner triangle at an intersection (the area formed by 25-foot lengths of the two street lines), § 347-27E caps every fence at 2½ feet, open aluminum included. Openness does not buy height there. In the backyard, our 54-inch black aluminum pool-barrier style is the standard choice around pools — pool enclosure fencing requires a Building Permit, and compliance is judged on the complete installed barrier (height, picket spacing, ground clearance, and self-closing, self-latching gates) against the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code’s barrier requirements — and aluminum panels rack cleanly on sloped grades.

White Vinyl Privacy Fencing

Behind the rear corners, where Montclair allows up to seven feet, white vinyl privacy fencing is the low-maintenance way to close in a backyard. Our standard panels are six feet high by eight feet wide with 2-inch by 7-inch rails — under the seven-foot maximum, and at the height that keeps the project in the Zoning Permit route. Vinyl is finished the same on both sides, which satisfies the finished-side rule automatically, and on sloped runs we step or rack the panels and check wall-top sections against § 347-27.1.

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

WPC composite fencing gives a modern privacy look in black, teak or gray. Wood is a traditional match for Montclair’s Victorians and Tudors — just remember that in the R-O and R-O(a) zones a solid or stockade style cannot be used in front of the rear corners. Post-and-rail fits the larger lots toward the edges of Upper Montclair, and chain link remains practical for rear boundaries and dog runs, where the front-of-house limits don’t apply. We price these styles after reviewing your footage, gates and terrain.

Fence Installation Prices in Montclair

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. Both offers require a 150-linear-foot minimum project and are subject to service-area restrictions. Gates and removal of existing fencing are priced separately. Open aluminum sections alongside the house, specialty styles and sloped, terraced or wall-top layouts are priced by individual estimate.

See our fence installation deals for current terms.

Fence Materials for Montclair 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 — Montclair’s Zoning Permit application will ask for the survey anyway — and we can help build a materials list that respects the 4½-foot / 7-foot split on your lot. Call ahead to confirm stock and pickup.

Browse fence materials for sale.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fences in Montclair

How tall can my fence be in Montclair?

It depends on where the fence sits relative to your house. Under § 347-27, a fence in front of the extreme rear corners of the principal building may not exceed 4½ feet; behind that line it may go up to 7 feet. On a corner lot, the 4½-foot limit is measured to the house’s extreme rear corner along the street the house fronts, and to the house’s setback along the side street; no fence in the corner triangle (25-foot lengths of the two street lines) may exceed 2½ feet; and in the R-O and R-O(a) zones the section in front of the rear corners must be an open fence — solid walls cap at 3 feet there and stockade fences are not permitted. Fencing up to 6 feet takes a Zoning Permit; anything over 6 feet requires a Building Permit.

Can I put a fence on top of a retaining wall in my sloped Montclair yard?

Yes, but the wall and fence are measured together. Under § 347-27.1, height is measured to the top of the fence on the wall — and if that combined height exceeds the maximum for that part of the lot (4½ feet in front of the rear corners, 7 feet behind them), the fence must be set back from the top of the wall by one foot for every foot of fence height. Terraced walls count as a single wall unless separated by at least four feet horizontally, and any retaining wall over 4 feet must be designed by a licensed professional engineer.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Montclair — and does it matter if my home is historic?

Yes. Fencing up to 6 feet on a one- or two-family property requires a Zoning Permit from the Department of Planning & Community Development (the Township’s fee schedule lists it at $50), with a copy of your property survey showing the proposed fence location. Fencing over 6 feet, and any fencing enclosing a swimming pool, requires a Building Permit instead. If your property is a local historic landmark or in a local historic district, a fence also needs Historic Preservation Commission approval under § 347-136 — fences that won’t substantially affect the landmark or district are filed as a Minor Application.

Request a Free Fence Estimate in Montclair, NJ

Call 973-220-7638 or contact Solanos Fence online. Tell us your approximate footage, the style you’re considering and whether your lot slopes, terraces behind a retaining wall, sits on a corner, or falls in a historic district — we’ll plan the next steps around your property and Montclair’s rules.

Solanos Fence, LLC| 1275 Bloomfield Ave, Building 3, Suite 51, Fairfield, NJ 07004 | NJ Home Improvement Contractor Lic. #13VH06388200