Fence Installation in Springfield, NJ

Springfield, in Union County along Route 22, has the strictest opening position of any town in this part of the county — it bans the two things homeowners most often ask for first. Under § 35-22.1, " no fence serving a residential use shall be permitted in the front yard of any residence" (the only exceptions are narrow: a short open fence where a house crowds its front-yard line, and limited fencing on a corner lot's side frontage), and " no chain-link fences are permitted in any residential zones." Nearly everything Springfield allows happens behind the front corners of the house, up to six feet — which is exactly where a backyard fence does its work anyway.

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

Springfield's Fence Rules: § 35-22.1

Springfield regulates fences in § 35-22.1 of its Land Use Ordinance (Chapter 35), with sight triangles at § 35-22.2 and pools in their own chapter (Chapter 13). A zoning permit is required for any fence (§ 35-22.1a). The main rules:

No residential fences in front yards (§ 35-22.1c.1). "No fence serving a residential use shall be permitted in the front yard of any residence." From the front corners of the house to the rear lot line, the maximum is six feet; only a living fence may exceed six feet, and only behind the house. There is no openness requirement for side- and rear-yard fences — a solid privacy fence is lawful there.
Chain link is banned in residential zones (§ 35-22.1b.3). "No chain-link fences are permitted in any residential zones." In nonresidential districts fences are capped at six feet and likewise may not be located in a front yard (§ 35-22.1c.2).
Finished side out; dangerous materials banned (§ 35-22.1b.1–2). Every permitted fence must be situated "in such a manner that a finished side of the fence shall face adjacent properties." Barbed wire, razor ribbon, metal spikes, electrified materials and anything dangerous to persons or animals are prohibited. The section sets no general setback from the property line — the only placement setbacks are the corner/through-lot rule and the deer-fence rule below.
Corner and through lots (§ 35-22.1c.1). On a frontage that is not the front-entrance side, front-yard fencing is permitted only at four feet maximum and at least 51% open. A solid fence, or one taller than four feet, on that frontage requires a 10-foot setback and screening "with four-foot-tall landscaping." Where a house encroaches into its required front yard, four-foot open fencing may be placed up to the front corner of the house.
Sight triangles (§ 35-22.2). Within the corner sight triangle, nothing — fence, wall, hedge or object — may exceed two feet. Springfield measures its sight points by road class: 350 feet along a municipal road, 400 feet along a County road, 500 feet along a State highway, and nothing may reduce the line of sight along any road to less than 400 feet.
Zoning permit — $35 (§ 35-80.1(i)). The fee schedule's residential zoning review ladder is $100 for new construction, $50 for an addition or roof, and $35 for "all others" — a fence is an "all other." The township's application requires a to-scale property survey with the location and size of the proposed work marked on it.
Pools: a four-foot barrier, judged by performance (Ch. 13, § 13-4.2). A residential pool barrier "must be at least four feet high on the outside" and "may not have any gaps, openings, indentations, protrusions, or structural components that could allow a young child to crawl under, squeeze through, or climb over the barrier." Gates must open outward away from the pool and be self-closing, with a self-latching locking device whose release is on the pool side, out of a young child's reach. The pool permit application itself must show the fence's "location, height and aperture dimensions" (§ 13-2). Pools sit at least 15 feet from side and rear lot lines (10 feet on lots under 50 feet wide) and never in a front yard (§ 13-4.1). Springfield pool owners also re-register the pool with the Health Officer every year by March 31 (§ 13-6.1) — and it is unlawful to use a pool between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. (§ 13-6.2).
Floodway fences (Ch. 32, § 32-15.4). In a floodway, a fence that can block floodwater — the section names stockade and wire mesh fences — must be an open, permeable design that lets water pass through unimpeded; the designs the township lists as able to meet the rule are split-rail, post-and-rail or post-and-board, and strand fences. (Barbed-wire fences also appear in the township's floodway list, but Springfield's general fence rules prohibit barbed wire (§ 35-22.1b.2), so it is not a practical option.) A floodway fence that does not meet the requirement is not permitted.
Garden deer fences (§ 35-22.1c.5). A fence intended to protect a garden may run up to 12 feet — twice the ordinary cap — if it is in the rear yard, at least five feet off the property line, and built of see-through large mesh wire or netting.
Upkeep (Ch. 15, §§ 15-5.1–15-5.2). Springfield's property maintenance code lists " structurally unsafe or unsound buildings, structures or fences" among prohibited conditions and requires premises to be kept "structurally sound, in good general repair."

Town reference: Township of Springfield Code, § 35-22.1(ecode360 library SP1128 — Springfield, Union County); sight triangles at § 35-22.2; pools at Chapter 13; floodway fences at § 32-15.4.

Fencing Springfield Properties

Springfield design starts with what is not available: no fence of any kind in the front yard of a home, and no chain link anywhere residential. What remains is generous where it counts — six feet of solid privacy from the front corners of the house back, with no openness test and no property-line inset to measure. The lots that need planning are corner and through lots, where the street-side frontage is limited to four feet and at least 51% open unless the fence steps back 10 feet behind a four-foot landscaping screen, and any lot where the sight triangle — two feet maximum, measured over hundreds of feet of sight line — reaches into the yard.

Pools follow Springfield's own chapter rather than a generic standard: a four-foot-minimum barrier with no climbable or squeezable gaps, outward-opening self-closing gates with the latch release protected on the pool side, and the fence's dimensions shown on the pool permit application itself. Flood-prone lots near the township's waterways add the floodway rule — open designs only. During a free estimate we walk the lot with you, mark where the front yard ends, check the corner and flood conditions, and confirm whether a pool is involved before we talk about styles. Anything not settled above is confirmed per property at permit time.

Fence Styles for Springfield Homes

White Vinyl Privacy Fencing

White vinyl privacy fencing is the natural Springfield backyard fence: our standard six-foot panels sit exactly at the § 35-22.1c.1 cap for the run from the front corners of the house to the rear lot line, no openness rule applies to side and rear yards, and vinyl's finished face on both sides makes the finished-side rule (§ 35-22.1b.1) straightforward. The limit is placement, not height: no part of the run may enter the front yard, and on a corner or through lot's street frontage the four-foot, 51%-open rule (or the 10-foot setback with screening) governs instead.

Black Aluminum Fencing

Black aluminum fencing does two jobs in Springfield. As a yard fence it is an open, finished-side design within the six-foot cap. As a pool barrier, our 54-inch style clears Springfield's own four-foot minimum (§ 13-4.2) with six inches to spare, and its 3.75-inch picket spacing also sits inside the four-inch baseline of the state construction code, which Chapter 13 defers to where it provides otherwise. Springfield's gate rules — outward-opening, self-closing, self-latching and locking, with the release on the pool side out of a child's reach — are the hardware standard SF installs; compliance is judged on the complete installed barrier, and the pool application will ask for the fence's height and aperture dimensions up front (§ 13-2).

WPC Composite, Wood, Post-and-Rail — and Chain Link (Commercial Only)

WPC composite fencing in black, teak or gray follows the vinyl pattern: solid panels to six feet behind the front corners of the house. Wood picket and board fences do the same work in a traditional material. Post-and-rail suits larger rear yards and is one of the open designs Springfield's floodway rule names. Chain link is the exception on this page: Springfield prohibits it in every residential zone (§ 35-22.1b.3), so we do not offer it for homes here — it remains available for Springfield commercial and industrial properties within the six-foot, no-front-yard limits of § 35-22.1c.2. We price these styles after reviewing your footage, gates and terrain.

Fence Installation Prices in Springfield

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 Springfield, read the specials against the code: both prices are for runs behind the front corners of the house — Springfield allows no residential fence in a front yard at all, and a corner or through lot's street frontage is limited to four feet and at least 51% open unless the fence is set back 10 feet and screened. The 54-inch aluminum pool style satisfies Springfield's own four-foot barrier rule in Chapter 13. Every Springfield fence starts with the zoning permit — $35 for a residential fence.

See our fence installation deals for current terms.

Fence Materials for Springfield DIY Projects

Installing it yourself? Our Fairfield shop stocks white vinyl panels and posts, black aluminum panels and posts, and WPC packages. Bring a copy of your survey — the permit application needs a to-scale survey with the fence's location and size marked on it anyway — and one caution before you buy chain link for a Springfield home: the township bans it in residential zones, full stop. The $35 zoning permit comes first either way. Call ahead to confirm stock and pickup.

Browse fence materials for sale.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fences in Springfield

How tall can a fence be in Springfield?

Six feet, from the front corners of the house to the rear lot line (§ 35-22.1c.1) — and only there: no fence serving a residential use is permitted in the front yard at all. Only a living fence may exceed six feet, and only behind the house. A garden deer fence may reach 12 feet in the rear yard, at least five feet off the property line (§ 35-22.1c.5).

Do I need a permit for a fence in Springfield?

Yes — a zoning permit for any fence (§ 35-22.1a). Under the township's fee schedule the residential zoning review fee for a fence is $35 — the "all others" line at § 35-80.1(i) — and the application requires a to-scale property survey marked with the location and size of the proposed work.

I have a corner lot or a through lot — what changes?

On the frontage that is not your front-entrance side, fencing is allowed at four feet maximum and at least 51% open. If you want a solid fence or one taller than four feet there, it must be set back 10 feet and screened from public view with four-foot-tall landscaping (§ 35-22.1c.1). And inside the corner sight triangle, nothing may exceed two feet (§ 35-22.2).

What are Springfield's pool fence rules?

Springfield's own pool chapter (Ch. 13, § 13-4.2) requires a barrier at least four feet high on the outside, with no gaps, openings or structural features that could let a young child crawl under, squeeze through or climb over it. Gates must open outward from the pool, be self-closing, and carry a self-latching locking device with the release on the pool side where a young child cannot reach it. The township sets no numeric opening size of its own — where the state construction code provides otherwise, it governs — and the pool permit application must show the fence's location, height and aperture dimensions (§ 13-2).

Is chain link really banned in Springfield?

For homes, yes: "No chain-link fences are permitted in any residential zones" (§ 35-22.1b.3). Chain link remains possible on nonresidential property, where fences are capped at six feet and kept out of front yards (§ 35-22.1c.2).

My lot is in a flood-prone area — what changes?

Springfield's floodplain chapter (§ 32-15.4) requires a fence in a floodway to be an open, permeable design — both sides and the bottom open, built so floodwater passes through unimpeded. Stockade and wire-mesh fences are named as designs that must meet that standard; the township lists split-rail, post-and-rail or post-and-board, and strand fences as the types that can meet it. (Barbed wire appears in the floodway list too, but § 35-22.1b.2 prohibits barbed-wire fences generally, so it is not a practical option.) A floodway fence that does not meet the requirement is not permitted.

Do you offer payment plans?

No, we don't offer payment plans.

Request a Free Fence Estimate in Springfield, 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 or through lot, and whether a pool is involved — we'll plan the next steps around your property and Springfield's rules. You can also see everywhere we work on our Union County fence page.

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