Fence Installation in Whippany, NJ

Whippany is the village heart of Hanover Township: the Whippany River running through it, the historic downtown along Whippany Road, Route 10's commercial strip at the north end, and residential streets built around a riverside community. The terrain slopes down to the river, the tree cover is thick, and the development is a mix of older homes on generous lots and newer construction on carved-up parcels.

Solanos Fence installs fences in Whippany and across Hanover Township: vinyl, aluminum, WPC composite, wood, post-and-rail and chain link. We also sell fence materials for pickup at our Fairfield location.

Whippany is part of our Morris County service area.

Whippany's Fence Rules: Hanover Township §166-138.2

Whippany has no fence code of its own — fences here are regulated by Hanover Township §166-138.2, "Fences and walls," in Chapter 166 (Land Use and Development), Article XIX. A zoning permit is part of the process: the township reviews fence applications through its zoning office, and the application asks for a copy of your property survey with the proposed fence lines marked, plus a description of the fence style and height. The main residential rules:

Six feet in the side and rear yards: For single-family homes, fences and freestanding walls in the side or rear yard may not exceed six feet high.
The front yard is much stricter — 42 inches and half open: A fence in the front yard of a single-family home may not exceed 3.5 feet (42 inches), and it must be designed with openings in at least 50% of the fence. A solid six-foot privacy fence cannot run across a Whippany front yard.
Corner lots get no exception: The front-yard limits apply in all front yards on all lots — interior, corner and through lots alike. Hanover amended its code specifically to say that being a corner lot is not, by itself, grounds for relief from the front-yard rules. If your Whippany home sits on a corner, the yard facing the side street is treated as a front yard too.
No property-line setback for fences: Unlike many Morris County towns, Hanover requires no setback from the property line for a fence or freestanding wall — a fence may be placed on the property line itself, unless another provision or an approval condition requires otherwise. (Retaining walls are different; see below.)
Sight lines are protected: No fence or wall may be located where it interferes with the minimum safe sight lines at the intersection of roadways, driveways, sidewalks and other pathways. The Township Engineer makes that call as part of the zoning permit review.
Fences on retaining walls count together: A fence placed on top of a freestanding wall gets a wall portion of no more than two feet, and the combined height must still comply with the fence limits. Retaining walls have their own caps — 3.5 feet in a front yard, six feet in side and rear yards for single-family homes — and a retaining wall's exposed face must be set back at least one foot from the property line for every foot of wall height.
Pools follow the state barrier code: Fences enclosing swimming pools must comply with the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code barrier requirements — a minimum of 48 inches high, with gate release hardware at least 54 inches above the bottom of the gate. Where §166-138.2 and the state code conflict, the township applies the more restrictive requirement.

Township reference: Hanover Township §166-138.2 — Fences and walls (as amended by Ordinance 14-2020).

Corner Lots, Slopes and River Lots in Whippany

Two Hanover rules shape more Whippany projects than any others. The first is the corner-lot rule. Whippany has plenty of corner lots — the older street grid and the Route 10 corridor put many homes on two street frontages — and the code treats every front yard the same, so a fence that is legal in the backyard at six feet has to come down to 42 inches, at least half open, when it turns onto the side street. The second is terrain. Lots sloping down toward the Whippany River, and the terraced yards in neighborhoods along its tributaries, bring the wall-and-fence combined-height rules into play: a retaining wall over 3.5 feet in a front yard, or over six in a backyard, needs the wall itself brought within limits, and a fence over a wall inherits that combined cap — just two feet of wall under a fence at the front-yard line, with the wall face set back a foot for every foot of wall height. Sloped runs are measured against each section's grade, and pool enclosures along the river follow the state barrier code as well.

One practical detail is worth sorting early: the property line itself. Hanover permits a fence right on the line — no setback — but that also means a boundary error puts your fence on a neighbor's land. During the free estimate we review your survey, confirm which front yards the house actually has, check sight-line rules at any corners or driveways and flag any wall-and-fence combinations the project involves, before we price the run.

Fence Styles for Whippany Homes

Black aluminum fencing is the natural fit for Whippany front yards: its open picket design can meet the 42-inch height cap and the 50%-open requirement that solid styles cannot. Around pools, our 54-inch black aluminum pool-barrier style clears the state's 48-inch minimum barrier height with room to spare — it's a backyard and pool option, not a front-yard one.

In the side and rear yards, where Hanover allows up to six 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 — right at the limit Hanover permits in the backyard, and vinyl's same-on-both-sides finish keeps the fence looking right from the neighbor's side as well.

WPC composite fencing gives a modern privacy look in the rear yard; wood suits Whippany's older, tree-lined streets; post-and-rail fits the larger properties toward the township's edges; and chain link remains a practical option for in-town dog runs. Because Whippany's front-yard rules are unusually specific, we price these styles after reviewing your survey, lot and the fence's position relative to each front yard.

Fence Installation Prices in Whippany

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. Front-yard aluminum at the 42-inch limit, fence-and-retaining-wall combinations and other styles are priced by individual estimate.

See our fence installation deals for current terms.

Fence Materials for Whippany 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 — the same survey the township asks for with your zoning application — and we can help build a materials list. Call ahead to confirm stock and pickup.

Browse fence materials for sale.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fences in Whippany

How tall can a fence be in my front yard in Whippany?

Three and a half feet — 42 inches — and it has to be at least 50% open. Under Hanover Township §166-138.2, the front yard of a single-family home can't have a fence taller than 3.5 feet, and the fence design must be at least 50% open (openings in at least half of the fence). A solid six-foot privacy fence across a Whippany front yard is out of the question; aluminum picket is the usual choice.

Do I need a permit, and how close to the property line can my fence be?

Fences go through Hanover Township's zoning permit process — the application asks for a copy of your property survey with the proposed fence lines marked, plus a description of the fence style and height. There's generally no setback: Hanover allows a fence right on the property line. Retaining walls are the exception — a wall's exposed face must sit a foot back for every foot of wall height.

What if my fence sits on a retaining wall, or encloses a pool?

Hanover counts them together: a fence on top of a freestanding wall gets at most two feet of wall, and the combined wall-plus-fence height must still fit the applicable limit — 42 inches in a front yard, six feet in side and rear yards. Pool fences have to meet the state barrier code: at least 48 inches high, gate release hardware at least 54 inches from the bottom of the gate, and where the township and state codes conflict, the more restrictive one applies.

Request a Free Fence Estimate in Whippany, NJ

Call 973-220-7638 or contact Solanos Fence online. Tell us your approximate footage, the style you're considering and whether your lot is on a corner, slopes toward the river or has a retaining wall — we'll plan the next steps around your property and Hanover's rules.

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

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