Fence permits in Broward County: a city-by-city guide
What twelve Broward County cities ask for before a fence goes in — heights, front-yard limits, product approvals in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, and how each city reads Florida’s HB 803. Summarized from each city’s published code, checklists and guidance, October 2026.
Product approvals and engineering in Broward
All of Broward County is in the Florida Building Code’s High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, and city fence checklists reflect it. The common pattern: wood and chain link can be built to the code’s prescriptive fence sections, while vinyl/PVC, aluminum and other metal fences need a current product approval (Notice of Acceptance) or plans sealed by a Florida-licensed engineer or architect. The exact wording differs by city — see the table below.
Sources: City of Fort Lauderdale — Fence/Wall/Gate permit checklist (Rev. 5, 2024) · City of Hollywood — Fence submittal checklist (updated 4/22/2026) · City of Coral Springs — Fence installation requirements 030.1 · City of Pembroke Pines — Fence permit checklist · City of Miramar — Fence application package (rev. 04/2024)
How Broward cities read HB 803 for fences
Since July 1, 2026, HB 803 lets some small single-family projects skip the building permit. Broward cities apply it to fences differently:
- Pompano Beach — all fences may qualify for the building permit exemption on single-family homes outside flood hazard zones (request filed before work), but a Zoning Compliance permit is always required for a new fence.
- Hollywood — fences are structural work that still needs a permit; only repair or replacement of wood pickets and panels (not posts) may be exempt.
- Miramar — fences and pool barriers are listed as structural work that is not exempt.
- Fort Lauderdale — the exemption isn’t automatic: it’s requested and decided by the Building Official, and zoning, setbacks and HOA rules still apply.
- Pool barriers stay subject to Florida’s pool safety law everywhere.
Sources: City of Pompano Beach — HB 803 building permit exemption (Oct. 2026) · City of Hollywood — HB 803 building permit exemption · City of Miramar — Permitting information (HB 803) · City of Fort Lauderdale — HB 803
Broward fence rules by city
| City | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale | Building permit with a signed and sealed survey and Zoning Affidavit; PVC and metal fences need sealed plans. Street-facing residential fences generally sit 3 ft back with landscaping; finished side out. Published ULDR table allows up to 6′6″ (height measurement under amendment in 2026). |
| Pompano Beach | Zoning Compliance permit for every new fence. Front yard 4 ft; side, street-side and rear 6 ft; no chain link within 15 ft of a street right-of-way; finished side out. |
| Coral Springs | Max 6 ft; front yard 4 ft and decorative only; no chain link in front. Wood and PVC semi-private styles only; 2.5-ft landscaped setback on street and waterway sides; product approvals unless chain link or wood. |
| Deerfield Beach | No fences in the required 25-ft front yard of a single-family lot; max 6 ft; finished side out. Aluminum, vinyl and metal need product approvals or sealed shop drawings. |
| Parkland | 6 ft in required yards (8 ft next to nonresidential or agricultural lots); 4 ft front yards in RS districts; 2 ft max within 10 ft of intersections and driveways; opaque fences need a design feature. |
| Hollywood | Front yard 4 ft, side and rear 6 ft; NOA or sealed detail for anything but 6-ft chain link or wood; Historic District bans chain link (and PVC in the front setback). |
| Pembroke Pines | Code §155.655: max 6 ft (8 ft next to nonresidential); no fences in the front setback; 2 ft max within 25 ft of an intersection; HOA Affidavit of Awareness required even without an HOA. |
| Miramar | Residential max 6 ft; signed and sealed survey under 7 years old; NOA or engineered details for vinyl and prefab panels; HOA affidavit required even outside an HOA. |
| Sunrise | Front yard 4 ft (3 ft back from the sidewalk); side 4 ft to the house, then 6 ft; rear 6 ft. No stockade or board-on-board; chain link must be vinyl-coated. |
| Davie | Rural Lifestyle Area (AG, A-1, R-1): front 4 ft, side and rear 6 ft, at least 50% opaque. Driveway sight triangles stay clear between 3 and 8 ft; survey no more than 2 years old. |
| Margate | Single- and two-family: max 6 ft, not in the front or corner yard; notarized Easement Affidavit; NOA or engineering for PVC and aluminum. |
| Tamarac | Along a street: 4 ft chain link, 6 ft wood or decorative; no fences in drainage or canal/lake maintenance easements; property pins and a string line before final inspection. |
Sources: City of Fort Lauderdale — Fence/Wall/Gate permit checklist (Rev. 5, 2024) · Fort Lauderdale ULDR §47-19.5 table, as reproduced in a city Board of Adjustment packet (2020) · Pompano Beach Zoning Code §155.5302 Fences and walls · City of Coral Springs — Fence guidelines · City of Coral Springs — Fence/Gate permit checklist 030.0 (rev. 2/5/2026) · City of Deerfield Beach — Single-family setback handout (§98-75 fence setbacks) · Deerfield Beach Building Department — Fence permit requirements · Parkland Land Development Code, Art. 15 Div. 60 — Fences, walls and hedges (§15-6010 to 15-6040) · City of Parkland — Fence checklist · City of Hollywood — Fence submittal checklist (updated 4/22/2026) · Pembroke Pines Code §155.655 Fences, walls and hedges · City of Miramar — Fence application package (rev. 04/2024) · City of Sunrise — Information for single-family homeowners · City of Sunrise — Fence application checklist (rev. 03/2024) · Town of Davie — Fences: zoning requirements · Town of Davie — Building Division fence checklist · City of Margate — Residential fences (rev. 12/15/2023) · City of Margate — Fence permit packet · City of Tamarac — FAQ: fences · City of Tamarac — Utility easement agreement instructions
Four things to sort out before a Broward fence permit
- Pick the material first. In the hurricane zone it decides the paperwork: prescriptive wood or chain link, or a product approval / sealed plans for vinyl and aluminum.
- Get a current survey. Several cities set an age limit (Miramar under 7 years, Davie 2 years without an affidavit).
- Expect an HOA form even without an HOA. Pembroke Pines and Miramar ask for an HOA affidavit regardless.
- Check easements and waterways. Drainage and canal easements are off-limits in some cities and need agreements in others.
Pool barriers are their own category
If the fence is part of a pool barrier, Florida’s §515.29 applies: at least 4 feet high on the outside, no gaps a young child could get through or climb, and gates that open outward, self-close and self-latch. See pool fence installation.
Source: Florida Statutes §515.29
How to use this guide
This guide summarizes each city’s published guidance as of October 2026 and links to the source. It isn’t legal advice, rules change, and HOA and unincorporated Broward County rules aren’t covered here. FenceFox confirms the current requirements for your exact address before filing any permit. Palm Beach County cities: see the Palm Beach County fence permit guide.
Frequently asked questions
In most Broward cities, yes — vinyl/PVC and aluminum fences need a current Notice of Acceptance or sealed engineering, while wood and chain link can follow the building code’s prescriptive fence sections.
No. Pompano Beach still requires a Zoning Compliance permit for every new fence, Hollywood and Miramar treat fences as structural work that needs a permit, and Fort Lauderdale decides exemption requests case by case.
It depends on the city: Deerfield Beach bars fences in the 25-foot front yard of single-family lots, Margate bars them in front and corner yards, and Pembroke Pines keeps them out of the front setback, while Hollywood, Pompano Beach and Sunrise allow 4-foot front-yard fences.
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