Fence height rules in North Yarmouth, Maine
North Yarmouth's Land Use Ordinance doesn't regulate residential fence height or placement: there's no height limit, property-line setback or fence permit for homeowners. Fences come up only as screening for commercial site plans, so check with the Code Enforcement Office before building one near a road.
What we found
The Land Use Ordinance has no section on residential fences. It sets no maximum fence height for front, side or rear yards, no setback from the property line, no corner-lot sight-line rule for fences, and no fence permit requirement. Fences are mentioned only as screening or buffering that the Planning Board may require for commercial and subdivision projects under site plan review.
Things that may still apply
- Accessory structures generally need a permit from the same authority as the main use, and the ordinance's "structure" definition follows the state shoreland law. Ask the Code Enforcement Office whether a large or solid fence counts as a structure subject to setbacks.
- In the Residential Shoreland and Resource Protection districts, vegetation-clearing limits near the water still apply when installing a fence.
- Driveway entrances must meet safe sight-distance standards, so keep fences from blocking views where your driveway meets the road.
Maine's spite-fence and boundary-fence laws (shown below) apply statewide.
See how North Yarmouth compares with 8+ other Maine towns on fences →
Next steps
- Call the Code Enforcement Office (207-829-3705 ext. 206) to confirm no permit is needed for your fence.
- Locate your property line (a survey helps) before building near it.
- If you're near the Royal River, Chandler Brook, Knight's Pond or other shoreland areas, ask about vegetation-clearing limits first.
Common questions
- Are there fence height limits in North Yarmouth, Maine?
- No. The Land Use Ordinance doesn't regulate residential fence height or placement. Fences come up only as screening for commercial site plans.
- Do I need a permit for a fence in North Yarmouth, Maine?
- The ordinance has no fence permit for homeowners. Ask the Code Enforcement Office whether a large or solid fence counts as a structure subject to setbacks, and check before building near a road.
- How close to the property line can I build a fence in North Yarmouth, Maine?
- The ordinance sets no property-line setback for fences. Locate your property line before building, and check vegetation-clearing limits if you're in a shoreland area.
Maine state fence laws
Maine has no statewide fence height or setback limit. Those come from your town's zoning. A few state laws still apply:
Spite fences (17 M.R.S. §2801): A fence, or anything that works like one, that is unnecessarily taller than 6 feet and is maliciously kept up to annoy the neighbors is a private nuisance. The neighbor can take legal action over it.
Boundary fences and fence viewers (30-A M.R.S. §2951 and following):
- A "legal fence" is one 4 feet high and in good repair, made of rails, timber, stone, iron or wire, or the equivalent as judged by fence viewers.
- When both neighbors' land is enclosed and in use, they share upkeep of the dividing fence equally.
- If one side won't repair their share, the other can call in the town's fence viewers. The viewers can order repairs within up to 30 days. If the repairs still aren't made, the neighbor can do the work and recover double the cost.
- These rules mostly matter for farm and pasture fencing.
Shoreland zone: The DEP's model shoreland ordinance doesn't count fences as "structures," so the water setbacks for buildings don't apply to them. Limits on clearing vegetation near the water still do.
Pools: Pool barrier requirements are covered on the Pools page.