Philadelphia, PA fence permit site plan

Philadelphia, PA fence rules

Max height (rear yard)

6'

Max height (front of building line)

4'

• A fence in the front — nearer to the lot line than the required building setback, or than the actual distance from the lot line to the house, whichever of those two is greater — may be no more than 4′ high and no more than 50% opaque. On a corner lot, every side of the building that faces a street follows this same front rule.
• A fence at the side or rear, standing at or behind that same line, may be no more than 6′ high.
• A fence or wall over 4′ high that is more than 50% opaque may not be built inside a sight triangle.
• Fence posts and gate posts integrated as architectural features may reach 6.5′ at the side and rear and 4.5′ in front. Every other part of the fence stays within the heights above.
• Any part of a retaining wall standing above the higher grade counts as fence: where a fence sits on top of one, the wall above grade plus the fence together may not exceed the fence height allowed at that spot.

Do you need a permit? Yes, over 6', and sometimes lower. The Department of Licenses and Inspections says you need permits for certain kinds of fencing, and that you probably need one where the fence will be taller than 6 feet, made of heavy material like masonry or concrete, or located directly along a street front. Its own table for a wood, metal or vinyl fence asks for nothing at the side or rear at or under 6 feet, a zoning permit in a front yard between 4 and 6 feet, and both a zoning and a building permit above 6 feet in any yard; a front-yard fence at or under 4 feet needs a zoning permit only where it is more than 50% opaque. A masonry fence is stricter at every height. A building permit is always required where the property is on the Philadelphia Historic Registry or in the 100-year floodplain. (source)

Source: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/philadelphia/latest/philadelphia_pa/0-0-0-293559