Boonville MO Fence Rules: Height, Corners, Pools

In Boonville, MO, a fence must be under 4 feet in front and under 7 feet behind the house line. Near corners, 3 feet is the cap.

The rules below come from Boonville’s zoning code (Appendix C) and its nuisance chapter. They are the city’s own text, which we host on our Boonville ordinances page.

Fence height and location

Appendix C, Section 7.5 is the fence section. It has three parts, and the code does not use the words “front yard,” “side yard” or “rear yard.” It measures from the main building instead.

Where the fence goes	Limit in the code
Anywhere on a lot (outside the corner rule)	Fences less than 4 feet high
Any part of a lot as far back or further back from the street than the main building	Fences less than 7 feet high
Within 30 feet of a street intersection	No fence or planting more than 3 feet high, and no fence more than 30 percent solid

In plain terms, a fence in front of the house stays under 4 feet. Beside or behind the house, it can reach under 7 feet. The code says “less than,” so a 7-foot fence is over the limit.

Read the full text: Appendix C, Section 7.5.

Corner lots and the 30-foot rule

Section 7.5(a) covers any lot near a street intersection. Within 30 feet of the intersection, a fence or planting can be no more than 3 feet high. A fence there also can’t be more than 30 percent solid, so a solid privacy fence doesn’t qualify. Hedges and shrubs count too. The section does not say where the 30 feet is measured from, so ask the building inspector on a corner lot.

Materials: barbed wire and electric

Section 13-2(b)(18) lists an electric fence, or a fence built wholly or partly of barbed wire, as a public nuisance. The exception is areas of the city zoned agricultural. Check your lot’s zoning with the city before you plan either one.

Read the full text: § 13-2 Public nuisances generally.

Pools

Section 13-2(b)(19) treats a swimming pool, or any pool of water more than 24 inches deep, as a public nuisance unless it is enclosed by a fence at least 48 inches high with a lockable gate. A gate left unlocked when the pool is not in use also counts as a nuisance.

That 4-foot minimum is for the pool enclosure. It is separate from the “less than 4 feet” limit for front fences in Section 7.5. If your pool is in the front half of your lot, ask the city how the two rules fit together.

Fences in required buffer areas

Appendix C, Section 15.3 has extra standards for fences used as a barrier in a required bufferyard, which applies to certain developments next to other properties. Those fences must be concrete, natural finished wood or maintenance-free vinyl (or a combination), solid and two-sided. This is unlikely to apply to a typical home fence. Section 15.3 is here.

Do you need a permit?

The Boonville code we host has no fence-specific permit rule, and the city’s pages list no fence permit or application. Section 1.1 of the zoning code does define a “structure” as excluding “customary fences or boundary or retaining walls of four feet or less in height,” but it does not say whether a taller fence needs a permit. The city’s building permit fees are in § 5-4. Do not assume either way: call before you build.

Who to call

Question	Contact
Building questions and fence permits	Steve Hage, City Building Inspector, 660-882-5124
Planning and zoning questions	City of Boonville, 660-882-2332
City Hall	401 Main Street, Boonville, MO 65233

The Planning and Zoning Commission meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 525 East Spring St., per the city’s planning page.

Not confirmed yet

Whether a fence permit is required, and any fee: call 660-882-5124.
Where the 30-foot corner distance is measured from: call 660-882-5124.

Summary only; the adopted code governs. Code as of Nov. 1, 2026.

As of Nov. 1, 2026. Dates and hours change; call ahead.