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Fence Companies for Installation and Repair in Andover, MA
Andover's Building Division answers the usual fence questions in writing: a permit once a fence passes seven feet, no rule on which side faces out, and nothing allowed over the neighbor's line. Call (978) 800-2452 or use the form. A person reads every request and replies with what happens next.
- Free for homeowners
- Andover fence, pool and district rules
- Ballardvale to Upper Central Street
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Fences in Andover
Which fence project?
Wood Fences
Privacy, picket, stockade and split-rail fences in cedar or pressure-treated lumber, new or replaced.
Vinyl Fences
Low-upkeep PVC privacy, semi-privacy and picket fences, with matching gates.
Chain Link & Aluminum
Galvanized or coated chain link and ornamental aluminum, including pool enclosures built to code.
Fence Repair
Leaning or rotted posts, sagging gates, storm-damaged sections and broken pickets or panels.
Pool going in?
(978) 800-2452Tell us when the pool will hold water and what kind of gate you need, and we'll connect you with a fence contractor who works in Andover.
Permits
Fence permits in Andover
Seven feet is the trigger. Andover's Building Division FAQ says a building permit is required when a fence is over seven feet, and notes that the state building code, 780 CMR, governs fence height. That lines up with the state code, but it doesn't clear a fence in Ballardvale, near a wetland or around a pool, where the rules below apply.
Building cards. Since May 1, 2026, the Building Division has contractors pick up a printed building card before starting work. The card and approved plans stay on site, a replacement card is $100, and an inspection with no card on site fails. Permits are filed through the town's OpenGov and ViewPoint portals, both linked from that page. The posted fee sheet is an image we could not read, so ask the division for current amounts.
- Building permit
- Required for a fence over 7 ft (Building Division FAQ)
- Finished side
- No rule on which way the fence faces
- Property line
- Close to the line is fine; nothing over it
- Building card
- Printed card on site from May 1, 2026; replacement $100
- Ballardvale
- Certificate of Appropriateness for visible fences and walls
State notes. The building code exempts "Fences not over seven feet" from a permit and the state chart words it as under seven feet, so Andover's FAQ follows the state line. Fence-only contractors don't need Home Improvement Contractor registration (201 CMR 18.01(6)(k)); since the Guaranty Fund covers only registered contractors, a written contract is worth insisting on. Dig Safe tells property owners and contractors that the law requires them to notify it before digging, a minimum of 72 hours ahead excluding weekends and holidays and no more than 30 days ahead, and augering is excavation under the statute (Dig Safe; c.82 §40; §40A). See our Massachusetts rules page.
Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by January 2027. New England Fence Pros refers homeowners to fence contractors; the contractor you hire picks up the permit and building card when one is needed.
Height and placement
Height limits, setbacks and corner lots in Andover
Two answers in writing. The same FAQ says there is no requirement about which way a fence faces, and that a fence may be installed close to the property line provided no part of it extends over a neighbor's property. Where a line is uncertain, a survey can confirm it before posts are set.
Zoning. The Zoning Bylaw does mention fences in Article VIII, including the accessory-use section VIII-3.2.1 and the exceptions in VIII-4.1.3, according to the eCode360 index; section VIII-4.1.3.2.g is the corner rule described below, and since we did not read VIII-3.2.1, ask the Building Division whether it limits your fence's height or location. The town's Zoning Setbacks sheet (revised 10-9-25) allows accessory buildings in a minimum yard only in the rear, at no more than 1½ stories, 30% of the yard and 5 feet from any line (§4.2.2), and doesn't address fences.
`Corners. Andover's Zoning Board of Appeals FAQ says a fence has a setback requirement only where it is to be erected at the intersection of streets, under section 4.1.3.2.g of the Zoning Bylaw (Zoning Board of Appeals FAQ). Check a corner fence with the Building Division before ordering materials.
` (This is plain HTML outside PHP, so the apostrophes are left unescaped.)Pools
Pool fences in Andover
The town's pool FAQ. Andover requires a building permit for any pool, jacuzzi or structure that holds 24 inches or more of water, and a self-closing, self-latching fence as soon as the pool can hold water. Barriers must be at least 48 inches high and built to keep children from climbing them. Gates must close and latch on their own and swing away from the pool, with hardware that can't be opened from the side away from the pool. An above-ground pool's wall can serve as the barrier if it reaches 48 inches, but a removable ladder is not acceptable unless it can be closed and locked, and house doors leading to the pool need UL 2017 alarms that can be heard throughout the home. The FAQ calls itself guidance only and cites Section 305 of the 2015 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code; no pool permit issues without an electrical permit pulled by a Massachusetts licensed electrician (Building Division FAQ).
Where the pool can go. Section 4.2.4 of the zoning keeps recreational structures out of front yards, allowing them in rear and side yards no nearer than 10 feet to a rear-yard property line (Zoning Setbacks sheet). The state building code now adopts the 2021 edition of the pool and spa code; our Massachusetts page has the state detail.
Historic review and wetlands
Historic districts and wetlands in Andover
Ballardvale. The Ballardvale Historic District Commission requires a Certificate of Appropriateness before any work visible from a public way, and its page lists fencing or retaining walls alongside renovations, additions, outbuildings and pools; applications are online. An amended Ballardvale bylaw (Article XII §36, on a form dated May 20, 2026) takes effect only once the Attorney General approves it and the boundary map is filed, and as of November 2026 the town shows no approval, so treat the amendment as pending (amended bylaw).
Draft design guidelines. The town has posted Local Historic District Design Guidelines marked "PROGRESS DRAFT - 05/22/2026," which have not been adopted (draft guidelines). Their fences and landscaping walls page suggests keeping fences low along the right of way so historic facades stay in view, favors repairing historic fences and traditional designs such as low pickets, calls chain link and vinyl, even wood-look vinyl, poorly suited to a district, steers away from lattice and stockade, and says changes to stone walls in a district must be reviewed. Treat it as a preview of the commission's thinking, not a rule.
Central Street. Town Meeting created the Central Street Historic District on April 30, 2025, covering 39 properties on Upper Central Street. The town's meeting recap lists fences among the items it exempts, along with storm doors, signage, driveways, walkways, paint color and solar panels, while the bylaw (§53) still has the commission review masonry walls and one-story detached accessory structures seen from a public way.
Wetlands. Andover's Wetlands Protection Bylaw treats the 100-foot buffer as a protected resource, with an inner 25-foot no-disturb zone and an inner 50-foot no-build zone, and some exemptions for houses existing or permitted on or before January 1, 1999. The town lists heavy-rain floods in May 2006 and March 2010, and flood-prone areas are mapped along the Shawsheen south of the Stevens Street bridge and just west of North Main Street (Climate Ready Shawsheen); check with Conservation before setting posts on a wet lot.
Andover's homes
Single-family homes on generous lots
About 70% of Andover's homes are detached single-family houses, and more than a third of the housing stock predates 1960, according to the 2025 Housing Production Plan.
Residential setbacks on the zoning sheet run from 35 feet front, 20 side and 30 rear in SRA to 50, 30 and 30 in SRC, so many yards are large enough for a full perimeter or a pool enclosure set well back from the street. In Ballardvale and on Upper Central Street, the district rules above shape the style of any fence visible from the road.
FAQ
Andover fence questions
When does a fence need a building permit in Andover?
The Building Division's FAQ says a building permit is required if the fence is over seven feet tall, and that the state building code regulates fence height. Zoning, historic district and wetland rules can still apply below that height.
Which side of the fence has to face my neighbor in Andover?
Neither. The town FAQ says there is no requirement about which way a fence faces, and that a fence can go close to the property line as long as no part of it extends onto the neighbor's land.
What does Andover require for a pool fence?
The FAQ calls for a self-closing, self-latching fence as soon as the pool can hold water, a barrier at least 48 inches high that resists climbing, gates that swing away from the pool, and alarms on house doors that lead to the pool. It describes itself as guidance and cites the 2015 pool and spa code.
Do fences in Ballardvale need approval?
Yes, when they can be seen from a public way. The Ballardvale Historic District Commission lists fencing and walls among the work that needs a Certificate of Appropriateness, and applications are taken online.
What does it cost me to use New England Fence Pros?
Nothing. Asking is free for homeowners; the contractor prices the job, and the price and contract are between you and them.
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