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Fence Companies for Installation and Repair in Lawrence, MA
Most Lawrence fences divide small yards behind two-families, triple-deckers and row houses, where the exact lot line matters, and on Prospect Hill a fence seen from the street needs the historic commission first. Call (978) 800-2452 or use the form. A person reads every request and replies with what happens next.
- Free for homeowners
- What Lawrence posts about fences
- Prospect Hill to South Lawrence
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Fences in Lawrence
What fence do you need?
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.
Small city yard?
(978) 800-2452Tell us how the yard is shared and what the fence has to do, and we'll connect you with a fence contractor who works in Lawrence.
Permits
Fence permits in Lawrence
No posted fence rule. Lawrence's building pages give no permit rules for fences, sheds, decks, walls or pools, and we found no fence page on the city site. That doesn't mean no permit is needed; it means the question goes to the Inspectional Services Department at City Hall, 200 Common St., 2nd floor, Room 209.
Filing and fees. The city takes applications through its online permit system (Citizenserve), which it says is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The fee page, which carries no date, lists new construction and alterations at $12 per $1,000 and has no fence line.
- Fence permit rule
- Not posted; ask Inspectional Services
- Office
- City Hall, 200 Common St., 2nd floor, Room 209
- Online filing
- Citizenserve, open 24/7
- Alteration fee
- $12 per $1,000 (fee page undated)
- Prospect Hill
- Certificate first for a street-visible fence
State rules in short. The state building code exempts "Fences not over seven feet" from a building permit (the state chart says under seven feet), which leaves room for city requirements on top. Fence-only contractors are exempt from Home Improvement Contractor registration under 201 CMR 18.01(6)(k), and the state Guaranty Fund serves only jobs by registered contractors, so a written contract is your main protection. Dig Safe says the law requires property owners and professional contractors to notify it before digging, giving at least 72 hours' notice not counting weekends or holidays and no more than 30 days; augering counts as excavation under state law (Dig Safe; c.82 §40; §40A). More on our Massachusetts rules page.
Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by May 2027. We connect homeowners with fence contractors; the contractor you hire files with the city.
Height and placement
Height limits, setbacks and corner lots in Lawrence
An unreadable ordinance. The Zoning Ordinance linked from the city's Zoning Board of Appeals page is a scanned image without searchable text, so we could not confirm any fence height limit, corner sight triangle, finished-side rule or easement rule. Ask Inspectional Services what height and placement it allows before ordering panels, especially on a corner.
Tight lot lines. On narrow city lots a few inches decide whose side the fence lands on. We give no advice on boundary disputes; a survey, or the city's records, can confirm where the line actually runs.
Pool fences in Lawrence. We found no city pool barrier rule. The only pool language we found is on the city's wetland fee form (labelled March 2017 rev.), where a pool on a single-family lot near a wetland falls under a Group A Notice of Intent at $40 per activity. Barriers otherwise follow the state building code's adoption of the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code; see our Massachusetts page.
Historic review and wetlands
Historic districts and wetlands in Lawrence
Prospect Hill. The city's historic district ordinance (15.36) covers Prospect Street and both sides of East Haverhill Street to Ferry Street, plus 115, 121 and 136 Ferry St and 186 East Haverhill St, per the 1988 boundary map. Nothing there may be built, altered, moved or demolished without a certificate, and the building inspector cannot issue a permit until one is granted (15.36.050); at-grade terraces, walks, driveways, sidewalks and steps are left out of review (15.36.070).
How the commission treats fences. Its rules and regulations (1998, amended through September 25, 2006) list a fence or wall as a structure and review changes visible from a public street, way, park or body of water. Exempt are changes that can't be seen from those places, routine repairs that don't change the exterior design, and rebuilding after damage that is substantially similar to the original. Applications go through the Office of Planning and Development, and a certificate is good for one year.
Wetland zones. The posted wetland protection regulations, headed as the March 2017 revision, regulate a 100-foot buffer with a 25-foot no-disturbance zone and a further 25-foot no-build zone. They define altering to include erecting or repairing structures, and most state Wetlands Protection Act exemptions do not apply. The posted version still contains drafting placeholders, so confirm it is current with the Conservation Commission; a Request for Determination is $125 on the city fee form.
River history. A state flood vulnerability summary notes that the Spicket River was channelized in 1910 and that later building on its floodplain increased the likelihood of flooding (flood assessment flyer). We found no city floodplain rule for fences.
Lawrence's homes
An old, dense mill city
Lawrence's housing is old. The Housing Production Plan 2018–2022 dates 53% of units to before 1940 (34% statewide) and about 83% to before 1979, places 40% of units in buildings of two to four apartments, and names Tower Hill, Prospect Hill, Arlington and North Common among its neighborhoods.
The state's reconnaissance survey points to brick Mechanics Blocks row houses on Union, Orchard and Garden Streets, slate-roofed Second Empire two-families, the roomy late-19th-century houses of Prospect Hill, and Tower Hill and South Lawrence's Four Corners among its areas. It also notes mostly sandy soils south of the river and more loamy ground in parts of the north, a difference a crew feels when setting posts (MHC report).
FAQ
Lawrence fence questions
Do I need a permit for a fence in Lawrence?
The city's building pages don't say, and its zoning ordinance is posted only as a scanned image we could not search. Ask the Inspectional Services Department at City Hall before the work starts; permits are filed on Citizenserve.
Does a fence on Prospect Hill need historic approval?
If it can be seen from a public street, way, park or body of water, yes. The commission's rules count a fence or wall as a structure, and the building inspector cannot issue a permit without the certificate. Fences out of public view, and routine repairs that keep the same look, are exempt.
Can I put a fence near the Spicket or Shawsheen in Lawrence?
Ask the Conservation Commission first. The city's posted wetland regulations count erecting or repairing structures as altering the 100-foot buffer, with a 25-foot no-disturbance zone and a further 25-foot no-build zone.
How old are the homes in Lawrence?
Older than the state as a whole: the city's 2018–2022 housing plan puts 53% of its units before 1940, against 34% statewide, and 40% of units in buildings of two to four apartments.
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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