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Fence Companies for Installation and Repair in Tewksbury, MA
Tewksbury's Building Department says it has no fence regulations of its own and that a fence up to 7 feet needs no permit. Zoning still draws two hard lines: a clear triangle at street corners, and no fence over seven feet between two residential properties. Call (978) 800-2452 or use the form. A person reads every request and replies with what happens next.
- Free for homeowners
- Tewksbury permit, pool and wetland fence notes
- From Silver Lake to North Tewksbury
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Fences in Tewksbury
Which fence job are you planning?
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 this season?
(978) 800-2452Tell us about the pool and the yard, and we'll connect you with a fence contractor who can match the barrier to what Tewksbury puts on the plot plan.
Permits
Fence permits in Tewksbury
The town's own answer. Asked whether a fence needs a permit, the Building Department's FAQ replies that "The town does not have its own fence regulations. Tewksbury defers to the state laws on fencing," and that "A permit is not required to put up a fence up to 7 feet in height." The same answer sends corner lots to the zoning bylaw's clearance rules and states, in capitals, that homeowners are responsible for installing the fence on their own property, adding that property lines can be determined by a certified plot plan.
If a permit is needed. Tewksbury files permits through ViewPoint Cloud, and the owner of a one- or two-family home may pull a building permit with a Homeowners Affidavit. The Permit Fees schedule posted by the town is dated 02/19/11 and has no fence line; for residential additions, alterations, pools, sheds and similar work it lists a minimum of $30 plus $10 per $1,000 of valuation, doubled when work starts without a permit. Given its age, confirm amounts with the department.
- Fence up to 7 ft
- No permit, per the Building Department FAQ
- Between two homes
- Never over 7 ft (§5.3.1.E.5)
- Corner lots
- Clear between 2 and 8 ft high within 15 ft (§5.3.1.D)
- Fees (schedule dated 02/19/11)
- $30 minimum plus $10 per $1,000; doubled if work starts first
- Filing
- ViewPoint Cloud
Where state law comes in. Because the town defers to the state, the state code's wording is worth knowing: 780 CMR R105.2 exempts "Fences not over seven feet" high from a building permit, and the state chart says no permit or construction supervisor license is needed for a fence under seven feet (HIC contractor resources). Contractors working only on fences are outside the home improvement registration program, so the Guaranty Fund, which pays claims against registered contractors, generally won't apply. A written contract is the sensible substitute. Our Massachusetts rules page covers the rest.
Post holes and Dig Safe. Massachusetts includes augering in its definition of excavation (c.82 §40). Dig Safe needs notice at least 72 hours before the dig, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays, and not more than 30 days before it (c.82 §40A). Dig Safe says property owners and professional contractors must both notify it (How It Works), cites a fence on your own property, and charges nothing for 811.
Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by May 2027. New England Fence Pros links homeowners with fence contractors; we don't put up fences or handle permits.
Height and placement
Height limits, setbacks and corner lots in Tewksbury
Seven feet, and no setbacks below it. The Zoning Bylaw (the posted copy carries a May 2025 cover) says in section 5.3.1.E.5 that "Fences not exceeding seven feet and flag poles not exceeding 20 feet shall be exempt from the setback requirements." A taller fence can be approved by the Planning Board only as a buffer between residential and industrial or commercial uses, or between industrial and commercial ones. Between houses the rule is absolute: "In no event shall a fence over seven feet in height be permitted on a residential property abutting another residential use."
Corner lot clearance. Section 5.3.1.D keeps a triangle at each street corner open: within the area from the corner to a line joining points 15 feet along the lot lines, "no structures, fence, tree or shrub shall prevent vision clearance" in the space between two and eight feet above the ground. On a corner lot, a privacy fence has to step down or stop short of that triangle, and so does a hedge.
Finding the line. The town doesn't regulate which face of the fence points out, and it leaves placement to the owner. Its suggestion is a certified plot plan; a survey or the town can confirm a disputed line.
Pools
Pool fences in Tewksbury
The zoning baseline. Under section 5.3.1.E.7 of the Zoning Bylaw, a pool must be completely enclosed by a fence at least four feet high, unless the pool itself rises at least four feet above grade. Pools are accessory structures that must meet the State Building Code and all setbacks (section 5.3.1.E.6).
The permit. The Building Department's FAQ says a building permit is required for any pool holding 24 inches of water or more, including portable, temporary and inflatable pools. The certified plot plan must show the pool, accessory structures, septic components and the location of the fence that will enclose the pool. Pools sit 10 feet from side and rear lines, behind the rearmost point of the house and 10 feet from other buildings, with Conservation sign-off and the electrical permit first.
The barrier guidance. Offered "for guidance only" and citing Section 305 of the 2015 ISPSC, the FAQ calls for barriers "at least 48” high and constructed to prevent climbing by children," with gates that self-close and self-latch, swing away from the pool, and can't be opened from the side away from the pool. An above-ground pool wall can serve as the barrier if it meets 48 inches and the ladder closes and locks; the FAQ says a removable ladder is not acceptable unless it is closable and lockable. House doors that open straight to the pool need UL 2017 water-hazard alarms that can be heard throughout the home. Statewide, barriers follow the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code as adopted in 780 CMR, and federal CPSC guidance is advisory.
Historic districts and wetlands
Historic districts and wetlands in Tewksbury
No district review for fences. We found no local historic district in Tewksbury. The town does have a Demolition Delay Bylaw, amended at the May 2011 Annual Town Meeting, but it deals with significant buildings, not fences.
The posted wetland bylaw. The wetland bylaw the town posts is filed as an "Update 2024," and its cover reads "LAST UPDATED: SEPTEMBER 2023." We could not find an official record that this update was adopted, so treat it as the text the town has posted and ask the Conservation Department which version it applies. As posted, section 18.04.020 says that for the 50-foot No Build Zone, "Structure" shall not include fences, retaining walls, decks, patios or lawn furniture. The 25-foot No Disturb Zone is different: section 18.04.050(1)(a) bars grading, landscaping, clearing, filling and excavating there, so check with Conservation before any post hole goes into that strip.
Ask first. The Building Department's FAQ asks residents to contact the Conservation Department before any site work that alters the land. Parts of town also lie in Zones A and AE on the Middlesex County flood map dated July 8, 2025, per the zoning bylaw's floodplain district.
Tewksbury's homes
A postwar town with older pockets
Most Tewksbury houses went up in two decades: the 2003 Master Plan reports that more than half of the town's housing was built between 1950 and 1970 (Population and Housing chapter), and a 2006 amendment counts more than 900 houses, or 9%, from before 1939 (Natural and Cultural Resources amendment). So the typical Tewksbury fence encloses a yard laid out in those postwar decades.
The state's April 1980 survey noted extremely modest bungalows and cottages at Silver Lake, colonial farmhouses, Greek Revival and Italianate side-hall houses, and Queen Anne and Colonial Revival homes at the Center and in North Tewksbury (MHC Tewksbury report). In the R40 district the zoning bylaw sets 25-foot front and 15-foot side and rear setbacks, while lots of 10,000 square feet or less that existed, with a house, before March 18, 1992 may use 10-foot side and rear setbacks; since fences up to seven feet are exempt from setbacks, those numbers matter more for the pool or shed the fence encloses.
FAQ
Tewksbury fence questions
Do I need a permit for a fence in Tewksbury?
Not for a fence up to 7 feet. The Building Department's FAQ says a permit is not required to put up a fence up to 7 feet in height, and that the town defers to state law on fencing. Corner lots still have to follow the zoning corner clearance rule.
Can I build an 8-foot privacy fence between my house and my neighbor's?
No. Section 5.3.1.E.5 of the Zoning Bylaw says that in no event shall a fence over seven feet in height be permitted on a residential property abutting another residential use. The Planning Board can allow taller fences only as buffers between residential and commercial or industrial uses, or between industrial and commercial uses.
What does Tewksbury want on a pool permit for the fence?
The FAQ asks for a certified plot plan showing the pool, accessory structures, septic components and the location of the fence that will enclose the pool. Its barrier guidance calls for at least 48 inches, self-closing and self-latching gates swinging away from the pool, and UL 2017 alarms on house doors that open to the pool.
Who decides where my property line is in Tewksbury?
The town puts it on you. Its FAQ says homeowners are responsible for installing the fence on their own property and that property lines can be determined by a certified plot plan. A surveyor can prepare one if you don't have it.
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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