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Fence Companies for Installation and Repair in Westford, MA
Westford gives fences six feet and taller their own permit page, with a plot plan, a structural plan and checks for easements, the septic system and wetlands, and every board has to sign before work starts. Call (978) 800-2452 or use the form. A person reads every request and replies with what happens next.
- Free for homeowners
- Westford permit, septic and wetland fence notes
- Graniteville to Nabnasset
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Fences in Westford
What sort of fence work is it?
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.
Six feet or taller?
(978) 800-2452Tell us the height and where the leach field and any wetland sit, and we'll connect you with a fence contractor who can put together Westford's plot plan and structural plan.
Permits
Fence permits in Westford
A checklist for tall fences. On its Building Department page, Westford lists "Fence 6+ Feet Tall / Retaining Wall 4+ Feet Tall" among its permit application requirements. The linked Fence 6+ Feet Tall page walks through the steps: draw the fence on a plot plan with its dimensions, confirm the zoning setbacks and height limits (or redesign, or ask the Zoning Board of Appeals for a variance), look for easements on subdivision or recorded plans, review the septic plan so the work stays clear of the system and its reserve area, and get Conservation approval within 100 feet of a wetland or in a Riverfront Area. If the fence is close to the setback line, the department may ask for a certified plot plan.
Before the first post. The same page requires a structural plan, prepared by an engineer, contractor or architect, and the contractor's insurance certificates with the application. Construction can begin only after all the boards and the Building Commissioner have signed off and the permit is posted at the site. Fences under six feet aren't addressed on the town's pages, so ask the department if yours is close to that height.
Fees and filing. Permits are filed at permits.westfordma.gov. The town's Permit Fees page sets a $50 minimum for every building permit, and its fee schedule, effective March 1, 2004, charges a triple fee for work begun without a permit. Ask the Building Department for the current amount for your fence.
- Own permit page
- Fences 6 ft and taller; retaining walls 4 ft and taller
- Paperwork
- Plot plan, structural plan, contractor insurance certificates
- Checks
- Setbacks, easements, septic and reserve area, wetlands
- Fees (schedule effective March 1, 2004)
- $50 minimum; triple fee if work starts first
- Filing
- permits.westfordma.gov
State rules, briefly. Massachusetts' residential code exempts "Fences not over seven feet" high from a state building permit (780 CMR R105.2), and the state chart says no permit or construction supervisor license is needed for a fence under seven feet (HIC contractor resources). Westford's own process starts at six feet, so the town's page governs. A fence-only company is exempt from home improvement registration, which leaves the Guaranty Fund, open only to claims against registered contractors, generally out of reach; put the job in a written contract all the same. Details are on our Massachusetts rules page.
Dig Safe and post holes. State law treats augering as excavation (c.82 §40). Notify Dig Safe 72 hours or more before digging, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays, and within 30 days of the dig (c.82 §40A). Dig Safe says property owners must notify it as well as contractors (How It Works), offers a fence on your own property as an example, and runs 811 free of charge.
Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by November 2027. New England Fence Pros matches homeowners with fence contractors; we don't build fences or submit permits.
Height and placement
Height limits, setbacks and corner lots in Westford
Six feet decides the setbacks. Section 3.5.3(1) of the 2025 Zoning Bylaw, amended through the March 22, 2025 Town Meeting, says "Fences of a height not to exceed six (6) feet" and flagpoles up to 20 feet "shall be exempt from the setback requirements of this Section." The 2021 edition of the same section adds that fences put up before the bylaw may be repaired or replaced in their original configuration and location.
Setbacks for taller fences. The tall-fence page lists the yards a fence over six feet must respect: Residence A, 50 feet front, 15 feet side and 30 feet rear; Residence B, 25 feet front, 15 side and 30 rear. A corner lot has two front yards and two side yards, which can push a tall fence well back from both streets.
Corners. Section 4.3.1 of the bylaw says no wall, fence, structure, shrubbery or planting on a corner lot may be kept where it would obstruct the view of a driver approaching the intersection. It gives no distance or height, so the Building Department is the one to ask about a specific corner.
Easements and the line. The town asks you to check recorded plans for easements before choosing a fence line, and we found no rule on which side of the fence faces out. If the boundary is in doubt, a survey or the town can confirm it.
Pool fences in Westford. Westford requires permits for in-ground and above-ground pools, and a plot plan with an as-built plan before the final inspection (Building Department). Zoning section 3.5.3(2) treats pools as accessory structures that must meet the State Building Code and the bylaw's setbacks. The town gives no barrier specifications, though its Swimming Pool permit page asks for the required safety fence on the plot plan and a description of the fencing materials; the state code adopts the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, and CPSC guidance, which is advisory, describes a barrier at least 48 inches high with self-closing, self-latching gates swinging out from the pool (CPSC Pub. 362).
Historic districts and wetlands
Historic districts and wetlands in Westford
History without fence review. Westford has no local historic district commission under Chapter 40C. The Historical Commission links historic district maps for Westford Center, Graniteville, Forge Village, Parker Village and Brookside, and the town's demolition delay bylaw is aimed at demolishing historically significant buildings and structures rather than putting up a new fence. A fence in the Center is a zoning and permit question, not a design review.
Fences count as wetland work. Westford's Wetland Rules and Regulations, effective December 9, 2020, define work to include cutting vegetation, filling, excavation and grading, and the "placement of vehicles, recreational equipment such as swing sets or trampolines or fences." Section 235-2(E)(9) states that "No activity shall be allowed within these setbacks except as provided below," so ask the Commission what those exceptions allow. The limit of work is 30 feet from a resource area when the work is on an existing artificial surface of a lot with a structure, and 50 feet on natural ground or an undeveloped lot; the limit of building is 55 and 75 feet. The Commission may extend these distances. On a yard that backs onto a wetland, measure those limits before deciding where the fence ends.
Westford's homes
Detached houses on septic, village by village
Single-family houses dominate: Westford's Housing Production Plan 2022–2027 counts 9,237 housing units, 81.5% of them single-family detached. The town has no public sewer, according to its 2010–2015 Open Space and Recreation Plan, which is why a tall fence's permit review includes the septic plan and its reserve area.
The same plan calls Westford Center an exceptionally well-preserved collection of nineteenth and early twentieth century houses and describes Forge Village and Graniteville as workers' housing. Brookside, Nabnasset and Parker Village round out the six villages. On a Westford lot, the leach field, a recorded easement or a wetland edge can decide the fence line before height does.
FAQ
Westford fence questions
What does Westford need for a fence 6 feet or taller?
Its Fence 6+ Feet Tall page asks for a plot plan showing the fence location and size (certified if the fence is close to the setback), a check of zoning setbacks, recorded easements and the septic plan, Conservation approval near wetlands, a structural plan and the contractor's insurance certificates. Work starts only after every board and the Building Commissioner have signed and the site is posted.
Do fences have to meet setbacks in Westford?
Fences no taller than six feet are exempt from the setback rules under section 3.5.3(1) of the Zoning Bylaw. Taller ones must meet them: in Residence A that is 50 feet front, 15 side and 30 rear; in Residence B, 25 front, 15 side and 30 rear. A corner lot has two front and two side yards.
Can I fence near the wetland behind my Westford house?
Westford's wetland rules list placing fences as work, and no activity is allowed inside the limit of work except as the regulations provide: 30 feet from a resource area for work on an existing artificial surface of a lot with a structure, 50 feet on natural ground or an undeveloped lot. The Conservation Commission can extend those distances.
Why does Westford ask about my septic system for a fence?
There is no public sewer in Westford, so every house relies on septic. The town's tall-fence page asks you to review the septic plan so the fence or wall doesn't interfere with the system or its reserve area.
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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