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Fence Companies for Installation and Repair in Woburn, MA
Woburn's zoning requires a permit for any new fence, whatever its height, holds fences to 6 feet and expects the finished side to face the abutter. Call (978) 800-2452 or use the form. A person reads every request and replies with what happens next.
- Free for homeowners
- Woburn zoning and wetland rules on this page
- Horn Pond to North Woburn
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Fences in Woburn
Which fence job do you have?
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.
Near Horn Pond or a brook?
(978) 800-2452Tell us where the yard sits, and we'll connect you with a fence contractor who can sort out the zoning permit and any wetland or flood zone filing first.
Permits
Fence permits in Woburn
A permit for any height. Section 5.3 of Woburn's zoning says: "No fence, retaining wall, screen or other method of separation shall be erected without a permit" (zoning Section 5). Two jobs are spared: repairing a damaged fence, and replacing a legally existing fence in the same location within 30 days of removing it. A low garden fence needs the permit as much as a tall privacy fence does.
Where to apply. Inspectional Services works out of the City Hall Annex at 6 Common St (781-897-5840), open Monday to Wednesday 8 to 4:30, Thursday 8 to 7 and Friday 7 to 1, and starting work without a permit doubles the fee. The city's applications page points to its CitizenServe portal.
Fees. Title 15, section 15-5 of the code, last amended February 3, 2022, lists fences at $15 per $1,000 of material and installation costs with a $50 minimum, the same rate and minimum it sets for residential building permits (Title 15); confirm the current charge when you apply.
- New fence or retaining wall
- Zoning permit, any height
- No permit
- Repair, or same-spot replacement within 30 days
- Height cap
- 6 ft from the ground
- Finished side
- Faces the abutter unless the fence viewer agrees in writing
- Fence fee
- $15 per $1,000 of cost, $50 minimum (Title 15, amended Feb 3, 2022)
- Office
- Inspectional Services, City Hall Annex, 6 Common St
State rules in brief. The state building code exempts "Fences not over seven feet" from a state building permit, and the state contractor chart says under seven feet; Woburn's zoning permit is a separate requirement. Fence-only contractors are exempt from Home Improvement Contractor registration (201 CMR 18.01(6)(k)), which also means the state Guaranty Fund for registered contractors generally won't cover the job. For post holes, Dig Safe says both property owners and contractors must notify it by law, at least 72 hours before digging excluding weekends and holidays (Dig Safe); state law caps notice at 30 days before the dig (c.82 §40A) and includes augering in its definition of excavation (c.82 §40). See our Massachusetts rules page.
Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by February 2027. New England Fence Pros is a referral service: we don't build fences or pull permits, and the contractor you hire handles the paperwork.
Height and placement
Height limits, setbacks and corner lots in Woburn
Six feet, measured from the ground. Section 5.3 caps fence height at 6 feet from the ground. It also bars fences over 3 feet high, measured from the sidewalk or street level, within the street setback or the setback of the existing building (zoning Section 5). So a fence toward the street needs the most checking; ask Inspectional Services where the street setback ends on your lot.
Good side out. The same section requires the finished or better side of the fence to face the abutter, unless the fence viewer approves another arrangement in writing. Woburn posts no rule on easements, and where a boundary is in doubt a survey can settle where the line actually is.
Corner lots. Section 6.2(4) says a fence, hedge, wall or other enclosure may not block the view between 3 and 10 feet above grade within the corner triangle (zoning Section 6). Near the corner, a fence that stays under 3 feet keeps below that band.
Pools
Pool fences in Woburn
Zoning section 5.4. A permanent pool deeper than 2 feet with more than 100 square feet of surface needs a permit, and a residential pool must be completely enclosed by a fence or wall at least 4 feet high. Openings may be no more than 3 inches, and gates must close and latch on their own with the latch at least 4 feet off the ground. An above-ground pool whose sides are at least 4 feet high is exempt from the enclosure if its ladder can be made inaccessible (zoning Section 5).
Placement. Detached accessory structures in residential districts keep 25 feet from the front line, 12 feet from the sides and 4 feet from the rear under section 6.2(3), and the city lists swimming pools among work needing a building permit (Inspectional Services). Statewide, pool barriers follow the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, and the CPSC's advisory Pub. 362 adds tips such as gates that open outward, away from the water (CPSC guidelines).
Historic districts, wetlands and flood zones
Historic districts and wetlands in Woburn
Baldwin Homestead. Woburn has two local districts, the Baldwin Homestead Historic District and the Expanded Baldwin Homestead Historic District, the latter added May 1, 2009. Title 19 counts fences, walls, terraces, walks and driveways as structures, so a fence change visible from a public way needs a certificate from the commission first; the exclusions include at-grade terraces, walks and driveways, planted landscaping, and ordinary maintenance, repair or replacement that doesn't change design, material or outward appearance, and the commission has 60 days to act (Title 19).
A 150-foot wetland reach. Title 7 bars removing, filling, dredging, altering or building within 150 feet of any fresh water wetland without a permit, and its definition of altering includes erecting structures and cutting trees; the exemptions cover only utility and emergency work (Title 7). The city's wetland laws and policies page lists an approved ordinance amendment, dated May 7, 2026 in its file name, that is being worked into the code, and says the Commission's Rules and Regulations were amended effective November 1, 2026, after an October 22, 2026 vote. Commission policy calls for a Notice of Intent for groundwork within 50 feet of a resource area and generally doesn't expect disturbance closer than 25 feet. A local Request for Determination costs $50 on a lot under 20,000 square feet and $100 otherwise, under fees effective April 1, 2019 (fee schedule).
Flood zones name fences. In the floodplain district, which covers FEMA Zones A and AE on the Middlesex County maps dated July 8, 2025, zoning section 9 requires a City Council special permit for any construction or development, and the text expressly includes fences, sheds, filling and grading (zoning Section 9).
Woburn's homes
Older houses and low ground around Horn Pond
Woburn's Housing Production Plan, approved August 4, 2026, puts about 35% of residential structures before 1950, and roughly 17.6% before 1900. It also places about 16% of the city's land in FEMA flood hazard areas around Horn Pond and the Aberjona River, so check flood maps early on low lots (Housing Production Plan).
In the R-1 and R-2 districts a house sits 25 feet from the front line, 12 feet from the sides and 30 feet from the rear, with building coverage capped at 25% (dimensional table). The state's 1980 reconnaissance survey notes Federal houses on Elm, Lexington, Lowell, Russell and Main Streets, Italianate villas near Central Square and Warren Street, and workers' cottages between Montvale and Fowle Streets (MHC survey).
FAQ
Woburn fence questions
Is a short garden fence exempt from a permit in Woburn?
Not by height. Zoning section 5.3 says no fence, retaining wall, screen or other method of separation may be put up without a permit, and it sets no minimum height. The exceptions are repairing a damaged fence and replacing a legally existing fence in the same place within 30 days of taking it down.
Which way does the good side of the fence face in Woburn?
Toward the abutter. Section 5.3 requires the finished or better side to face the neighboring property unless the city's fence viewer approves something else in writing.
My yard is in a flood zone. Can I still put up a fence?
Possibly, but it is a bigger process. Zoning section 9 requires a City Council special permit for construction or development in the floodplain district, and it names fences specifically. Check your lot against the FEMA maps effective July 8, 2025 before you plan the job.
How close to a wetland can fence posts go in Woburn?
The city wetlands ordinance reaches 150 feet from any fresh water wetland, and building a structure there needs a permit. Commission policy says groundwork within 50 feet of a resource area needs a Notice of Intent and that disturbance closer than 25 feet is generally not expected. The Commission's amended rules took effect November 1, 2026, so call Conservation first.
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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