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Fence Companies for Installation and Repair in Salem, NH
Salem names fences in three places that matter: its wetland brochure, its Salem Center historic rules and its obstructed-view rule for streets, and a pool permit here asks for a written description of the barrier. Call (978) 800-2452 or use the form. A person reads every request and replies with what happens next.
- Free for homeowners
- Salem wetland, historic and pool notes on this page
- Canobie Lake to Salem Center
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Fences in Salem
What do you need fenced?
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 a wetland, a lake or Salem Center?
(978) 800-2452Tell us the street and what the fence will enclose, and we'll connect you with a company that has dealt with Salem's buffers and historic review.
Permits
Fence permits in Salem
No posted answer. Salem has not published a rule on permits for an ordinary residential fence. The building permit application (form 2021-03) offers check-boxes for sheds, pools, decks, repairs and additions, with none for a fence or retaining wall, and it asks whether the lot lies in the historic district, wetlands or floodplain (building permit application). Those three questions are where a fence is most likely to need town sign-off.
Wetlands bring fences into it. The Conservation Commission's wetlands and shorelands brochure, revised March 2024, says permits may be required if you "construct pools, decks, fences, house additions, or pave or clear natural areas in or near wetlands or buffer areas" (wetlands brochure).
Office and fees. Inspectional Services is a division of the Salem Fire Department at 33 Geremonty Drive. Building permits are taken at the counter, from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. on weekdays per the application, and the division page links an OpenGov portal (Inspectional Services Division). The Building & Fire Fee Schedule effective January 1, 2025 has no fence line; it charges $100 for a re-inspection and double for permits taken out after the fact (fee schedule).
- Ordinary fence
- No town statement; ask Inspectional Services
- Fence near wetlands or buffers
- May need a permit (brochure, March 2024)
- Visible fence in Salem Center
- Historic District Commission review
- Pool permit
- $100 above-ground, $200 in-ground (effective January 1, 2025)
- After the fact
- Double fee
- Office
- Inspectional Services Division, 33 Geremonty Dr
New Hampshire basics. Permits are the town's call under RSA 155-A:2, and the 2024 state codes, in force since July 1, 2026, become mandatory for every permit request from January 1, 2027. The Attorney General reminds homeowners that "contractors do not need to be licensed," and advises a written contract signed before work or payment, proof of insurance, references, and suspicion of any down payment over 50% (NH AG). More on our New Hampshire rules page.
Dig Safe. Before post holes, state law calls for notice to Dig Safe at least 72 hours ahead, excluding weekends and holidays, with the dig area outlined in white; the ticket is good for 30 days (RSA 374). Dig Safe says property owners and contractors are both required by law to notify it (Dig Safe), and its homeowner brochure lists fencing among the projects to call about; dial 811 (Dig Safe homeowner brochure). The notice rule in RSA 374:51 covers digging within 100 feet of an underground facility.
Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by January 2027. New England Fence Pros is a referral service: we don't build fences or pull permits, and the company you hire handles the paperwork.
Height and placement
Height limits, setbacks and corner lots in Salem
The view rule. Salem's zoning has no numeric height cap for residential fences that we could find, but it does have this: "No wall, fence or other structure and no tree, shrub or other growth on the property shall so obstruct the view as to cause danger to traffic in the street" (§ 490-803). On a corner lot or beside a driveway, keep a solid privacy section back from the street or step it down to an open style, and ask Inspectional Services if you are unsure.
Setbacks for context. The zoning dimension table dated October 1, 2015 sets Residential district buildings back 30 feet in front, 15 feet at the sides and 30 feet in the rear, and lets a utility shed of 100 square feet or less and no more than 7 feet high sit 1 foot from a side or rear line (dimension table). The table says nothing about fences. Where the line itself is in doubt, a survey or the town can confirm it. A fence that unnecessarily exceeds 5 feet and is put up to annoy a neighbor is a private nuisance under RSA 476:1.
Pool fences
Pool fences in Salem
Residential pools need building and electrical permits in Salem, and the application package must include the manufacturer's information, pump specifications, a property diagram with setback measurements, the locations of septic, well, water and sewer lines, and a note of what safety barrier will be installed. A barrier inspection is required wherever a slope or a deck lowers the barrier below 48 inches, and in-ground pools are inspected at excavation, framing, barrier (with any required alarm) and final (Pool Permit Information).
On the fee schedule effective January 1, 2025, an above-ground pool permit is $100, an in-ground pool $200 and pool electrical $100. Note C of the dimension table lets a pool come within 15 feet of the rear line in the Residential district. The barrier itself follows the swimming pool code adopted with the state building code; CPSC guidance, which is not law, adds self-closing, self-latching gates that open away from the water (CPSC Pub. 362).
Historic and wetlands
Historic districts and wetlands in Salem
Salem Center. Salem's local historic district centers on Main, School and Bridge Streets around the old Town Hall, library, fire station and cemetery, about 32 properties in the master plan chapter from around 2001 (Historic Preservation chapter). The Historic District Commission's Rules of Procedure, last revised May 13, 2026, reach work visible from the public right-of-way, and the site features they list include stone walls, fences, granite and significant trees. Ordinary maintenance and in-kind repair are exempt. Regular meetings are held only on the third Tuesday of April and October at 5 p.m., with applications due at least 7 days before (HDC Rules of Procedure). A new front fence in the district for summer should be on the April agenda.
Wetland buffers. The brochure describes a 20-foot undisturbed buffer around wetlands that runs "to edge of lawns, etc.," with any impact approved by the Planning Board, and the zoning keeps buildings and surface structures 40 feet from a wetland, with a 100-foot undisturbed buffer at prime wetlands (§ 490-706).
Lakes and ponds. Captains Pond, Canobie Lake, World's End Pond, Arlington Pond, Millville Pond, Shadow Lake and the Spicket River are protected shoreland waters, and § 490-804 keeps structures 40 feet from the high-water mark, or 50 feet on state protected shorelands (water body setbacks).
Salem's homes
A 1970s boom and year-round conversions
Salem has 12,888 housing units, 9,091 of them single-family and 718 mobile homes or other units (NHES community profile, ACS 2017–2021). The population and housing chapter of the master plan, from around 2001, records 2,075 units authorized in the 1970s and seasonal homes being converted for year-round use, with 273 still counted as seasonal in 2000 (Population and Housing chapter).
The Residential district minimum is 25,000 square feet where sewer is available (dimension table), a little over half an acre. A yard that size is easy to enclose with a single back-yard run, while a lot near Canobie Lake or World's End Pond also has the shoreland setbacks above to work around.
FAQ
Salem fence questions
Do I need a permit for a fence in Salem?
Salem has not posted a general answer, and its building permit form has no fence box. Its Conservation Commission brochure, revised March 2024, does say fences in or near wetlands or their buffers may need a permit, so call Inspectional Services before the job is booked.
What does the pool permit ask about the fence?
Salem's Pool Permit Information sheet asks for a description of the safety barrier with the building and electrical applications, and it requires a barrier inspection where a slope or deck brings the barrier below 48 inches. In-ground pools also get a barrier inspection during construction.
Does a front fence in Salem Center need historic approval?
If it can be seen from the street, expect review. The Historic District Commission's rules, last revised May 13, 2026, cover fences and stone walls visible from the public way, while in-kind repair is exempt. The commission meets regularly only in April and October.
How close can a fence come to a wetland in Salem?
The wetlands brochure describes a 20-foot undisturbed buffer that runs to the edge of lawns, with impacts approved by the Planning Board, and the zoning keeps buildings and surface structures 40 feet from a wetland. Ask before setting posts inside either line.
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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