Short answer
Amity Township requires a zoning permit before a fence goes up. Front-yard fences can be 4 ft and no fence or wall can exceed 6 ft, except security fences and decorative retaining walls (Zoning §32-916). Chain link is allowed only when a high-intensity buffer planting screens it from neighbors. Pools need a fence at least 4 ft high with gaps no wider than 2 in and locks on every gate. Nothing can be built in the street right-of-way.
| Rule | What the code says |
|---|---|
| Front yard | 4 ft maximum (§32-916(e)) |
| Side and rear yards | 6 ft (§32-916(b)) |
| Corner lots | A yard on each street side as deep as the district's front yard (§32-915), plus the clear sight triangle |
| Sight triangle | 150 ft along the through street from the centerline intersection and 40 ft back from its right-of-way on the stop-sign street, clear from 3 ft to 10 ft above street grade (§32-917) |
| Placement | Anywhere within or along the edge of a required yard, but never in or over the street right-of-way |
| Chain link | Only if adequately screened from adjacent properties with a high-intensity buffer planting (§32-916(d)) |
| Pools | Fence or wall at least 4 ft, gaps no more than 2 in, locks on all gates (§32-921(c)) |
| Prohibited | Barbed wire except for agriculture, or atop a nonresidential security fence over 6 ft |
| Permit | Yes, zoning permit from the Zoning Officer |
Source: Amity Township Zoning Chapter 32, read October 2026.
Chain link in Amity means chain link plus plants
Amity calls it a cyclone fence, and it allows one only if a high-intensity buffer planting screens it from the view of neighboring properties. A bare chain link dog run along the back line won't pass. In practice, that means budgeting for evergreen shrubs or a dense hedge along the outside, room for them to grow, and water while they establish. For some yards, a 4 ft aluminum or a welded-wire-backed split rail ends up simpler than chain link plus a planted screen. Our chain link and shrubs page goes deeper.
Pool fences with 2 in gaps
Any pool at least 24 in deep and 100 sq ft in area has to be completely enclosed by a fence or wall at least 4 ft high. The openings between vertical and horizontal members can be no more than 2 in, and every gate needs a lock. That is tighter than the state pool code's 4 in sphere test, so many off-the-shelf picket styles won't qualify. We use pool-rated aluminum with narrow spacing or solid vinyl around Amity pools.
Above-ground pools more than 4 ft high don't need a separate enclosure if the ladder is removed or locked in place at least 4 ft up. Pools and their equipment can't sit in the front yard, in the side-yard setbacks, or within 10 ft of the rear lot line (§32-921).
Storms in Amity
On July 1, 2025, the National Weather Service confirmed an EF-0 tornado with peak winds near 70 mph in Amity, along Weavertown Lane toward Boyertown Pike. Residents described a shed that was blown apart and a pool that was destroyed. Wind doesn't change the code, but it is a reason to set posts deep in concrete and think twice about tall solid panels on an exposed lot; see our wind question.
Corner lots and the long sight triangle
Amity's sight triangle runs 150 ft along the through street, much longer than the 25 to 75 ft triangles in most nearby codes, and 40 ft back on the side street. Inside it, nothing can stand between 3 ft and 10 ft. On a corner where your side street has the stop sign, that can push a fence well back from the corner. Corner lots also get a front-depth yard on each street.
Addresses and permits
Amity and Union Township are the two main municipalities in the Douglassville 19518 ZIP, and Amity also edges into Birdsboro 19508, Boyertown 19512 and Oley 19547 addresses. You apply to the Township Zoning Officer on the township's zoning permit form. New subdivisions may also show a 4 ft vinyl rail buffer fence on reverse-frontage lots, a requirement of the township's subdivision code (§27-506). See our Douglassville page.
What we haven't confirmed
- The permit fee and any online portal: the township permit page didn't open when we checked.
- Whether the permit section names fences explicitly; we read it only as a search excerpt.
- Rules on finished side, easements or electric fences.
Amity's rules here were checked against the township's zoning chapter in October 2026. Codes change, so we confirm with the zoning officer before every install.
Common questions
Can I build a plain chain link fence in Amity Township?
Only with a high-intensity buffer planting that screens it from neighboring properties (§32-916(d)).
How tall can a fence be in Amity?
4 ft in the front yard and 6 ft elsewhere. Security fences and decorative retaining walls are the exceptions to the 6 ft cap.