Short answer
Lower Salford Township limits fences in a required front yard to 4 ft and requires them to be at least 50% open; side and rear fences can be 6 ft (8 ft in industrial districts), per Zoning §164-17. Anything taller needs a Zoning Hearing Board special exception. New fences are prohibited in the Floodplain Conservation District, and lots backing onto the township's golf-course development have their own fence rule. Fence permit details weren't re-verified this month.
| Rule | What the code says |
|---|---|
| Front yard | 4 ft within a required front yard, at least 50% open (§164-17) |
| Side and rear yards | 6 ft; 8 ft in industrial districts |
| Taller fences | Zoning Hearing Board special exception |
| Corner lots and intersections | No fence or structure that obstructs vision; clear sight triangles at street and driveway intersections, sized in the subdivision ordinance (§164-14) |
| Floodplain | Fences and retaining walls prohibited as new permanent structures in the Floodplain Conservation District (§164-97.1A) |
| Golf-course lots (R-1A) | No fencing on lots whose rear yards abut the course unless required for a pool; then a specified 4 ft black flat-top aluminum fence with a 2 ft shrub buffer outside (§164-27.1) |
| Pools | Allowed as accessory uses under the pool rules in Chapter 58 Building Construction |
| Exempt from height limits | Retaining walls and walls of permitted buildings |
| Permit | Code requires a permit before any structure is built (§164-128); fence-specific guidance unconfirmed |
Source: Lower Salford Zoning Chapter 164 and SALDO Chapter 142, read October 2026.
What counts as 50% open in a Harleysville front yard?
Lower Salford doesn't just ask for an open fence. It says how to measure it: openness is checked along any line perpendicular to the fence, through its full thickness. A board-on-board or shadowbox design can look airy at an angle, but straight on, the overlapping boards close the gaps, so it fails. Spaced picket, aluminum, split rail and post-and-board styles with real gaps are what pass. We size picket spacing so the open area is at least equal to the solid area before we draw the plan.
Floodplain lots along the creeks
The East Branch Perkiomen Creek and Skippack Creek both drain the township. In the Floodplain Conservation District, the zoning code lists fences and retaining walls among the permanent structures that are prohibited as new construction. If your lot runs down to one of the creeks, the fence may have to stop at the district line. We check the floodplain map for your parcel before quoting, and our flood country guide covers what to do with the part you can't fence.
Golf-course lots
In the R-1A golf-course residential development, lots whose rear yards back onto the course can't be fenced at all unless a fence is needed for a swimming pool. When it is, the code names the fence: a 4 ft black flat-top aluminum model (Ultra UAF-201) or an equivalent the Board approves, with shrubs at least 2 ft high planted on the course side. Pools and their fences can sit inside the 35 ft rear setback but must stay out of the golf hole's safety zone.
Village houses and chicken runs
Two smaller rules come up here more than elsewhere. In the MU Mixed-Use District, the subdivision ordinance calls for village houses to have a front yard enclosed by an ornamental wall or wooden fence 24 to 36 in high. And for backyard flocks, a chicken run needs a zoning permit and a fence at least 4 ft high that extends 1 ft underground, in the rear yard and at least 15 ft from property lines (§164-15B(5)).
Who lives under Lower Salford's rules
The township's villages are Harleysville, Lederach, Mainland and Vernfield, settled largely by German, Swiss and Dutch farm families; about 15,900 people lived here in 2020. It includes Heckler Plains, a 36-acre former farmstead park with a 1761 barn, and the township-owned Lederach Golf Club. Most addresses are Harleysville 19438, but Harleysville also covers parts of Upper Salford, Franconia and other townships with different codes, and some Lower Salford homes have Schwenksville addresses. See our Harleysville page.
Permits, and what's still open
The code says no structure may be built without a permit (§164-128) and that zoning applications include a scaled plan showing the structure relative to property and road lines (§164-129). In September 2026, the township's permit page said fences need Zoning Officer approval and replacement in kind is exempt. We couldn't reopen it this month, so that and the fee are unconfirmed. We also haven't read the Chapter 58 pool-barrier rules or the sight-triangle dimensions in Chapter 142, and found no code language on the finished side, rights-of-way, easements, barbed wire or electric fences.
Rules on this page were read from Lower Salford's code in October 2026. Ordinances change, and we verify the current version with the zoning office before each install.
Common questions
Can I put a solid 4 ft fence in my Lower Salford front yard?
No. In a required front yard the fence must be at least 50% open, measured straight through the fence. Solid or overlapping-board styles belong in side and rear yards.
Can I fence near the creek behind my house?
Not if that part of the lot is in the Floodplain Conservation District. New fences are prohibited there under §164-97.1A.