Short answer
Muhlenberg Township, Berks County, sets one limit for fences and walls: 6 ft, in any yard, with exceptions only for security fences and decorative retaining walls (Zoning §355-98). Nothing may be built in the street right-of-way, and corner lots keep a clear sight triangle. Chain link and wire-mesh fences must be screened from neighbors with landscaping. Pools need a secured fence at least 4 ft high with a self-latching gate. Whether a fence needs a zoning permit isn't spelled out.
Muhlenberg's fence rules
| Rule | What the code says |
|---|---|
| Front yard | 6 ft (the single limit for all fences and walls) |
| Side and rear yards | 6 ft |
| Exceptions | Security fences and decorative retaining walls |
| Corner lots | Keep the clear sight triangle open (§355-97C): nothing between 2.5 ft and 10 ft above centerline grade, with legs of 75, 100 or 150 ft depending on street class (§355-96) |
| Placement | Within and along the edge of any required yard; never in the legal or ultimate street right-of-way |
| Chain link and wire mesh | Must be screened from neighboring properties with landscaping (§355-102) |
| Pools | Pools over 100 sq ft and 24 in deep need a permanent fence at least 4 ft high; secured fence or wall with a self-latching gate (§355-90, §355-108) |
| Barbed wire | Agricultural use only; security fences over 6 ft may carry it on top |
| Permit | Zoning permit for any structure (§355-136); fence-specific wording not found |
Source: Muhlenberg Township Zoning Chapter 355, read October 2026.
Can a front-yard fence be 6 ft in Muhlenberg?
The code doesn't set a lower front-yard number, so 6 ft applies there too. In practice, a front fence is usually limited by the right-of-way and the sight triangle instead. The legal or ultimate right-of-way can run well behind the curb, and the township's sight triangles are larger on busier roads: 100 or 150 ft legs instead of 75 ft. On a corner lot along a collector or arterial street, that can leave little room for anything tall near the corner.
Screening chain link and wire mesh
Muhlenberg treats wire-mesh fences like chain link: both have to be screened from neighboring properties with landscaping (§355-102). That catches welded-wire dog fences and wire garden enclosures as well as standard chain link. If you want an affordable see-through fence without planting a hedge along it, aluminum or a wood picket avoids the screening rule. If chain link is the right fence, we lay it out with room on the neighbor side for the plantings.
Pool fences
Two sections of the code speak to pools. A pool over 100 sq ft and 24 in deep needs a permanent fence at least 4 ft high (§355-90A(4)), and pools must be enclosed by a secured fence or wall at least 4 ft high with a self-latching gate (§355-108A(4)). We build pool barriers to 48 in with self-closing, self-latching gates; the township's inspector has the last word on the rest of the details.
Property lines
Fences can go within and along the edge of any required yard, so a line fence is allowed. If there's doubt about where the line is, the Zoning Officer can require a professional land surveyor to mark it (§355-98B). Where boundary pins are missing, it's worth having the line staked before the permit application rather than after a neighbor objects.
Who's in Muhlenberg
Muhlenberg is a first-class township just north of Reading with about 21,900 residents in 2020 and its own school district. It is the main municipality in the Temple 19560 ZIP, which also reaches into Alsace, Maidencreek, Ontelaunee and Ruscombmanor townships, each with its own code. Wildlife isn't only a farm-country issue here: a tagged black bear was recorded roaming Laureldale Cemetery and Reading Regional Airport. See our Temple page.
Floodplain lots
The township has a Floodplain Overlay District (§355-29). We didn't read its fence provisions, so on any mapped floodplain lot we ask the Engineering and Codes Department before designing the fence.
Applying, and what's unconfirmed
Zoning applications need plans drawn to scale showing the lot and the location of all structures (§355-136B(4)). The zoning chapter requires a permit to erect any structure, but we found no fence-specific language and no fee, and the township website wasn't reachable. Call the Engineering and Codes Department at 610-929-4727; the township office is at 210 George Street, Reading. We also summarized, rather than quoted, the sight-triangle and pool sections.
Checked against Muhlenberg's zoning chapter in October 2026. Codes change, and we confirm with the township before every install.
Common questions
Do I need to plant shrubs along a chain link fence in Muhlenberg?
Yes. §355-102 requires wire-mesh and chain link fences to be screened from neighboring properties with landscaping.
How tall can a fence be in Temple?
If you're in Muhlenberg Township, 6 ft in any yard. Temple addresses in neighboring townships follow those townships' codes.