Short answer
Pottstown Borough requires a zoning permit for any fence (Zoning §27-200). In the borough's Conservation and Gateway districts, which cover its residential neighborhoods and downtown, a front-yard fence can be 4 ft tall and must look like a picket fence or be brick or stone. Side yards along a street are also capped at 4 ft, interior side yards at 6 ft, and every fence goes up with the finished side facing out.
Pottstown fence heights and materials at a glance
| Rule | What the code says |
|---|---|
| Front yard | 4 ft. Vinyl, composite, wood, ornamental iron, aluminum or steel built to look like a picket fence, or brick or stone (§27-317) |
| Side yard next to a street (alleys don't count) | 4 ft. Black vinyl-coated chain link, privacy fence, brick or stone allowed |
| Interior side yard | 6 ft, any common fence material and style |
| Front or side yard where the building abuts the sidewalk | 6 ft |
| Rear yard | Not stated: the chart's rear-yard cells are blank online (see below) |
| Corner lots | The side yard along the second street is held to 4 ft |
| Placement | Finished side faces the neighbor or street (§27-317.2); nothing in the right-of-way (§27-317.3); keep sight distance for cars and people on foot (§27-317.4) |
| Pools | Fence or wall around the pool area or the yard it's in (§27-507.7.B) |
| Prohibited | Barbs and concertina wire only in nonresidential districts, at 7 ft and up |
| Permit | Yes, zoning permit from the Zoning Officer; good for six months |
Source: Pottstown Zoning Chapter 27, §27-317 (Conservation District) and §27-331 (Gateway District), read October 2026.
Why a style rule, not just a height rule
Most townships around us only cap height. Pottstown also tells you what a front fence has to look like. The chart allows one look in the front yard: a picket profile, in wood, vinyl, composite, ornamental iron, aluminum or steel, or a brick or stone wall. A 4 ft solid board fence or a 4 ft plain chain link fence in the front yard doesn't fit the chart, even though it meets the height. The code also says only one fence type from the chart's material choices may be used, so plan a single style along the front instead of mixing picket and masonry.
Pottstown was laid out in 1752-53 as Pottsgrove by ironmaster John Potts, and today about 23,400 people live in roughly 10,700 homes on under 5 square miles. On blocks that tight, the front fence is part of the streetscape, which is what the style rule protects.
Corner lots, alleys and sidewalk-front houses
A corner twin on one of the side streets off High Street has a side yard facing a street. That side yard drops to 4 ft, so a 6 ft privacy run can't continue down the street side. The chart does let you use a privacy fence or black vinyl-coated chain link there, as long as it stays at 4 ft. Alleys are carved out of the street-side rule, which matters for the many lots that back onto an alley.
Where the house itself sits right at the sidewalk, as many older Pottstown homes do, the front or side yard beside it can take a 6 ft fence.
Historic districts: one more approval
The High Street and Old Pottstown historic districts are on the National Register. Inside the borough's historic districts, work on any structure visible from a public street needs a Certificate of Appropriateness, which goes through the Historical Architectural Review Board and then Borough Council, and the borough's historic-district chapter treats a fence as a structure. Our HARB question page walks through it.
Pools in the borough
The zoning code doesn't set a pool-fence height. It requires a fence or wall around either the pool area or the whole yard where the pool sits, keeps pools out of the front yard, and sets them back 7 ft from side lines and 10 ft from rear lines (4 ft for storable pools). Every new or replacement pool needs a permit from Licensing and Inspections, and the barrier itself is checked under the state building code.
Which addresses this covers
A Pottstown mailing address doesn't mean the borough. ZIP 19464 also reaches Lower, Upper and West Pottsgrove townships, and 19465 is the Chester County side across the Schuylkill. Each has its own fence code. Check your tax bill, or see our address guide and the Pottstown service page.
How the permit works
- Apply to the Zoning Officer through Licensing and Inspections (610-970-6520).
- In the Conservation and Gateway districts, include a photo or sketch of how the fence will look from the street and a scale drawing of where it sits on the lot (§27-202).
- Pay the fee set by Borough Council resolution (we didn't find the current amount).
- Build within six months, when the permit runs out.
What we haven't confirmed
- The rear-yard height. The §27-317 and §27-331 charts show blank cells for rear yards. They may share the side-yard values (4 ft beside a street, 6 ft otherwise), but the code as published doesn't say so.
- Fence rules for residential lots outside the Conservation and Gateway districts.
- The current permit fee.
We read these rules from Pottstown's zoning chapter in October 2026. Ordinances get amended, so before every Pottstown job we call the Zoning Officer to confirm the rear-yard limit and anything else that applies to your lot.
Common questions
Can I build a 6 ft privacy fence in my Pottstown front yard?
Not in the Conservation or Gateway districts. The front-yard limit there is 4 ft and the fence must be picket style or brick or stone. Privacy height belongs in interior side yards and, subject to confirmation, the rear yard.
Which side of the fence faces my neighbor in Pottstown?
The finished side. §27-317.2 says all fences go up with the finished side facing outward, toward the neighboring property or the street.
Can I use chain link in Pottstown?
In an interior side yard, yes: any common fence material is allowed there. On a side yard facing a street, the chart allows black vinyl-coated chain link at 4 ft. It isn't listed for front yards.