Short answer
For horses, use a highly visible fence with no barbed wire: board, post-and-rail, or no-climb wire mesh, often with an electric offset strand. Goats and sheep need tight woven wire. In Upper Berks, plan for rocky Reading Prong soil and Berks County's colder freezing index when setting corner and gate posts. Check local rules first. The Boyertown-area ordinance allows electric fence only for farm animals, and Upper Hanover requires a permit and a 1 ft line setback.
A pasture fence has a different job from a backyard fence. It has to hold a horse leaning on it, stay visible to a horse running at it, survive years of frost and mowing, and keep animals off the road. The farmettes in Hereford Township, Washington Township (Barto and Bally), Bechtelsville, Upper Hanover (Pennsburg, Red Hill and Palm) and the Zionsville side of Lehigh County add their own conditions.
Matching the fence to the animal
| Animal | What works | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Horses | Board fence, post-and-rail, no-climb (small-opening) wire mesh, coated high-tensile, often with an electric offset wire to keep horses off the top rail | Barbed wire, and wide-opening wire a hoof can go through |
| Goats | Tight woven wire with small openings low down, braced well; an electric strand inside helps with climbers | Split rail alone, or any fence with footholds to climb |
| Sheep | Woven wire, with or without an electric strand | Wide rail spacing they can push through |
| Cattle (small herd) | Woven wire or high-tensile with electric, heavy corners | Light posts at corners and gates |
| Mixed small livestock and poultry | Woven wire with a buried or apron bottom | Chicken wire as the main barrier |
General guidance. Your animals, stocking rate and ground decide the final design.
Horses are the hardest case. They see a fence as something to run alongside, lean over and rub against, and they get hurt on wire they can't see. That's why a white or black board, a wide rail or a visible top strand matters more for horses than for any other animal.
Building on Upper Berks ground
The hills around Hereford, Bally and Barto sit on the Reading Prong. The Eastern Berks regional plan describes gneiss that weathers into gravelly Gladstone soils, with some mapped units that are 25 to 60 percent rubble. In practice that means:
- Line posts on rubble slopes often need a bar and hand work around cobbles, not just an auger.
- Brace assemblies at corners and gates get the deepest, cleanest holes on the job. That's where all the wire tension ends up.
- Irregular holes take more concrete or tamped stone, so we plan for it in the materials list.
- Long runs across a slope need the posts set plumb, not perpendicular to the hill, so the fence doesn't lean downhill over time.
Weather is harder up here too. Penn State's Housing Research Center gives Berks County an Air Freezing Index of 2,000, against 1,500 or less in Montgomery and Lehigh. On paper, a pasture fence in Hereford faces harder freezing than one just across the Lehigh County line in Upper Milford. During Ida in 2021, Huffs Church in Berks recorded 7.43 in of rain, so plan gates and low crossings for runoff as well as frost. More on that in our frost guide.
Township rules that affect farm fences
Washington Township (Barto, Bally, Bechtelsville area)
We didn't find a general fence height limit in Washington Township's zoning chapter. What it does regulate is road frontage. No fence, wall or hedge may go in a public street right-of-way or the clear sight triangle. Near a driveway, the part of a fence within 10 ft of the street right-of-way may not exceed 36 in above the driveway surface, unless the Township Engineer approves an open design such as wire mesh or post-and-rail. That's worth knowing before you plan a solid board fence along a farm lane entrance. Pools there need a 48 in permanent fence.
Upper Hanover Township (Pennsburg, Red Hill, Palm)
Upper Hanover last amended its fence section in July 2025 (Ord. 2025-03). A permit from the Zoning Officer is required when a fence is built, replaced or expanded. Fences must sit at least 1 ft inside every property line, including the road right-of-way line, unless every abutting owner agrees in writing and a copy is filed with the township. Within 5 ft of the road right-of-way, fences are capped at 4 ft. Elsewhere the cap is 6 ft, or 8 ft if the part above 6 ft is at least 4:1 open. Fences can't go in a drainage easement, and the finished side faces the neighbor.
Upper Hanover also allows temporary wire, rolled plastic or wood lath fences only as seasonal snow fences or on construction sites. If you rely on portable paddock fencing, ask the Zoning Officer how the township treats it before you count on it as a boundary.
Boyertown, Colebrookdale and Pike
The joint zoning ordinance for these three allows electrically charged fences only to contain farm animals, and only at low intensity. It bans barbed wire around dwellings in residential districts. Front-yard fences in residential districts must be open and no taller than 4 ft, though the Zoning Officer may approve more to contain animals. Colebrookdale adds a 2 ft setback from lot lines unless the neighbor signs a statement allowing the fence on the line.
Hereford and the Lehigh County townships
We haven't confirmed the fence rules for Hereford Township or for Upper and Lower Milford in Lehigh County. We call those townships before quoting a pasture fence there.
Line fences, loose animals and the law
Where your pasture adjoins another working farm, Pennsylvania's Fence Law makes owners of improved, occupied farmland share the line fence equally, and nobody can be required to build or repair one from December through March. If animals get out, the trespassing-livestock law lets a constable impound them, with notice to the owner within 24 hours and 4 days to pay damages. Our plain-English Fence Law guide explains both. It's general information, not legal advice.
Gates, lanes and the road
- Size field gates for the largest equipment you'll bring through, and hang them on the heaviest posts in the run.
- Keep the road-side fence open and low near driveways to protect sight lines. Washington Township's 36 in rule is the strictest we've seen.
- Put a gate where water naturally crosses the fence line, so you can open it during a storm and keep debris from piling up.
- Double-latch horse gates. Some horses learn to work a single latch.
Upkeep on a farm fence
Walk the line after every big storm and every spring thaw. Look for heaved brace posts, sagging wire and boards a horse has chewed or kicked loose. Wood board fences need paint or stain on a schedule, and electric offsets need the vegetation kept off them. A small repair in April is cheaper than a loose horse on Route 100.
Board, rail and wire farm fences are part of our split rail and farm fence work. We'll walk your pasture lines at the free estimate, note the rock and the frontage rules, and price the bracing and gates separately so you can see where the money goes.
Common questions
Is barbed wire allowed for horses in Berks County?
Several townships allow barbed wire only for agricultural use, and the Boyertown-area ordinance bans it around dwellings in residential districts. Legal or not, we don't recommend barbed wire for horses because of the injury risk.
Do I need a permit to replace a pasture fence in Upper Hanover?
Yes. Under §500-814, as amended by Ordinance 2025-03 (July 2025), a fence permit is required when a fence is built, replaced or expanded, unless the fence was shown in an approved land development. See Upper Hanover's permit and 1 ft setback.
Can I use electric fence for horses near Boyertown?
The joint Boyertown-Colebrookdale-Pike ordinance allows electric fences only to contain farm animals, at low intensity. Horses count as farm animals, but check with the Zoning Officer about your specific setup.