Short answer
A Pottstown mailing address can mean Pottstown Borough, Lower, Upper or West Pottsgrove, or North Coventry, East Coventry or South Coventry in Chester County, among others. Gilbertsville (19525) is mostly Douglass Township (Montgomery) and New Hanover. Boyertown (19512) covers the borough plus Colebrookdale, Douglass (Berks), Earl and parts of five more townships. Fence rules come from the municipality on your tax bill, not the town in your address. Front-yard limits, permits and chain-link rules differ across these lines.
A common assumption goes, "I'm in Pottstown, so the Pottstown rules apply." Often they don't. The U.S. Postal Service draws ZIP codes around delivery routes, and those routes ignore township and county lines. The Pottstown name alone covers two ZIP codes in two counties. Your fence permit comes from whichever borough or township your lot actually sits in.
How to find your real municipality
- Check your property tax bill or deed. Both name the municipality and county. This is the most reliable source.
- Use the school district as a hint, not proof. Pottstown Borough is in the Pottstown School District, Lower Pottsgrove in Pottsgrove, North Coventry in Owen J. Roberts, Limerick and Royersford in Spring-Ford, and Boyertown, Colebrookdale and Upper Frederick in Boyertown Area. Districts span several municipalities, so a district narrows it down without settling it.
- Ask us. We look up the parcel before every estimate, because the answer decides which fence code we design to.
Pottstown addresses: ZIP 19464 (Montgomery) and 19465 (Chester)
The 19464 ZIP sits north of the Schuylkill in Montgomery County. 19465 sits south of the river in Chester County. Between them they cover the borough, three Pottsgrove townships and several Coventry townships, plus slivers of others. Even township offices use the Pottstown name. East Coventry's township building is at 855 Ellis Woods Road, Pottstown PA 19465, and Upper Pottsgrove's office is at 1441 Laura Lane, Pottstown.
| Municipality | County | Fence rules in brief |
|---|---|---|
| Pottstown Borough | Montgomery | Zoning permit required; residential front yards 4 ft, picket or masonry only; interior side yards 6 ft; side yards on a street 4 ft |
| Upper Pottsgrove Township | Montgomery | Permit required; 6 ft cap in required yards with an openness rule above 4 ft; every road-facing yard on a corner lot is a front yard |
| West Pottsgrove Township (Stowe) | Montgomery | Front yards 4 ft and at least half open, no privacy fences; side and rear 6 ft; deer fencing up to 8 ft; permit not confirmed |
| Lower Pottsgrove Township (Sanatoga) | Montgomery | Not yet confirmed; we check with the township |
| North Coventry Township | Chester | Zoning permit required; 6 ft in required yards; 75 ft clear sight triangle on corner lots |
| East Coventry Township | Chester | 6 ft in required yards; pool fences 4 ft with key-locking gates; fence permit not confirmed |
| South Coventry Township | Chester | Zoning ordinance not online; fence rules in a township guideline we haven't been able to read |
| Limerick, New Hanover, Douglass (Montgomery) | Montgomery | Small parts of the 19464 area; see below and the Gilbertsville table |
Summaries from each municipality's code as read in October 2026. Full details on our rules pages.
Lower Pottsgrove is a good example of how tangled the local map is. It was formed in 1806 from parts of Douglass and New Hanover townships, and in 1954 it became a first-class township to block annexation by Pottstown. So Sanatoga homes have a Pottstown address and sit next to the borough, but they are governed by a different township.
Gilbertsville (19525) and the two Douglass Townships
There are two Douglass Townships next to each other, in two counties, with different fence codes. Douglass Township in Montgomery County includes Gilbertsville itself, plus Congo, Englesville, Niantic and Sassamansville. Douglass Township in Berks County lies just over the county line, around Boyertown and Douglassville. Englesville even straddles the line: Colebrookdale Township in Berks counts it as one of its villages too.
| Municipality | County | Fence rules in brief |
|---|---|---|
| Douglass Township (Montgomery) | Montgomery | Not yet confirmed; we check with the township before quoting |
| New Hanover Township | Montgomery | Front yards 4 ft, other yards 6 ft (hedges too); nothing in the ultimate right-of-way; 25 ft corner sight triangle, 50 ft on collector or arterial roads |
| Upper and Lower Pottsgrove, Upper Frederick | Montgomery | Smaller parts of 19525; see the Pottstown table above (Upper Frederick not yet confirmed) |
If your neighbor across the county line put up bare chain link, that doesn't mean you can. Douglass Township in Berks allows chain link only with a landscaped screen that hides it from neighbors and the street. We haven't confirmed whether the Montgomery County Douglass has any similar rule.
Boyertown (19512) and Douglassville (19518)
The 19512 ZIP covers Boyertown Borough and parts of several surrounding Berks townships. Boyertown, Colebrookdale and Pike share one joint zoning ordinance, which makes those three easy. The others each have their own code.
| Municipality | ZIP codes it touches | Fence rules in brief |
|---|---|---|
| Boyertown Borough | 19512 | Permit required; front yards 4 ft and at least 1:1 open; 6.5 ft elsewhere |
| Colebrookdale Township | 19512 and the Bally-Barto-Bechtelsville ZIPs | Same joint ordinance as the borough, plus a 2 ft setback from lot lines unless the neighbor signs off |
| Pike Township | 19512 (part), 19547 | Same joint ordinance as the borough |
| Douglass Township (Berks) | 19512, 19518 | 6 ft cap; chain link only with a landscaped screen; barbed wire for farm use only |
| Amity Township | 19518 | Permit required; front yards 4 ft, 6 ft elsewhere; chain link must be screened with buffer planting |
| Exeter Township | 19606, 19508, part of 19518 | Permit required; no numeric height cap, but fences over 10 ft must be 5 ft from the lot line |
| Earl, Union, District, Oley | 19512, 19518 and others | Not yet confirmed; we check with the township |
| Washington Township (Berks) | Bally-Barto-Bechtelsville ZIPs, part of 19512 | No general height limit found; strict sight-line limits near driveways |
It isn't only the fence code that changes
- Frost. Penn State rates Berks County colder for frost design (an Air Freezing Index of 2,000) than Montgomery or Chester (1,500 or less). See frost in Berks vs. Montgomery.
- Deer rules. The Game Commission's Southeast Special Regulations Area includes Montgomery and Chester counties but not Berks.
- Pool barriers. Amity and Douglass (Berks) cap pool-fence gaps at 2 in, while Exeter allows openings up to 4 in.
- Who answers the phone. Some Berks municipalities use outside consultants for zoning. Boyertown and Colebrookdale list LTL Consultants. Confirm who issues the permit before you apply.
What we do before your estimate
Before we visit, we look up the parcel, confirm the municipality and pull its fence section. If the code isn't online or a rule is unclear, we call the zoning office. Then the quote reflects the code you're actually under. If you're not sure which township you're in, send us your address with your estimate request and we'll tell you before we arrive.
Common questions
My address says Pottstown. Do I need a permit from Pottstown Borough?
Only if your lot is inside the borough. Many Pottstown addresses are in Lower, Upper or West Pottsgrove, or in North Coventry, East Coventry or South Coventry in Chester County, and each has its own permit process.
Is Gilbertsville a borough?
No. Gilbertsville is a village, mostly in Douglass Township, Montgomery County, with parts of the 19525 ZIP in New Hanover and neighboring townships. Fence permits come from the township.
Is chain link allowed in Douglass Township?
It depends which one. Douglass Township in Berks County allows chain link only with a landscaped screen. See our answer for Douglass (Berks). We haven't confirmed the Montgomery County township's rule.