Short answer
Inside Pottstown Borough's historic districts, yes, if the fence will be visible from a public street. The borough code requires a Certificate of Appropriateness for work on any building or structure visible from a public street, and it defines a fence or wall as a structure. The Historical Architectural Review Board (HARB) reviews the application and Borough Council decides. You still need the regular zoning permit too.
What the historic-district chapter covers
Pottstown has a separate chapter for its historic districts. It requires a Certificate of Appropriateness before anyone erects or changes a building or structure that can be seen from a public street, and its definition of "structure" includes a fence or wall. The application goes to the Historical Architectural Review Board first. HARB makes a recommendation, and Borough Council grants or denies the certificate.
Two National Register districts sit in the borough, the High Street Historic District and the Old Pottstown Historic District, along with Pottsgrove Mansion. The town was laid out in 1752-53 as Pottsgrove by ironmaster John Potts, so the older blocks have a long building history. Whether your address falls inside the borough's locally regulated historic district is the first thing to check, and Licensing & Inspections can tell you. We don't assume the local boundary matches the National Register map.
Which fences trigger a review
The test in the code is visibility from a public street, not which yard the fence is in. In practice:
- A front-yard fence on a historic-district lot is almost always visible, so plan on HARB.
- A side-yard fence that can be seen from the street, including the street side of a corner lot, also needs review.
- A rear fence hidden behind the house may not, but many borough lots back onto alleys. Whether a given alley counts as a public street for this rule is a question for the borough before you build, not after.
HARB review and the zoning permit are two separate approvals
The Certificate of Appropriateness doesn't replace the zoning permit. Every fence in the borough still needs a zoning permit under §27-200, and in the Conservation and Gateway districts that application already asks for a street-view photo or sketch and a scale drawing of the fence on the lot (§27-202). A historic-district fence has to satisfy both: the zoning chart's 4 ft picket-or-masonry rule in the front yard, and whatever HARB considers appropriate for the house and block.
| Approval | Who decides | What they look at |
|---|---|---|
| Zoning permit | Zoning Officer | Height, location, material type, finished side out, right-of-way and sight lines |
| Certificate of Appropriateness | HARB recommends, Borough Council decides | Whether the fence suits the historic building and streetscape |
Ask Licensing & Inspections which order they want the two filed in for your address.
Designing a fence that's likely to fit
We can't tell you what HARB will approve. That's the board's call, case by case. What we can do is bring a design that starts from the house. On an older brick rowhouse, that usually means a low picket or iron-look fence that matches the period of the facade. On a Victorian twin, it may be a painted wood picket with a simple post cap. A low brick or stone wall is also on the borough's front-yard list. Our guide to fence styles for High Street and Old Pottstown houses goes through the options by house type.
Steps we follow on a historic-district fence
- Confirm with the borough whether the lot is in the regulated historic district.
- Photograph the house and street and measure the fence line.
- Prepare a drawing, an elevation and product details showing material, color and picket profile.
- File for the Certificate of Appropriateness and the zoning permit as the borough directs.
- Place the PA One Call request and build only once both approvals are in hand.
Build time to the review into your plans. HARB reviews first and Council acts after it, so a historic-district fence takes longer to approve than the same fence a few blocks away. If you're in one of these districts, tell us at the estimate and we'll put the HARB packet together with the zoning application.
Common questions
Does the National Register listing itself restrict my fence?
The restrictions come from the borough's own historic-district chapter, not from the National Register. That's why we confirm the local district boundary for each address.
What if I build without a Certificate of Appropriateness?
The borough can enforce its code against work done without approval, and changing a finished fence costs more than planning it. We don't install historic-district fences until the approvals are issued.
Is a fence in the back yard exempt?
Only if it isn't visible from a public street. Alleys and corner lots make that less obvious than it sounds, so ask the borough.