Kingman & Golden Valley, AZ · current as of 2026-08-26
Kingman fence rules, permits & height limits
Inside Kingman city limits, a solid fence tops out at 3 feet in front and 6 feet at the side or rear; in unincorporated Mohave County (including Golden Valley), the cap is 4 feet in front and 6 feet minimum for a view-obscuring fence. Which rulebook applies depends on whether your lot sits inside the city — not on your ZIP code.
Step 1: Which jurisdiction is your lot in?
A Kingman-addressed property is not necessarily inside the City of Kingman. Golden Valley, Butler, Valle Vista, Chloride, and Dolan Springs all use Kingman-area ZIP codes but sit in unincorporated Mohave County, where county zoning — not the city's — applies.
- 1. Check your address against the City of Kingman's official boundary, or call City of Kingman Planning & Zoning at 928-753-8130 and ask directly whether your parcel is inside city limits.
- 2. If you're not sure, or you're outside city limits, call Mohave County Planning & Zoning at 928-757-0903 — they can confirm your zoning district and which fence rules apply.
- 3. Have your parcel number or address ready — either office can look up your zoning district faster with it than with an address alone.
Or use the two-question tool on the home page to get a quick answer.
City of Kingman fence rules
| Location | Solid fence/wall | Chain-link (no slats) / decorative wrought iron |
|---|---|---|
| Front setback | 3 ft | 4 ft |
| Side / rear setback | 6 ft (8 ft for a masonry wall between multi-family and adjoining single-family lots) | — |
Chain-link fitted with slats is treated as a solid fence and is capped at 3 feet in the front setback, not 4 feet. Source: Kingman Zoning Code Table 4-50.050.A (Ordinance 1924, amended by Ordinance 1993, effective April 21, 2026). (KGM-016)
Permit
Minor Improvement Permit
Most fences need this permit under §4-50.030 and §2-40.060 — a lighter process than a full building permit, but still required. Call City of Kingman Planning & Zoning to confirm your specific project.
Allowed materials
12-item list, §4-50.040.A
Includes chain-link, masonry, stucco, redwood/cedar wood, vinyl PVC, wrought iron, split rail, and bamboo, among others.
Barbed wire
≤5 ft, restricted placement
Allowed on side/rear property lines of residential lots ≥40,000 sq ft, or on any property line in R-R/ROS zoning districts.
Pool barrier setback
Outside front yard, ≥4 ft from property line
§3-80.580, single-family/manufactured-home zones — layered on top of the state barrier-height rule below.
Mohave County fence rules (Golden Valley & unincorporated areas)
| Location / type | Limit |
|---|---|
| Front yard, standard residential districts | 4 ft (Traffic Safety Committee review required to go taller) |
| View-obscuring fence (any location) | 6 ft minimum, unless the Board of Supervisors directs otherwise |
| Barred view-obscuring materials | Plastic sheeting, shade cloth, used garage doors, non-remanufactured recycled sheet metal |
| Building permit trigger | Commercial/industrial perimeter fencing over $500 in construction cost |
Source: Mohave County zoning Section 27. (KGM-011) Confirm your specific zoning district with Mohave County Planning & Zoning at 928-757-0903 — county zoning has more district-specific variation than the city code.
Building or ranching on acreage in Golden Valley? See the Golden Valley fencing page for the livestock/ranch fencing angle.
Before you build: find your actual property line
Neither the city nor the county rules above tell you exactly where your lot ends. An existing fence, tree line, or curb is not proof of the property line, and building on a neighbor's side of it is a common and expensive mistake to unwind. The only reliable way to know is a survey by a registered Arizona land surveyor before you set the first post — cheap insurance against a fence that has to move.
Pool fence requirements
Arizona state law (A.R.S. §36-1681) requires a barrier around most residential pools and spas, regardless of which Kingman-area jurisdiction you're in. Kingman adds a location-specific setback rule on top.
Arizona state law · A.R.S. §36-1681
- Barrier at least 5 feet tall
- No opening large enough to pass a 4-inch sphere
- Barrier at least 20 inches from the water's edge
- Gate opens outward, self-closing and self-latching, latch ≥54 inches above ground (or padlock/keyed lock)
(AZ-011)
City of Kingman · §3-80.580
- Pool/spa water's edge must sit outside the front yard
- At least 4 ft from the property line (single-family/manufactured-home zones)
(KGM-016)
See the wrought iron & ornamental fence page for pool-fence material options.
How height is measured — and why it can differ from your tape
A height cap only means something once you know where the measurement starts, and on Kingman's stepped and sloping lots that is not always obvious.
- From the higher finished grade. Where adjoining properties sit at different elevations, the Kingman Zoning Code measures fence height from the higher side (§4-50.050.B). A fence that measures 6 feet from your yard can be over the cap as measured from a neighbor's higher one.
- Site-visibility triangles. Corner lots and driveway approaches are subject to separate visibility standards (§4-50.050.C, cross-referencing Division 4-60) that can restrict height below the table above. If your lot touches an intersection, raise this specifically.
- Utility easements. No fence or wall may sit within a utility easement without the easement holder's authorization (§4-50.050.D). Easements are recorded against the parcel and show in a title report.
- Low decorative walls. Decorative walls of 3 feet or less that are an integral part of a landscaping scheme are allowed in all required yards, regardless of the placement table.
(KGM-016)
What you're allowed to build it out of
The two jurisdictions approach materials from opposite directions, which trips people up when they move a project from one to the other.
City of Kingman · a permitted list
§4-50.040.A names what is allowed: chain-link (with or without wood or vinyl slats, or double picket weaving), masonry, stucco, redwood/cedar or other wood, vinyl PVC, vinyl-coated polyester, stacked railroad ties, wrought iron, wooden picket, split rail, bamboo screens or living plants — or a similar product approved by the Director. (KGM-016)
Mohave County · a barred list
Section 27 does the reverse and names what may not be used as view-obscuring fencing: plastic sheeting, shade cloth, used garage doors, and non-remanufactured recycled sheet metal. (KGM-011) The county also sets standards for earthen berms — 5 ft minimum setback, lots over 2.5 net acres only, 1½:1 maximum design slope, with no minimum setback for natural berms.
The county side in full detail — including how to go over the 4-foot front cap — is on the Golden Valley & Mohave County height rules guide.
One rule people miss entirely: emergency access
Inside Kingman city limits, one gate per residential lot is required to give emergency access to side and rear yards (§4-50.040.B.5). It is easy to design a fully enclosed rear yard without one and only discover the requirement at inspection — and it is a sensible thing to have regardless of what a code says. (KGM-016)
The third rulebook: HOAs and CC&Rs
This page covers the two public rulebooks. If your property sits in a subdivision with a homeowners association or recorded covenants, conditions and restrictions, there is a third — and it is a private contract, not a public code.
A private restriction can be stricter than zoning on height, material, color, and where a fence may run relative to the front of the house, and approval typically runs through an architectural review process on its own timeline. Being inside the city's height limit does not make a fence compliant with a covenant. Read the recorded document rather than a summary, and get any approval in writing before ordering material.
What if the fence is already up — or already wrong?
Two situations come up often enough to address directly.
An inherited fence that does not match today's rules. Fences built under earlier versions of a code, or built without approval, are common. What that means for you specifically — whether it can stay, and what happens if it is repaired or replaced — is a question only the jurisdiction can answer about your parcel. Ask before you scope a repair large enough to count as a new installation. The fence repair page covers where that line tends to fall.
Building first and asking later. The City of Kingman's own Planning & Zoning guidance warns that structures placed in the front setback without permits "can cause problems and additional fines." (KGM-015) The permit process for a fence inside city limits is the lighter Minor Improvement Permit rather than a full building permit, so the cost of doing it properly is small relative to the cost of moving a finished fence.
Either way, the call is free: City of Kingman Planning & Zoning at 928-753-8130, or Mohave County Planning & Zoning at 928-757-0903. Note the date, who you spoke to, and what they confirmed — a dated note naming the person at the counter is worth considerably more later than a memory of a phone call.
Common questions
How tall can a fence be in Kingman city limits?
Under the Kingman Zoning Code (Table 4-50.050.A, in effect as of April 2026), a solid fence or wall is capped at 3 feet in the front setback and 6 feet at the side or rear. Chain-link with no slats, or decorative wrought iron, can reach 4 feet in the front setback. A masonry wall between a multi-family lot and an adjoining single-family lot can go to 8 feet at the side/rear. (KGM-016)
How tall can a fence be in Golden Valley or unincorporated Mohave County?
County zoning Section 27 caps residential front-yard fencing at 4 feet and requires any view-obscuring fence to be at least 6 feet, unless the Board of Supervisors directs otherwise. Plastic sheeting, shade cloth, used garage doors, and non-remanufactured recycled sheet metal are barred as view-obscuring materials. (KGM-011)
Do I need a permit for a fence in Kingman?
Most fences inside city limits need a Minor Improvement Permit under Kingman Zoning Code §4-50.030 and §2-40.060 — a lighter-weight process than a full building permit, but still a required city sign-off. In unincorporated Mohave County, a building permit is required only for commercial or industrial perimeter fencing over $500 in construction cost; typical residential fencing does not require one. Confirm your specific project with the jurisdiction before you build. (KGM-016, KGM-011)
Is barbed wire legal in Kingman?
Inside city limits, barbed wire is capped at 5 feet and is only allowed on side/rear property lines of residential lots of 40,000 square feet or larger, or on any property line in R-R or ROS zoning districts. Unincorporated Mohave County is generally more permissive for agricultural/ranch fencing — confirm your zoning district with the county before installing barbed wire on a smaller in-town-style lot. (KGM-016)
What are Arizona's pool fence requirements?
A.R.S. §36-1681 requires a barrier at least 5 feet tall around most residential pools, with no opening large enough to pass a 4-inch sphere, set at least 20 inches back from the water's edge, and any gate must open outward and be self-closing and self-latching with the latch at least 54 inches above the ground. The City of Kingman adds its own rule on top: pool/spa water's edge must sit outside the front yard and at least 4 feet from the property line in single-family and manufactured-home zones. (AZ-011, KGM-016)
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