Federal Way Fence Contractor
Federal Way is a city of lakes and hills: Steel Lake, North Lake and Mirror Lake among its neighborhoods, wetlands threaded between subdivisions, and bluffs above Puget Sound at Dash Point and Dumas Bay. Most homes date from the 1960s onward, and a lot of their fences are due for replacement.
We build and replace privacy fences, gates and front-yard fences across Federal Way, from Twin Lakes and Lakota to Camelot and Mirror Lake, and fence commercial and multifamily properties along the Pacific Highway corridor.
Schedule your no-obligation on-site consultation today.
Federal Way Lots and Landscape
Lakefront and wetland-edge yards
Homes around the lakes and the wetlands between neighborhoods often back onto critical-area buffers, where permit exemptions do not apply and fence placement is limited.
Rockeries everywhere
Sloping lots are held up by rockeries and retaining walls. When one is within 5 feet of the fence, Federal Way caps the two together at 6 feet.
Subdivisions and multifamily
Planned neighborhoods whose covenants set fence standards, and apartment communities that need perimeter fencing.
Federal Way Fence Rules in Brief
6 feet in required yards
Fences and railings not over 6 feet may be located in required yards. The code sets no separate, lower front-yard limit — but sight triangles still apply.
Fence plus rockery: 6 feet
If a rockery or retaining wall is within 5 feet of the fence, the combined height is capped at 6 feet; a required safety rail up to 3½ feet may be added, up to 9½ feet combined.
Sight distance
Nothing may sit in the sight-distance triangle at intersections and driveways between 2.5 and 10 feet above the pavement edge; the triangle’s size depends on the street’s speed.
Permits and wire
The city lists fences not over 6 feet as permit-exempt, but not in critical areas; confirm the threshold with the Permit Center for anything taller. Razor wire is prohibited, barbed wire only atop a fence or wall of at least 6 feet, and electric fences generally not permitted. Compare in fence height rules by city.
Fences for Federal Way Homes
Fences set back from rockeries
Moving the fence more than 5 feet from a rockery restores the full 6 feet — or a lower fence on top where the space is not there.
Open fences by the water
Aluminum along lake and view edges, with pool-barrier gates where needed.
Vinyl and cedar privacy
Standard 6-foot privacy between subdivision yards, in vinyl or cedar.
Federal Way Jobs
Apartment and commercial perimeters
Chain link, ornamental steel and access gates along Pacific Highway and the city center. See commercial fencing.
Old fence replacement
Removing fences from the 1970s and 80s and building new ones on the surveyed line. See fence replacement.
Gate rebuilds
Dropped and dragging gates rebuilt on steel frames. See gate repair.
Federal Way Fence Questions
How tall can a fence be in Federal Way?
6 feet in required yards, including the front, subject to sight-distance triangles — and 6 feet combined with a rockery or retaining wall within 5 feet.
Do I need a permit?
The city lists fences up to 6 feet as exempt, except in critical areas. Ask the Permit Center before building anything taller.
My lot backs onto a wetland. Can I fence it?
Fences up to 6 feet are allowed in the 5-foot buffer setback, and the city can require fencing along a buffer edge — but not inside the buffer itself without review.
Can I install an electric fence?
Generally not; Federal Way allows them only for certain agricultural, commercial or government uses.
Sources
- FWRC 19.125 — Outdoors, yards and landscaping (fences, 19.125.120–.160) City of Federal Way
- FWRC 19.135 — Development improvements (19.135.310, sight distance) City of Federal Way
- Residential permit exemptions City of Federal Way
- FWRC 13.22 — Building code (13.22.030, exemptions in critical areas) City of Federal Way
Links and figures last checked against these sources: . Codes change — confirm the current rule with the city before you build.