Sammamish Fence Contractor
Sammamish sits on a plateau of subdivisions built mostly from the 1980s on, between Lake Sammamish and the Snoqualmie Valley. Around Pine Lake, Beaver Lake, Klahanie and Sahalee, many neighborhoods have homeowners associations, and the original fences of the early subdivisions are now reaching the end of their life all at once.
We replace aging cedar fences, build new privacy fences and gates, and work on lakefront and wetland-edge lots where Sammamish has some of the most detailed fence rules in the region.
Schedule your no-obligation on-site consultation today.
The Sammamish Plateau
Subdivisions and associations
Most yards are fenced to a neighborhood standard. Replacing a run means matching it or getting a new design approved; HOA fence approval explains what committees want to see.
Lakes, wetlands and streams
Pine and Beaver lakes, the Lake Sammamish shoreline and the plateau’s wetlands bring shoreline and critical-area rules to a lot of back yards.
Tall firs and wildlife
Wooded lots mean windfall on fences in winter storms and the occasional deer in the garden, so posts and panels should be easy to repair section by section.
Sammamish Fence Rules in Brief
Side and rear: 6 feet, 8 by agreement
Fences are limited to 6 feet in rear and side yards. Runs of up to 32 linear feet may be 8 feet with a neighbor agreement recorded with King County and a Type I permit. No fence may exceed 8 feet.
Front setback: 4 feet
On corner or odd-shaped lots, up to 6 feet is allowed along the street frontage that is not the access, outside the vision triangle.
Walls, berms and sight triangles
A fence on a wall or berm is capped at 10 feet total measured from the low side, unless set back 2 feet from the wall. Sight triangles of 15 by 15 feet must be clear between 42 inches and 8 feet.
Shorelines
In shoreline jurisdiction, fences are limited to 6 feet and not allowed in wetlands, streams or buffers; inside the shoreline setback, only 42-inch open fences. Compare with other cities in fence height rules by city.
Fences for Sammamish Yards
Like-for-like cedar replacement
New cedar built to the neighborhood’s existing design, often with steel posts hidden behind the boards so the replacement outlasts the original.
Composite where HOAs allow it
Some associations now accept composite boards in approved colors, which ends the staining cycle.
Open fences near the lake
Low aluminum fences that meet the 42-inch, non-solid rule inside the shoreline setback.
Typical Sammamish Jobs
Shared-line replacements
Neighbors replacing the fence between them together, with the design, position and cost split agreed before the old fence comes out. See fence replacement.
8-foot privacy sections
Short taller runs beside a patio or hot tub, with the recorded neighbor agreement and permit Sammamish requires.
Windstorm damage
Sections flattened by fallen limbs, repaired to match. See fence repair.
Sammamish Fence Questions
Can I build an 8-foot fence in Sammamish?
Only in short sections — up to 32 linear feet — with a neighbor agreement recorded with King County and a Type I permit. Otherwise, 6 feet in side and rear yards.
How tall can a front-yard fence be?
4 feet in the front yard setback, with a 6-foot allowance along a non-access street frontage on corner and odd-shaped lots.
Do I need a permit for a 6-foot fence in Sammamish?
We did not find a fence-specific permit rule in the city’s building code amendments; the 8-foot sections need a Type I permit. Ask the city for anything taller than 6 feet or near a wetland or shoreline.
Can I fence my lakefront yard?
With limits: 6 feet maximum in shoreline jurisdiction, none in wetlands or buffers, and only a 42-inch open fence within the shoreline setback.
Sources
- SMC 21.06.020 — Fences City of Sammamish
- SMC 21.04.030 — Definitions (sight distance triangle) City of Sammamish
- SMC 25.07 — Shoreline regulations City of Sammamish
Links and figures last checked against these sources: . Codes change — confirm the current rule with the city before you build.