Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, MD
Fences for Annapolis Yards, Historic District Rules Included
Fences work hard on Annapolis lots. With only about four in ten homes detached, and rear yards in Murray Hill, Eastport, and the historic core measured in feet rather than acres, a fence is often the only thing between your patio and the neighbor's kitchen window. Roso installs wood privacy, picket, vinyl, and aluminum fences across the city, styled and sized for those close quarters.
Annapolis is the only place in Anne Arundel County where the city, not the county, reviews your fence, and inside the Historic District every new or altered fence or wall needs a Certificate of Approval from the Historic Preservation Commission even when no building permit is required. Outside the city line, in Cape St. Claire or on the Broadneck peninsula, Anne Arundel County handles the review. Knowing which office you answer to is the first thing we settle.
Along Spa Creek, Back Creek, and the Severn, the city's Critical Area overlay limits clearing in the 100-foot buffer, so fence lines near the water are routed with that in mind. Salt air on those lots also makes aluminum and vinyl the longer-lived choices over unfinished wood.
Planning locally
What to know before building a fence in Annapolis
- Historic District fences need a Certificate of Approval
- In the Annapolis Historic District, the Historic Preservation Commission must approve any new or altered fence or wall before it is built, whether or not a building permit is otherwise required. Style, height, material, and visibility from the street are the usual points of review, and front-yard fences draw the closest look. We prepare the drawing and material description for your application and confirm the applicable guidelines with the Historic Preservation Division. Source: City of Annapolis, Historic Preservation Division
- City Planning and Zoning inside the city line
- Inside the city, the Department of Planning and Zoning reviews fences against the city's zoning rules on height and placement, and issues any permit required. Whether your fence needs a permit depends on its height and location, so confirm for your property; we check the rule for your address before quoting. Source: City of Annapolis, Building Permit Information
- Annapolis addresses under county review
- Cape St. Claire, Annapolis Neck, and the Broadneck peninsula use Annapolis addresses but sit outside the city. Anne Arundel County reviews fences there as residential accessory structures, with county rules for corner lots, pool enclosures, and waterfront properties. Anne Arundel County also requires a waiver for a fence in the 100-year floodplain. Source: Anne Arundel County, Residential Accessory Structure permit
- Critical Area buffer along the tidal creeks
- Within the city's Critical Area overlay, clearing and ground disturbance in the 100-foot buffer along Spa Creek, Back Creek, and the Severn are restricted, and a fence line through the buffer may need a buffer management plan. We stop or bend the fence at the buffer line where we can and confirm the buffer location for your lot. Source: City of Annapolis, Critical Area Overlay ordinance O-27-19
Requirements vary by property and change over time. We confirm the current rules for your address as part of every estimate rather than assuming.
Design and materials
Fences that suit Annapolis homes
What Roso builds
- Wood privacy fence
- Picket and decorative wood
- Vinyl privacy and picket
- Aluminum ornamental
- Gates and hardware
- Fence removal and replacement
- Shorter privacy runs on compact lots
- A six-foot solid fence on all three sides of a 25-foot-wide Eastport yard makes it feel like a shipping container. We usually recommend six-foot board-on-board only along the side where you actually need screening, a four-foot picket or lattice-topped section elsewhere, and a gate placed where the trash cans and bikes actually travel.
- Painted wood picket where the Historic District looks
- Front and side-street fences in the Historic District are the ones the commission examines most closely, and traditional painted or stained wood picket in simple profiles is the safest starting point for approval. Vinyl and aluminum are easier to get approved for rear yards out of public view. We draw two options when the visibility is in question.
- Aluminum along the creeks and around pools
- On Spa Creek and Back Creek lots, black aluminum ornamental fencing does not rust in salt air, keeps the water view open, and, with self-closing and self-latching gates, meets pool-barrier rules. It is also the material least likely to be affected by the occasional high tide on floodplain blocks.
Scope and estimate
What shapes a fence estimate
We price after a site visit, not from a form. These are the factors your written estimate will itemize.
Linear footage
Fence is priced largely by the foot, so longer runs cost more but usually less per foot.
Material and style
Pressure-treated privacy is typically the most economical; cedar, vinyl, and aluminum cost more per foot.
Height
Taller fences use longer posts and more material and may require a permit or variance.
Gates
Each walk or drive gate adds hardware and labor. Wide drive gates need heavier posts.
Terrain and obstacles
Slopes, rock, roots, tight access, and existing fence removal all add time.
Corners and ends
Complex layouts with many corners need more posts and cuts than a simple rectangle.
How it works
From estimate to finished fence
Step 1: Estimate request
Tell us the purpose of the fence, rough footage if you know it, and your ZIP code.
Step 2: Site walk and layout
We locate the property line with you, measure runs, note grade changes and obstacles, and discuss style and gate locations.
Step 3: Written estimate
Footage, style, height, gates, and any removal itemized so you can compare options.
Step 4: Permits, HOA, and utility marking
We confirm whether your county requires a permit at your height, help with HOA submittals, and have utilities marked before digging.
Step 5: Installation and walkthrough
Posts, rails, panels, and gates installed, debris removed, and a final walkthrough with you.
FAQs
Fences in Annapolis: your questions
Answers specific to fence projects in Annapolis. General fences questions are covered on our main fences page.
Inside the city, the Department of Planning and Zoning decides based on the fence's height and location, and in the Historic District a Certificate of Approval from the Historic Preservation Commission is needed regardless of whether a building permit is. Outside the city line, Anne Arundel County reviews fences as accessory structures. We confirm the requirement for your address and file the application when one is needed.
Style, height, material, and how visible the fence is from the street or other public way. Front-yard and side-street fences get the closest review; rear-yard fences out of public view usually have more flexibility. The Certificate of Approval must be in hand before installation. We prepare a scaled drawing and material description for the application and adjust the design to what the guidelines favor.
Anne Arundel County, because Cape St. Claire is outside the city limits despite the 21409 address. The county reviews fences as residential accessory structures and has its own rules for corner lots, pools, and waterfront properties. The Historic Preservation Commission and the city's zoning rules do not apply there.
Often not all the way. The city's Critical Area overlay restricts clearing and disturbance in the 100-foot buffer along tidal water, and a fence line through the buffer may need a buffer management plan. We typically end the fence at the buffer line or turn it to avoid shoreline vegetation, and we confirm the buffer location for your lot before setting posts.
Vinyl or aluminum if you want no upkeep, because a fence this close to the house is in view from every window and shows weathering fast. Wood board-on-board or picket, painted or stained, is the most economical and the most likely to satisfy Historic District review where that applies. We often mix them: wood on the visible side, vinyl or aluminum in the back.
Carefully. Older Annapolis lots often have fences that were built off the true line decades ago, and the neighbor may assume the old fence marks the boundary. We ask for your plat or survey, locate pins where they exist, and recommend a survey when they cannot be found, because moving a fence after a dispute costs more than the survey.
Most Annapolis yards are fenced in one to three days on site once materials are delivered and utilities are marked. Narrow streets and alleys can slow material delivery, and post concrete needs a day before gates are hung. Historic District and city review happen before installation and vary by property.
Free estimate
Request a free fence estimate in Annapolis
Tell us about your Annapolis project. We'll follow up to schedule a site visit and send a written estimate.
What happens next
- Tell us about your project. Send the estimate form or call. Share your project type, ZIP code, and what you have in mind so we can prepare for the conversation.
- Site visit and measurements. We walk the property with you, measure, check grade and access, and talk through layout, materials, and anything that affects cost.
- Written estimate. You receive a written estimate that spells out scope, materials, and price so you can compare options and ask questions before deciding.
- No cost, no obligation
- Your details are used only to discuss your project
Prefer to talk? (410) 871-8175
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