Unincorporated Mohave County, AZ · published 2026-08-27
Fence height rules in Golden Valley & Mohave County
In unincorporated Mohave County — Golden Valley included — residential fencing is capped at 4 feet along the sides or front edge of any front yard, and any view-obscuring device must be at least 6 feet, under zoning Section 27 as of 2026-08-26. Those two numbers pull in opposite directions, and understanding why is most of what this page is about. (KGM-011)
The rules and permits page puts the city and county rulebooks side by side in a table. This page goes deeper into the county side alone: the parts of Section 27 that a table can't hold, and the situations where the county's approach differs from the city's in ways that change what you can build.
First: is this rulebook even yours?
Everything on this page applies to unincorporated Mohave County, not to property inside Kingman city limits. The City of Kingman itself tells residents of Golden Valley, Dolan Springs, Chloride, Butler, and Valle Vista that they live outside city limits and should contact county planning — and notes explicitly that a Kingman ZIP code does not mean you live within the City of Kingman. (KGM-015)
If you are inside city limits, stop here: the city caps a solid fence at 3 feet in the front setback and 6 feet at the side or rear, allows 4 feet in front for chain link with no slats or decorative wrought iron, and requires a Minor Improvement Permit for most fences. Those are different numbers and a different permit path. (KGM-016)
Not sure? Call Mohave County Planning & Zoning at 928-757-0903, or City of Kingman Planning & Zoning at 928-753-8130. Either office can confirm your parcel, and both will do it faster with a parcel number than an address.
The two numbers, and why they seem to conflict
Read quickly, Section 27 looks contradictory: front-yard fencing is capped at 4 feet, but a view-obscuring fence has a 6-foot minimum. They are not in conflict, because they answer different questions.
The 4-foot cap
A maximum, and it is about location
It applies along the sides or front edge of any front yard in standard residential districts. It exists for sightlines — for drivers, and for the visibility of the street. It does not restrict what you do at the back of the lot.
The 6-foot minimum
A floor, and it is about function
If a fence is intended to obscure a view, the county requires it to be at least 6 feet — a 4-foot screen does not screen anything, so a half-height "privacy" fence is not a recognized category. Unless the Board of Supervisors directs otherwise.
The practical consequence: a 6-foot privacy fence is a side-and-rear proposition on a standard county residential lot, and putting one across the front edge of a front yard is not a matter of paying a little more — it is over the cap and needs the process described below. Plan the layout around that before pricing material.
Going over 4 feet in a front yard
Section 27 provides two routes past the front-yard cap, and neither is a simple over-the-counter approval.
- 1. Commercial and industrial zones. Front-yard fencing may exceed 4 feet with Mohave County Engineer approval, granted during permitting. This is a zoning-district-dependent route — it is not available on a standard residential parcel. (KGM-011)
- 2. Traffic Safety Committee recommendation. Approval for front-yard fencing over 4 feet is governed by a Traffic Safety Committee recommendation. Expect the discussion to be about sightlines at driveways and intersections rather than about aesthetics — build your case on visibility, not on preference. (KGM-011)
Start either route with Mohave County Planning & Zoning at 928-757-0903 before ordering material. A committee timeline is not something to discover after the panels are delivered.
Materials the county bars outright
Section 27 names four materials that may not be used as view-obscuring fencing. They are worth knowing by name, because all four are things people reach for as a cheap fix:
| Barred material | Where it usually shows up |
|---|---|
| Plastic sheeting | Zip-tied to existing chain link as a quick privacy screen |
| Shade cloth | The same fix, in a more durable fabric — still barred |
| Used garage doors | Salvaged panels stood on end as a solid run |
| Non-remanufactured recycled sheet metal | Reclaimed roofing or siding used as fence panels |
Source: Mohave County zoning Section 27. (KGM-011)
Note the qualifier on the last one: it bars non-remanufactured recycled sheet metal, which is not the same as barring metal fencing. Purpose-made metal panels are an ordinary option. Salvaged panels pressed into service are the problem.
Inside Kingman city limits the material question is framed the other way round — the Zoning Code publishes a list of permitted materials rather than a list of barred ones. Same practical outcome, opposite drafting. (KGM-016)
Berms: the acreage option most people miss
Section 27 treats earthen berms as their own category, with standards that make them viable on Golden Valley acreage and effectively unavailable on a standard residential lot:
- Minimum 5-foot setback for a constructed berm.
- Permitted only on lots larger than 2.5 net acres. This is the clause that rules berms out for most parcels.
- Maximum design slope of 1½:1. A berm has to hold its shape, which means it takes horizontal room — worth sketching before assuming it fits.
- Natural berms have no minimum setback — existing terrain is treated differently from earth you bring in and shape.
On a large Golden Valley parcel where the goal is wind and dust screening along a boundary rather than containment, a berm plus a lower fence can do work that a taller fence alone cannot — and it does not fight the wind the way a solid panel run does. See high-desert wind and your fence for why that matters here. (KGM-011)
Permits: the county is lighter than the city
This is the clearest practical difference between the two jurisdictions. In unincorporated Mohave County, Section 27 triggers a building permit for commercial or industrial perimeter fencing exceeding $500 in construction cost. Typical residential and ranch fencing generally falls outside that. (KGM-011)
Inside Kingman city limits, by contrast, the Zoning Code requires a Minor Improvement Permit for the installation of walls and fences generally, unless the fence appears on a building permit application for other work on the same property. Two neighboring properties a mile apart can therefore face genuinely different paperwork for an identical fence. (KGM-016)
"Generally does not require a permit" is not the same as "no rules apply." The height, material, and placement standards on this page apply whether or not a permit is pulled, and a fence that does not meet them is a problem regardless. Confirm your zoning district with the county — district-specific variation is wider outside the city than inside it.
Before you build
- Confirm the jurisdiction and the zoning district with the county at 928-757-0903. District matters as much as the county-wide rules.
- Get the boundary surveyed — the county rules tell you what you may build, not where your lot ends. See where is my property line.
- Check for easements before setting a line, especially on larger parcels where access and utility easements are common.
- Price it against the ledger — the Kingman fence cost guide and the Golden Valley page carry the per-foot and per-acre figures, each with its source.
- Verify the contractor's ROC licence — step-by-step here.
Rules on this page are cited from Mohave County zoning Section 27 as read on 2026-08-25, with City of Kingman contrasts from the Kingman Zoning Code as read on 2026-08-26. County codes are amended without notice — confirm with the county before you build.
How height actually gets measured
A height limit is only as clear as the question "from where?", and that question has real consequences on the sloped and stepped lots common across the Kingman area. A fence that measures 6 feet from the high side can measure considerably more from the low side, and the two numbers describe the same fence.
Inside Kingman city limits the code answers it directly: where adjoining properties sit at different elevations, height is measured from the higher finished grade. (KGM-016) That is a conservative rule from a builder's point of view, and it is worth knowing before designing a fence for a lot that steps down.
For unincorporated county property, do not assume the same measuring convention applies just because it is the one published next door. Ask Mohave County Planning & Zoning at 928-757-0903 how height is measured on a sloped lot in your zoning district, and how retaining or grade changes interact with the limit. Two other things worth raising in the same call: whether a fence on top of a retaining wall is measured from the base or the top of the wall, and how the front-yard cap applies on a corner lot with two street frontages.
Gates, access, and the things a height table doesn't cover
Height is the question everyone asks, and it is rarely the only rule that applies to a finished fence. Several standards sit outside the height table entirely, and the city and county do not treat all of them the same way.
Emergency access
Inside Kingman city limits, one gate per residential lot is required for emergency access to side and rear yards. (KGM-016) Whether an equivalent requirement applies to your county zoning district is a question for the county — but a fully enclosed rear yard with no gate is a bad idea regardless of what a code requires.
Easements
Utility and access easements are recorded against the parcel and are common on larger unincorporated lots. A fence across one can be removed by the easement holder. Confirm easements from your title report or survey before setting the line.
Sight lines at driveways
The reason the front-yard cap exists at all. Even a compliant fence can create a genuine visibility problem at a driveway on a fast road — worth thinking about on your own account, not only the county's.
Pool barriers
Arizona's pool barrier statute applies statewide regardless of jurisdiction, and it is stricter than a general fence rule. See the rules page for the figures. (AZ-011)
And one that is not in any code: private covenants. If your parcel is in a subdivision with recorded CC&Rs or an active homeowners association, those restrictions are a separate contract and can be stricter than county zoning on height, material, and color. Compliance with Section 27 is not compliance with a covenant.
Write down what you were told
County planning offices answer these questions by phone every day, and the answer you get is specific to your parcel in a way that no published page can be. Treat that call as part of the project record rather than a passing conversation: note the date, who you spoke to, the zoning district they confirmed, and exactly what they said about height, materials, and whether a permit applies.
It costs nothing, and it is the difference between "I read online that it was fine" and a dated note naming the person at the county who confirmed it. Where a project is large enough to justify it, ask whether the confirmation can be given in writing or by email.
The same applies to what your contractor tells you. A fence built to the wrong height is a problem for the property owner first, whoever gave the advice — so get the height, the material, and the permit responsibility written into the quote before work starts.
Common questions
How tall can a fence be in Golden Valley, AZ?
Mohave County zoning Section 27 caps residential fencing at 4 feet along the sides or front edge of any front yard in standard residential districts. Any view-obscuring device must be a minimum of 6 feet unless the Board of Supervisors directs otherwise. Golden Valley is unincorporated county land, so these county rules apply rather than the City of Kingman’s. (KGM-011)
Can I go taller than 4 feet in a Mohave County front yard?
In commercial and industrial zones, front-yard fencing may exceed 4 feet with Mohave County Engineer approval during permitting. For front-yard fencing over 4 feet generally, approval is governed by a Traffic Safety Committee recommendation. That is a process, not a form — start it with Mohave County Planning & Zoning at 928-757-0903 before ordering material. (KGM-011)
What materials are banned for a view-obscuring fence in Mohave County?
Section 27 bars plastic sheeting, shade cloth, used garage doors, and non-remanufactured recycled sheet metal as view-obscuring fencing materials. These are the exact four named in the county code — a common source of a fence that has to come back down. (KGM-011)
Do I need a permit for a fence in unincorporated Mohave County?
Section 27 triggers a building permit for commercial or industrial perimeter fencing exceeding $500 in construction cost. Typical residential and ranch fencing generally does not require one — which is a meaningfully lighter requirement than inside Kingman city limits, where most fences need a Minor Improvement Permit. Confirm your specific zoning district with the county before relying on this. (KGM-011, KGM-016)
What are the rules for an earthen berm instead of a fence?
Constructed earthen berms need a minimum 5-foot setback, are permitted only on lots larger than 2.5 net acres, and have a maximum design slope of 1½:1. Natural berms have no minimum setback. That lot-size floor rules berms out for most standard residential parcels and makes them an acreage option. (KGM-011)
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