Do I need a permit for fence installation or replacement in Unincorporated DeKalb County?

It depends. Whether fence installation or replacement needs a permit in Unincorporated DeKalb County comes down to the details of your project.

Georgia has no statewide list of work exempt from a building permit. The Georgia amendments to the 2024 International Residential Code delete Chapter 1, Scope and Administration, without substitution, and keep it in the code only as a reference and guide for local governments developing their own administrative procedures. The 7 foot fence line that Chapter 1 contains is therefore a model figure, not a Georgia rule. Permit thresholds for fences in Georgia are set by each local government. Many jurisdictions require a zoning or land-use approval for a fence of any height, and apply their own limits on front-yard height, corner sight triangles and which side the finished face must face, so confirm the local rule. Pool barrier fences are a separate matter and must meet the code height, gate and latch requirements regardless of any local fence-permit threshold. DeKalb County's own permitting office is the DeKalb County Planning and Sustainability, reachable on 404-371-2155 at https://dekalbcountyga.gov/departments/planning-and-sustainability/permits-plan-review-and-inspections. Its online permit portal is https://epermits.dekalbcountyga.gov/. It issues permits for the unincorporated county. If your city does not run its own building department, and many smaller Georgia municipalities do not, this is the office that will handle the job. Fences are usually a zoning review rather than a building permit, and the zoning office may be separate from the building office. DeKalb Code Sec. 7-30(d)(1)(A) exempts fences not over 8 feet high from building permits. Retaining walls over 4 feet, or any wall supporting a surcharge, need a separate building permit. Under Zoning Table 5.3, fences in the front yard and side corner yard of a single-family home are limited to 4 feet, and fences in interior side and rear yards to 8 feet. Taller fences need an administrative variance (front, up to 6 feet based on topography) or a Zoning Board of Appeals variance. Sec. 27-5.4.7 prohibits chain link and other wire fences in front yards; front yard fences must be brick, stone, wood, wrought iron, or simulated wrought iron. No fence may be built in the public right-of-way. Front yard gates may be 6 feet tall but must be set back at least 15 feet from the right-of-way.