Coventry's fence rules
The town's zoning ordinance is specific, which helps. In residential districts:
- Side and rear yards: fences and walls up to six feet.
- Front yards: a maximum of four feet.
- Corners: at street intersections, nothing can block the view between two and ten feet off the ground inside the triangle formed by the two street lines and a line joining points 30 feet back from the corner. On a corner lot, that takes a tall solid fence off the table near the intersection.
The building and zoning office can tell you how these apply to your lot.
Eastern Coventry: Anthony, Washington, and Quidnick
These are mill-village neighborhoods with closer-set houses and smaller yards. Typical jobs are back-yard privacy, a safe run for a dog, and replacing a fence that has leaned for years. With houses this close, confirm the property line first, and tell the contractor if the driveway or yard is shared.
Around Tiogue Lake and Johnson's Pond
Water-side lots often slope and stay damp near the shore. Ask how posts will be set in wet ground, and check with the town about any setback or wetland rules before you pick a fence line. Open styles like aluminum or spaced pickets keep the view.
Western Coventry: Greene, Summit, and the rural west
Out here the runs get long. Split rail, post-and-rail with wire, and farm-style fencing make sense for fields and wooded boundaries, and a wide gate for a truck or trailer is worth mentioning up front. Stone walls and ledge are part of the landscape, so ask what happens if the crew hits rock.
Pools in Coventry
Coventry sets its own bar for pool enclosures: the fence or wall has to be at least five feet tall, kept in good condition with a gate and lock, and tight enough that nothing wider than four inches can pass through. Pools can't go in the front yard and have to sit at least ten feet from side and rear property lines. More in pool fences in Rhode Island.
Details that help
- Which part of town, or your ZIP
- Corner lot or not
- Material you're leaning toward, or "not sure"
- Rough footage, and how many gates
Elsewhere in the state: Warwick · Cranston · Cumberland