Fences in Pensacola's historic districts

Pensacola calls itself the City of Five Flags, after the five governments that have ruled it, and the old streets downtown grew up around a fort from the 1750s. Today the city has several protected districts, and fences in them follow their own rules.

Which districts

The city's Preservation District Design Guidelines cover the Pensacola Historic District, the North Hill Preservation District, the Old East Hill Preservation District, the Palafox Historic Business District and the Governmental Center District. If your house is in one of them, a fence is a review board matter, not just a permit.

What the guidelines say about fences

• Every fence needs Architectural Review Board approval.
• Approved materials include wood, brick, stone and wrought iron.
• Chain link, concrete block and barbed wire are prohibited in the Historic District.
• Wood fences should use a picket design, ideally one that echoes details on the house.
• The dog-ear style is not permitted.
• If the house is painted, a wood or iron fence must be painted too.
• Chain link is allowed only in side and rear yards of the PR-1AAA, PR-2 and PC-1 zones, with board approval.

Abbreviated review

The guidelines list fencing among the kinds of work that can go through an abbreviated review instead of a full board hearing, for a $25 fee. Anything outside the listed processes goes to full board review. Ask the city which path your fence takes.

Designing a fence that will pass

• Look at the house first: picket shapes, porch posts and trim can be echoed in the fence.
• Keep street-facing fences open. A picket or iron fence suits most historic fronts.
• Plan the paint. A painted house means a painted fence, and that's ongoing upkeep.
• Save privacy fencing for the rear yard, and check the material against the approved list.

Prices for the approved materials vary: Angi's national ranges are $10 to $45 per linear foot for wood and $25 to $55 for wrought iron, before paint and gates.