Service areas · The Woodlands
Fences built to The Woodlands standards
All eight villages, from Grogan's Mill to Creekside Park. We design to the Residential Development Standards and handle the RDRC submittal.
About The Woodlands
A planned forest with fence rules to match
The Woodlands opened in 1974 as George Mitchell's master-planned community, laid out over about 25,000 acres with an ecological plan that kept the loblolly pine forest, used natural drainage channels instead of curb-and-gutter streets, and set aside greenbelts along the creeks. Today it has more than 114,000 residents, 151 parks, and about 220 miles of trails, mostly in Montgomery County with Creekside Park reaching south into Harris County.
That plan is why fencing here works differently. Nearly every lot answers to recorded covenants and the Township's Residential Development Standards, and almost every new fence needs written approval before a post goes in. The good news is that the rules are published and specific, so a fence designed to them gets approved.
Our office is at 1401 Lake Plaza Drive off I-45, a short drive from every village.
Approval & rules
What the Residential Development Standards say about fences
These are the points that shape most fence projects here, summarized from the Township's recorded 2024 Residential Development Standards (Section 2.6 and related sections). Your neighborhood may have additional criteria, so we check your lot before we quote.
- Approval first. All new fences need prior written approval from your village RDRC. Repairs need it when more than 8 linear feet is replaced, redesigned, rebuilt, or relocated.
- Height limits. Solid fences top out at 7'6", or 8'6" along arterial, major thoroughfare, and collector streets. See-through fences top out at 6'6". Perimeter fences must be at least 4 feet.
- Finished side out. The finished side faces the neighbor or street. Building it the other way, or a "good neighbor" style, needs the neighbor's written consent.
- Placement. No fences in the right-of-way, open space reserves, or greenbelts. Solid fences stay at least 3 feet behind the front façade, and aren't allowed along the rear line of golf course or lake lots.
- Materials. Wood, metal, stone, and masonry are fine. Chain link and wire (unless fully screened), plastic, fiberglass, hog-wire, and unfinished block aren't. Metal posts are limited to 2-inch galvanized posts or the posts of a wrought iron fence.
- Stain. Wood can weather naturally. Transparent and semi-transparent stains on the Township's list are pre-approved; paint and solid stains need approval.
- Trees. Fence lines go around trees. Fences can't be fastened to a tree, and trees over 6 inches in diameter can't be removed for a fence.
- Pools. Pools, spas, and ponds deeper than 2 feet need a code-compliant barrier and an inspection.
Summary only. The standards are long and change over time; the current recorded version and your neighborhood criteria control.
Lots, ground & styles
What we build most in The Woodlands
Cedar privacy, capped
Board-on-board or shadowbox cedar is the most common backyard fence. A capped design earns two extra inches of allowed height, and a 6-inch rot board is the limit unless screened by evergreens.
Wood & cedar →Ornamental on golf, lake & reserve lots
Where solid fencing isn't allowed, black aluminum or steel keeps the view open and still contains kids and pets.
Ornamental metal →Pool barriers
Self-closing, self-latching gates and code-compliant spacing, inspected as part of approval.
Pool enclosures →Working around trees and drainage
Heavy tree cover means roots in many post holes. Many lots also back to natural drainage channels and greenbelts, and Panther Branch and Bear Branch both flooded in April 2016. We plan post locations, spacing, and footings around all of it.
Villages we serve
Every village in The Woodlands
We build and repair fences in all eight villages: Grogan's Mill (the first village, opened 1974), Panther Creek (1977), Cochran's Crossing (1983), Indian Springs (1984), Alden Bridge (1994), College Park (1995), Sterling Ridge (1999), and Creekside Park (2007), the newest village, which crosses the county line into Harris County.
The older villages have plenty of original fences that are ready for replacement, often on lots where the trees have grown up around the fence line. In Sterling Ridge and Creekside Park, newer homes tend to need their first replacement or an upgrade from a builder fence. We also work inside the gated Carlton Woods community in Sterling Ridge and Carlton Woods Creekside in Creekside Park.
Nearby, we serve Spring to the south and east, and 76 Fence of Conroe covers the communities to the north.
Questions
The Woodlands fence questions
Who approves fences in The Woodlands?
Each village has a Residential Design Review Committee (RDRC) of resident volunteers that meets monthly. The Development Standards Committee (DSC) adopts the standards and is the only body that can grant a variance. Applications go through the Township’s online Civic Access Portal.
Do I need approval to repair my fence?
A repair needs approval when more than 8 linear feet is replaced, redesigned, rebuilt, or moved. Smaller like-for-like fixes generally don’t. Installing or changing pool barrier gates also needs approval.
Can I use chain link?
Not as a visible fence. The standards prohibit chain link and wire fencing unless it’s fully screened, along with plastic, fiberglass, and unfinished cinder block. Wood, metal, stone, and masonry are acceptable.
My lot backs to the golf course or a lake. What can I build?
Solid fences aren’t allowed along the rear property line of golf course or lake lots. A see-through fence such as ornamental aluminum or steel, up to 6’6”, is the usual answer.
Do you work in Carlton Woods?
Yes. Carlton Woods is a gated community inside the Village of Sterling Ridge, and Carlton Woods Creekside is in Creekside Park. Both follow The Woodlands standards plus their own neighborhood criteria.
Planning a fence in The Woodlands?
Call or text (713) 331-9385. We'll measure, check your lot's standards, and put together the RDRC packet.