Building in Franklin
Franklin is the Williamson County seat, with 83,454 residents at the 2020 Census and an estimated 89,142 by 2024. We build paver patios, fire pits, outdoor kitchens, pergolas, decks and fences there, in planned neighborhoods such as Westhaven, Fieldstone Farms, Berry Farms and Ladd Park and on the older streets near downtown. Permits come from the city’s Department of Building and Neighborhood Services.
Franklin’s fence rules
Section 13.1 of the zoning ordinance holds a front-yard fence to 3 feet (4½ feet for a board horse fence) and no more than 75 percent solid, so a front fence here is a picket or an open rail. Side and rear fences can reach 7 feet. On a corner lot, the side along the street gets that height only from 20 feet behind the front of the house. Chain link isn’t allowed in residential districts, and the finished side faces out. Whether a fence also needs a building permit depends on its height.
Retaining walls on Franklin lots
Franklin caps retaining walls at 2 feet in a front yard and 6 feet in side and rear yards, allows no more than three on a lot, and wants at least 3 feet between them. Each wall sets back from the property line by 5 feet or its own height, whichever is greater. A slope that needs more than that becomes terraced walls with planting beds between them.
Pavilions, sheds and driveways
A pavilion, pool house or other accessory structure can be no more than half the footprint of the house and can’t go up before the house does. Sheds up to 200 square feet skip the building permit but still need zoning approval. A driveway is at least 10 feet wide, no wider than 20 feet where there’s no garage or a narrow one, and 5 feet from the side lot line.
Downtown’s historic overlay
Inside the Historic Preservation Overlay, any new fence or wall, along with other exterior work, needs a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Zoning Commission. Settle the material and height with the commission before anything is ordered; a brick garden wall or an iron fence is reviewed like any other change to the street.
Sources
- City of Franklin Zoning Ordinance (effective Jan. 13, 2026) — 4.5 historic overlay, 5.2 accessory structures, 10.12.2 driveways, 13.1 fences, 13.2 retaining walls
- Franklin Municipal Code — 12-1001 and 12-1002 building permits and exemptions
- City of Franklin 2025 Development Report — neighborhood names
- Franklin, Tennessee (Wikipedia) — 2020 Census and 2024 estimate