Fence Company on Daniel Island, SC

On Daniel Island, the design review board is the real gatekeeper

Daniel Island sits inside the City of Charleston, so a city fence permit applies. But the binding authority here is the island's private architectural review, and its design guidelines are far more prescriptive than any public code. Building without that approval is the fastest way to be told to take a finished fence back down.

From the Daniel Island Community Association design guidelines, a few of the rules that surprise people:

• Front-yard fences are a picket type, 36 to 54 inches, set about a foot inside the front property line, not on it.
• The finished side must always face out, and both sides are painted or stained unless the board approves a natural finish.
• On corner lots, front-yard fences are generally not permitted for intersection visibility, and a minimum 3-foot fence is expected along the side street.
• Lots backing onto a major island road are typically required to carry a 6-foot solid privacy fence painted "Charleston Green" along the rear line.
• Approved materials are smooth cedar, cypress, redwood, pressure-treated pine or wrought iron. Vinyl and rough-cut lumber are prohibited, and chain link is allowed only as a hidden pet pen.

Wrought iron sits squarely in the approved palette, which is one reason our own fabrication shop is useful here: a custom picket gate or an iron fence in "Charleston Green" is exactly the kind of work the guidelines call for.

Which set of guidelines applies to you

Daniel Island is not governed by a single rulebook. The main island association, the custom-home neighborhoods of Daniel Island Park, the town-centre areas and newer communities each have their own review board and, in places, stricter standards. The picket heights and colours above come from the community association's published guidelines, but the current, controlling version for your specific street and neighborhood is something we confirm with the applicable architectural review board before we quote a design, because a number that's right on one side of the island can be wrong on the other.

The city permit still applies

Because Daniel Island is within Charleston, the city's fence permit process runs alongside the association review, and the city asks for the association's approval as part of it, along with your plat, and a Board of Architectural Review application if the parcel falls under BAR purview. Fences in a drainage easement need a separate encroachment application. We handle the sequence so the two approvals don't end up waiting on each other.