Fence work around Canyon Lake
Canyon Lake is a census-designated place in Comal County that surrounds the reservoir it is named for; Wikipedia gives its elevation as 955 feet and notes that the surrounding communities are small and unincorporated (Wikipedia). Because these communities are unincorporated, a city permit office may not apply to your lot; confirm that for your address. Two other layers can matter: Comal County, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wherever your lot touches lake land.
Comal County’s permit list
For building in unincorporated Comal County, the county’s permit page lists the permits that may be required before construction: on-site sewage facility, floodplain, driveway and right-of-way, utility, fire marshal and Dark Skies lighting permits. Fences are not on that list, and the page does not mention them. It does say other requirements may come from property owners associations, municipalities, utility companies and state and federal governments. The floodplain permit may touch a lakeside fence, and an association may have its own rules. The county’s office is at 195 David Jonas Drive in New Braunfels, phone 830-608-2090.
Where private land ends and Corps land begins
The Corps of Engineers page for Canyon Lake adjacent landowners says the government boundary is marked by monuments topped with a brass cap, usually about four inches above ground, and that the line may or may not have a fence (Corps Canyon Lake adjacent land page). The page lists as prohibited on public land building structures or facilities, posting signs to restrict public access, and altering or removing vegetation, including trees or shrubs to improve a lake view. On flowage easement land, it says you may build a chain link, wrought iron, wire or other permeable fence to or along the government boundary line without written consent; other structures on flowage easement land need written consent first, and the page says processing can take up to 180 days or longer.
The page does not say whether a fence on public land needs permission, so the safe reading is: keep the fence on your side, and ask. The Canyon Lake Project Office number on the page is 830-964-3341. A wood privacy fence is not the same thing as a permeable fence, so if your lot is on a flowage easement, tell your pro and get the Corps answer before ordering solid panels.
Find the line before the posts
Because the boundary may not be fenced, a survey of your lot is worth having before posts go in. Setting a fence on the wrong side of a monument is a hard problem to fix afterward. Ask your pro to locate the line from your plat, and call Texas811 at least two business days before digging; it is free, and a hired contractor is responsible for making the request.
Hill Country ground
Comal County is described as a divide between the Blackland Prairies and the Balcones Escarpment (Handbook of Texas), and Edwards Plateau soils as mostly stony over limestone (Texas State University soils summary). Ask your installer how they handle slopes toward the lake and how they price rock.
Property owners associations
Many lake neighborhoods are governed by associations. Texas Property Code § 202.023 lets many associations regulate fence type while limiting how far they can go (statute). Association approval in writing comes first.
What we could not confirm
We did not find any county fence height limit, and we did not read the Corps shoreline management plan itself. This page is a list of questions to ask, not a rule book.
Request a Canyon Lake quote
Tell us the neighborhood, the length, and whether your lot borders Corps land. Pros can quote wood or cedar fencing, gates and repairs. We are a referral service, not a contractor. Back to the service area or home.