A master-planned, HOA-governed New Urbanism community about five miles southeast of downtown — where every fence has to satisfy the Architectural Review Committee before it satisfies anyone else.
SouthWood's New Urbanism design and HOA governance shape what a fence can look like before a single post goes in.
SouthWood is a master-planned, conservation-oriented New Urbanism community roughly five miles southeast of downtown Tallahassee, built around a walkable town-center model rather than the standard suburban cul-de-sac layout. Construction here runs from the early 2000s onward — what the community's own Pattern Book design guide calls "New Traditional" architecture, spanning townhomes and cottages up through larger executive-style single-family homes in farmhouse, colonial, and Craftsman styles. It's been recognized as the City of Tallahassee's "Best Neighborhood of the Year" three times, in 2015, 2018, and 2022.
None of that happens by accident. SouthWood is HOA-governed by design, with the SouthWood Residential Community Association and per-block Architectural Review Committees reviewing exterior changes before they happen — and a fence is very much an exterior change. Tallahassee Fence Masters has installed enough fencing in this community to know the Pattern Book's fence rules by heart, which means fewer surprises for homeowners and a smoother path from proposal to approved installation.
Getting the rules right the first time avoids a rejected proposal and a wasted two weeks.
Any exterior change in SouthWood, including a fence, requires prior written approval from the relevant block's Architectural Review Committee before installation begins — not after. Proposals need to be submitted at least two weeks before the review meeting, so timeline matters as much as design here. We build ARC review time into every SouthWood quote from the start, rather than treating it as an afterthought once materials are already ordered.
The rules themselves are specific and verifiable: privacy screening fences between lots are capped at 6 feet high and 18 feet long, rear-property-line privacy fences are also capped at 6 feet and must tie into any existing boundary fence, approved material is white vinyl in panel, dog-ear, or lattice-top style, and small pet enclosures are capped at 3 feet. Landscaping or tree removal near a planned fence line falls under the community's Florida-Friendly Landscaping-aligned rules too, and also needs ARC review.
Written Architectural Review Committee approval is required before any fence installation begins in SouthWood.
Privacy screening fences between lots and along rear property lines are height- and length-capped under the Pattern Book.
Approved fence material in SouthWood is white vinyl in panel, dog-ear, or lattice-top style — not wood, not chain-link.
Vinyl privacy fencing, gates, pet enclosures, and commercial fencing sized to this community's rules.
White vinyl panel, dog-ear, and lattice-top fencing built to Pattern Book specs.
6 ft / 18 ft-compliant privacy screening between lots and along rear property lines.
Matching gates for vinyl privacy fencing and small pet enclosures under 3 ft.
Perimeter fencing for businesses near SouthWood Town Center and Capital Regional Medical Center.
From cottages and townhomes to Town Center retail and medical-adjacent commercial space.
SouthWood's housing spans townhomes and cottages up through larger executive-style single-family homes, and fencing needs shift with each — a compact townhome courtyard needs a very different gate and panel plan than an executive home's larger rear-property-line run. SouthWood Town Center's mixed-use retail core and the businesses clustered near Capital Regional Medical Center add a genuine commercial layer to this community too, with perimeter and security fencing needs that still have to work within the same Pattern Book aesthetic that governs the residential side.
SouthWood was built on a New Urbanism philosophy — walkable blocks, a real town center, and over 1,000 acres of green space, parks, and trails anchored by Central Park Lake and its paved trail system. That vision only holds together because the community enforces a consistent look, and fencing is one of the most visible ways an individual homeowner's choice can either support or undercut that consistency. A contractor who doesn't already know the Pattern Book's rules can turn a simple fence project into a rejected proposal, a resubmission, and weeks of delay.
Because ARC proposals must go in at least two weeks before the review meeting, the biggest risk to a SouthWood fence project usually isn't the installation itself — it's underestimating how long approval takes. We factor that lead time into scheduling from the first conversation, so a homeowner isn't caught off guard by a process that runs on its own calendar.
The 6-foot privacy fence cap, the 18-foot length limit between lots, the white vinyl material requirement in panel, dog-ear, or lattice-top style, and the 3-foot cap on small pet enclosures are documented, specific rules — not general guidelines open to interpretation. Proposing a fence that already fits those parameters, rather than hoping for an exception, is the fastest path to approval.
SouthWood's Florida-Friendly Landscaping-aligned rules mean that any tree removal or significant landscaping change near a planned fence line also needs ARC review, not just the fence itself. We plan the full scope of a project, including any vegetation impact, so a homeowner isn't submitting a second, separate proposal mid-project.
Businesses operating near SouthWood Town Center or Capital Regional Medical Center still sit inside the same Pattern Book-governed community, and commercial perimeter or security fencing here needs to read as part of SouthWood's overall design language, not as an industrial add-on. We treat commercial SouthWood fencing with the same ARC-awareness we bring to residential projects.
Straight answers — no clicking around.
ARC-ready designs, Pattern Book-compliant materials, and a crew that already knows the rules.
(877) 544-9363