Somerset, Bellevue WA
Somerset Community Association Fence Guide: Fences That Fit Published Guidelines
This guide explains how to plan a fence where Somerset Community Association covenants may apply, using the association's published pages and the City of Bellevue's fence rules. SeattleFence is an independent contractor. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an approved vendor of the association.
The association's About page says it is not a homeowners association and that membership is voluntary. It also says covenants can still apply to homeowners who do not pay dues. Treat this page as a starting map, then confirm your own division with the Covenant Review Committee before anyone digs a post hole.
What the association publishes about Somerset fences
Somerset Community Association describes itself as an organization created to support the area of Bellevue known as Somerset. On its covenants overview, it says the neighborhood includes over 1,500 properties, that 98% are subject to active covenants, and that 67% of homes are supported by the Covenant Review Committee. Those figures are the association's, not a count we made. The same page says CC&Rs may regulate fences, walls, rockeries, and view impacts, and that exterior changes including fences, walls, gates, and rockeries are the kind of work homeowners should check against their covenants.
The CRC Fence Guidelines linked from the association's Procedures and Forms page are labeled as general guidance. They say the committee reserves the right to grant exceptions. In that document, the CRC says it regulates placement, height, and style to limit a "fortress" effect along streets. It requires written approval before a fence, hedge, or boundary wall is installed, replaced, or modified. It says a privacy fence, hedge, or boundary wall may not sit in the required front setback, and that a corner lot has two front setbacks. It says fences should complement the house and landscaping, and that height is determined case by case. It does not publish a required color, brand, or a single neighborhood-wide height.
Recorded documents are not the same in every division. The Covenants and Map page posts declarations by division and notes that Division 16 did not incorporate covenants and that, to the association's knowledge, Somerset East 3 had no recorded covenants. CRC policies add that the committee will not serve divisions that have not adopted the amendment allowing the CRC to act in place of a former building or architectural committee. If your lot is one of those, do not assume this guideline applies. Read the document for your division, then ask the CRC.
Fence styles that usually fit architectural review
These are styles SeattleFence builds when a review committee wants a finished face and a fence that looks like the house. They are not a Somerset-approved list. The CRC guideline does not name them.
Picture Frame Fence
Picture frame cedar gives both yards a finished border. That kind of face often helps when a committee or a neighbor will see the outside of the fence. It is still a design to submit, not a pre-approved product.
View this style →Craftsman Style Fence
Craftsman detailing lines up with the guideline's request that a fence complement the house and landscaping. Height, placement, and whether it belongs in a front setback are still a CRC and city question.
View this style →Horizontal Fence
Horizontal cedar can suit a remodeled Somerset house and can step with a hillside. Use a lower or more open street edge where the guideline bars a privacy fence in the front setback.
View this style →A practical way to respect the published guideline is to keep solid privacy out of the front setback, choose a design that matches the house, and let the CRC set the height for that lot. Open or lower fencing nearer the street, with taller screening farther into the yard, is a common planning approach in view neighborhoods. It is not a rule we are attributing beyond what the guideline actually says.
Approval process: CRC, then the city
Plan on two reviews when your division's covenants require committee approval. Neither one replaces the other.
1. Association / CRC review
Start with the covenant for your division on the Covenants and Map page, then the fence guidelines. The association's Form B lists fence among minor remodel requests and asks for samples, brochures, or a sketch.
Current public contacts on the association site are email crc@somerset98006.org and mail to Somerset Community Association, PO Box 40531, Bellevue, WA 98015, marked Attention CRC. CRC policies say the committee aims to acknowledge requests and tries to finish them within 30 days of acknowledgement, and that it may ask neighbors for advisory comments.
Do not start work while approval is pending if your covenants require it. The policies page says construction before approval can lead to a demand to restore the property.
2. City of Bellevue
Bellevue publishes residential fence rules on its Fences page, which points to Land Use Code 20.20.400. As of that page, a permit is not required unless the fence is over 8 feet, is in a critical area or critical-area buffer, or is built of concrete block or similar material.
Fences in a required front-yard setback generally may not exceed 4 feet 6 inches. The city describes limited exceptions, including some side-of-corner, arterial, and screening cases, and those exceptions include a finished side facing the right-of-way or the adjacent property. Height is measured from finished grade on the outside of the fence. On a slope, the fence has to follow or step with the grade so it does not exceed the limit at any point. A berm counts toward the height.
Sight distance at intersections and driveways is covered by Bellevue City Code 14.60.240 and 14.60.241. Critical areas and the shoreline overlay can also limit where a fence may go. Confirm the current rule for your address with Development Services; the association says it does not rule on Bellevue code.
When the two rules disagree
CRC policies say that if Bellevue and the CC&Rs both regulate a subject, both must be satisfied and the more restrictive one governs. A city allowance is not association approval, and an association note is not a building permit. SeattleFence can help you assemble a design, a sketch, and a build plan to take into those reviews. We do not issue CRC decisions or city permits.
Somerset fence-guide questions
Is Somerset Community Association a homeowners association?
The association's own About page says it is not a homeowners association and that membership is voluntary. It also says the community's covenants apply to homeowners whether or not they pay dues, and that the Covenant Review Committee may review plans for compliance. Confirm what is recorded against your lot before you build.
Do I need CRC approval before building a fence in Somerset?
The CRC's published fence guidelines say every fence, hedge, or boundary wall installation, replacement, or modification must be submitted for written approval before construction. Separate association pages note that covenants are division-specific, that some areas (including Division 16 and, to the association's knowledge, Somerset East 3) have no recorded covenants listed, and that the CRC does not serve divisions that have not adopted the amendment allowing it to act. Check your division's covenants and ask the CRC if you are unsure.
Does a City of Bellevue permit replace association approval?
No. The association states that city permits and CRC approval are separate, and that CRC approval may be required even when a city permit has been issued or is not required. Its CRC policies also say that where both Bellevue rules and CC&Rs apply, the more restrictive regulation governs.
How tall can a Somerset fence be?
There is no single height on the CRC fence guideline. That document says height allowances are decided case by case, and that the guideline is general guidance with exceptions reserved. City of Bellevue rules are separate: fences in a required front-yard setback generally may not exceed 4 feet 6 inches, with limited exceptions, and a building permit is required in specific cases such as fences over 8 feet, fences in a critical area or buffer, or concrete-block construction. Recorded division covenants can add their own language. Read the covenant for your division and confirm both reviews before you build.
Which fence styles does the association approve?
The published CRC fence guideline does not list approved brands, colors, or a catalog of styles. It says fences should complement the home's architecture and landscaping, and it prohibits a privacy fence, hedge, or boundary wall in the required front setback. Picture frame, craftsman, and horizontal cedar are styles SeattleFence often builds for neighborhoods with architectural review because they can present a finished face. They are not an association-approved product list. Ask the CRC about your design.
Get a quote for your Somerset lot
Tell us the address, approximate length, and whether you already know which Somerset division you are in. We will price the fence and help you prepare a clear design to take to the CRC and, when needed, the city.
Request your Somerset fence quote
Same-day estimates are available when scheduling allows. This form reaches SeattleFence, not the association.
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Sources
Every association and city claim on this page comes from one of these public pages. Rules change. Read the current document for your division before you build.
- Somerset Community Association — About
The association exists for the Somerset area of Bellevue, states that it is not a homeowners association, says membership is voluntary, and says covenants still apply regardless of membership.
- About Covenants
CC&Rs may cover fences, walls, rockeries, and view impacts. CRC review can include fences, walls, gates, and rockeries. A city permit does not replace CRC approval. Contact listed as crc@somerset98006.org.
- CRC Fence Guidelines (PDF linked from Procedures and Forms)
Written approval before construction; no privacy fence in the front setback; corner lots have two front setbacks; height is case by case; fences should complement the house and landscaping; the guideline is general and exceptions are reserved.
- CRC Policies
Mail to Somerset Community Association, PO Box 40531, Bellevue, WA 98015, Attention CRC. Where Bellevue rules and CC&Rs both apply, the more restrictive governs. The CRC does not serve divisions that have not adopted its amendment.
- Covenants and Map
Covenants are published by division. The page notes that Division 16 has no CC&Rs and that, to the association's knowledge, Somerset East 3 had no recorded covenants.
- CRC Form B (2010)
Fence is listed among minor remodel request types on the association's form.
- City of Bellevue — Fences
Residential front-setback height, permit triggers, height measurement, and sight-distance references.
- Bellevue Land Use Code 20.20.400
The fence standards the city page points to, including the 4-foot-6-inch front-setback limit and the permit threshold over 8 feet.
- ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer
Somerset Community Association, Bellevue, WA, EIN 51-0180664, recognized as a 501(c)(4) since February 1976.