Vuecrest, Bellevue WA
Vuecrest Community Association Fence Guide: Fences That Fit Published Guidelines
This guide explains how to plan a fence in Vuecrest using the Vuecrest Community Association's public 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 describes a homeowners association for a Bellevue plat. Its library lists covenants and a building guide, but those files did not return readable fence rules when we requested them. Treat this page as a map of what is public, then confirm your own lot with the association before anyone digs a post hole.
What the association publishes about Vuecrest
Vuecrest Community Association's About page says it is a homeowners association for a plat of 204 single-family homes in Bellevue, Washington. Those 204 homes are the association's figure, not a count we made. The same page says the land was platted in 1946, the association was formed in 1947, and it was incorporated in 1952. The association site is the public home for that organization. The City of Bellevue's June 8, 2022 list of registered neighborhood associations includes Vuecrest Community Association and lists vuecrest.net. The city's Northwest Bellevue profile names Vuecrest among the oldest neighborhoods in that part of the city, next to downtown.
The history page says its original text is from the Bellevue Historical Society. It describes protective deed restrictions drawn up when the original deeds were recorded on April 25, 1947. It says those restrictions included a prohibition on splitting lots, which it describes as averaging about 12,000 square feet, and a limitation of 20 feet on the height of structures, with some exceptions. It says streets such as Vineyard Crest, Hilltop Road, and Evergreen Drive were laid out to take advantage of views. That 20-foot figure is a structure limit in a history summary. It is not a fence height, and it is not a quote from the current covenants.
The library is where the association points owners for governing documents. The page lists current CC&Rs dated April 22, 2005, by-laws of the same date, articles of incorporation, and a Building and Remodeling Guide. It does not print fence placement, height, color, or material rules in the page text. The document links on that page did not return a readable file when we requested them, so this guide does not invent what those PDFs say. If your lot is in Vuecrest, open the documents through the association and ask before you build.
On January 13, 2016, the Bellevue Planning Commission minutes record Jonathan Kagle, P.O. Box 312, speaking as president of the association. That box number matches the contact page, which lists Vuecrest Community Association, P.O. Box 312, Bellevue, WA 98009, and treasurer@vuecrest.net. In those minutes he said the association represents more than 200 homes that border the northwest part of downtown, that the vast majority of the homes are limited by covenant to a single story, and that the covenants were established to encourage a low profile and to preserve views. The scanned minutes do not clearly print a height in feet, so we are not stating one from that meeting. A single-story house limit is still not a fence rule.
Fence styles that usually fit architectural review
These are styles SeattleFence builds when a committee or a neighbor will see the outside of the fence. They are not a Vuecrest-approved list. The association's public pages do not name them.
Picture Frame Fence
Picture frame cedar gives both yards a finished border. That kind of face often helps on a street where the fence is part of the view. It is still a design to submit, not a pre-approved product.
View this style →Craftsman Style Fence
Craftsman detailing can sit beside an older Bellevue house. Height, placement, and whether it belongs near the street are still an association and city question.
View this style →Horizontal Fence
Horizontal cedar can suit a remodeled Vuecrest house and can step on a hillside. Use a lower or more open street edge until the association and the city say otherwise.
View this style →The history page and the 2016 Planning Commission minutes both describe a neighborhood shaped around views and a low house profile. A practical way to respect that public record is to keep a tall privacy run off the street edge until you know the covenant, and to choose a fence that matches the house. That is planning advice from SeattleFence. It is not a rule we are attributing to the association beyond what those pages actually say.
Approval process: the association, then the city
Plan on two checks. Neither one replaces the other, and SeattleFence does not issue either approval.
1. Association review
Start with the documents the library lists: the April 22, 2005 CC&Rs and the Building and Remodeling Guide. The page names them. It does not describe a fence form, a review deadline, or a required color. Because those details are not on the public page, and the linked files did not open for us, ask the association what your lot requires before construction.
The published contact on the association site is mail to Vuecrest Community Association, P.O. Box 312, Bellevue, WA 98009, and email treasurer@vuecrest.net. Use that to ask who reviews exterior work. Do not treat a contractor's quote as association approval.
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 a fence perpendicular to the right-of-way for screening, a fence on an arterial, and one side of a corner lot. Those exceptions include a finished side facing the right-of-way or the adjacent property, and they require that the fence be no taller than needed for privacy, security, screening, or noise. 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 or wall under the fence 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.
When the two rules disagree
A city allowance is not association approval, and a note from the association is not a building permit. The current Vuecrest CC&R text was not available for us to quote a "more restrictive governs" clause, so do not assume that sentence is in your covenants. Read the document for your lot. If the covenant is stricter than Bellevue's fence page, follow the covenant and the city rule that both still apply. SeattleFence can help you assemble a design, a sketch, and a build plan to take into those reviews. We do not decide them.
Vuecrest fence-guide questions
Is Vuecrest Community Association a real homeowners association?
Yes. The association's own About page calls Vuecrest Community Association a homeowners association for a plat of 204 single-family homes in Bellevue, and says the land was platted in 1946, the association was formed in 1947, and it was incorporated in 1952. The City of Bellevue's June 8, 2022 list of registered neighborhood associations includes it and lists vuecrest.net. SeattleFence is not part of the association.
Does Vuecrest publish a fence height, color, or approved-style list?
Not on the public pages we could read. The association's library lists current covenants dated April 22, 2005, and a Building and Remodeling Guide, but those linked files did not return readable text when we requested them. The history page describes original protective restrictions, including a structure-height limit, and that is not the same thing as a fence rule. Ask the association, and read the covenant recorded against your lot, before you build.
Do I need association approval and a City of Bellevue permit?
Plan on checking both. The association's library points owners to its covenants and building guide, and its contact page gives a mailing address and email. This page does not claim a specific review committee process, because that process is not spelled out on the pages we could read. City of Bellevue fence rules are separate: a building permit is required in cases the city lists, including fences over 8 feet, fences in a critical area or buffer, and concrete-block construction. A city allowance is not association approval.
How tall can a fence be in Vuecrest?
There is no fence height on the association pages we could read. The history page says the original restrictions included a 20-foot limit on the height of structures, with some exceptions. That sentence is about structures, not fences, and it is the history page's account of the 1947 restrictions. City of Bellevue rules are separate: fences in a required front-yard setback generally may not exceed 4 feet 6 inches, with limited exceptions. Confirm both the covenant for your lot and the current city rule before you build.
Which fence styles does the association approve?
None are named on the public pages we could read. Picture frame, craftsman, and horizontal cedar are styles SeattleFence often builds where a review committee or a neighbor will see the outside of the fence. They are not a Vuecrest-approved product list, and SeattleFence is not an approved vendor of the association. Ask the association about your design.
Get a quote for your Vuecrest lot
Tell us the address, approximate length, and what you already know about the covenants on the lot. We will price the fence and help you prepare a clear design to take to the association and, when needed, the city.
Request your Vuecrest fence quote
Same-day estimates are available when scheduling allows. This form reaches SeattleFence, not the association.
Get In Touch
Fill out the form and we'll get back to you shortly.
Prefer to talk? Call (253) 766-5854
Sources
Every association and city claim on this page comes from one of these public pages. Rules change. Read the current covenant for your lot before you build.
- Vuecrest Community Association — About
The association calls itself a homeowners association for a plat of 204 single-family homes in Bellevue. It says the land was platted in 1946, the association was formed in 1947, and it was incorporated in 1952.
- Vuecrest Community Association — History
The page, which says its original text is from the Bellevue Historical Society, describes 1947 protective deed restrictions: no lot splits, lots averaging about 12,000 square feet, and a 20-foot limit on structure height with some exceptions. It names view-oriented streets including Vineyard Crest, Hilltop Road, and Evergreen Drive, and says the organization incorporated as a nonprofit in 1952.
- Vuecrest Community Association — Library
The library lists current CC&Rs dated April 22, 2005, by-laws of the same date, articles of incorporation, and a Building and Remodeling Guide. It does not print fence height, color, or style rules on the page itself.
- Vuecrest Community Association — Contact Us
Published contact: Vuecrest Community Association, P.O. Box 312, Bellevue, WA 98009, and treasurer@vuecrest.net.
- City of Bellevue — Registered Neighborhood Associations (June 8, 2022)
Lists Vuecrest Community Association, with the website http://www.vuecrest.net.
- Bellevue Planning Commission minutes, January 13, 2016
Records Jonathan Kagle, P.O. Box 312, speaking as president of Vuecrest Community Association. He said the association represents more than 200 homes bordering the northwest part of downtown, that the vast majority of homes are limited by covenant to a single story, and that the covenants were established to encourage a low profile and preserve views. The scan does not clearly print a structure height in feet, so this page does not state one from these minutes.
- City of Bellevue — Northwest Bellevue neighborhood profile
Names Vuecrest among the oldest neighborhoods in Northwest Bellevue, adjacent to downtown.
- City of Bellevue — Fences
Residential front-setback height, the exceptions to that height, how height is measured, and when a fence permit is required.
- Bellevue Land Use Code 20.20.400
The fence standards the city fences page points to, including the 4-foot-6-inch front-setback limit and the permit threshold over 8 feet.