Fencing Standards in
Residential Zoning Districts

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Materials. Fences and walls shall not be constructed of or contain any material which will do bodily harm, such as barbed wire, broken glass, spikes, or any other hazardous or dangerous materials. Electric and barbed wire fences are not permitted except those intended to contain or restrict cattle, sheep, horses or other livestock, but those existing prior to annexation to the City may remain.

fence example illustrationStandards. Every fence shall be maintained in a condition of reasonable repair and shall not be allowed to become and remain in a condition of disrepair including noticeable leaning toward an adjoining property or sidewalk, missing sections or slats, broken supports, non-uniform height, and overgrowth of weeds or vines.

  1. Fences may be no taller than 6 feet in interior yards, and 4 feet in front yards if it meets the clear vision area standards in Section 12.180.

Exceptions to Height:

    1. A single-family use or zone that shares an interior property line with a multiple family use or zone may have a fence up to 8 feet tall along that property line.
    2. Properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places may have front yard fences taller than 4 feet if the fence is appropriate to the building style and scale, and is approved by the Landmarks Advisory Commission.
  1. Corner properties, which by definition have two front yards, may have a fence of up to 6 feet tall in the front yard adjacent to the street which does not contain the dwelling's main door entrance when the 6-foot-tall fence does not extend in front of the house and one of the following conditions is met:
    1. If the adjoining street is improved with sidewalks and a planter strip, the fence may be on or behind the property line.
    2. If the adjoining street is improved with sidewalks, but no planter strip, the fence is located a minimum of 3 feet from the sidewalk.
    3. If the adjoining street is improved with curbs and gutters but no sidewalks, the fence is located 10 feet from the face of the curb.
    4. If the adjoining street is unimproved, the fence is no closer than 3 feet from the property line.
  1. Fences more than 6 feet tall require a building permit prior to construction. Except when a taller fence is permitted at the lot line [see subsection (1) above], fences more than 6 feet tall shall meet building setback requirements.
  2. In no instance shall a fence extend beyond the property line.
  3. All fencing shall comply with the requirements of the clear vision area (Section 12.180) for streets and driveways.
  4. Fence height shall be measured from the average height of the grade adjacent to where the fence is to be located. If a fence is to be constructed on top of a berm, the height shall be measured from the bottom of the berm.

Fence height includes the height of the fence wall or pickets and does not include the posts, decorative finials or similar elements, and arbors and trellises at entrance gates.

CLEAR VISION AREAS
Clear vision areas must be maintained at each access to a public street and on each corner of property at the intersection of two streets or a street and a railroad. No fence, wall, hedge, sign, or other planting or structure that would impede visibility between the heights of 2-8 feet shall be established in the clear vision area. Visibility is not considered impeded by a fence when materials are 35 percent or less of the surface area of that portion of the fence above 2 feet. Fence posts spaced at 8 feet or more apart are not counted as part of the fence surface area. Height measurements shall be made from the top of the curb or, where no curb exists, from the established street center line grade.

  1. The clear vision area provisions do not apply to the following:
    1. a public utility pole,
    2. a tree trimmed (to the trunk) to a line at least eight feet above the level of the intersection,
    3. another plant species of open growth habit that is not planted in the form of a hedge and which is so planted and trimmed as to leave at all seasons a clear and unobstructed cross-view,
    4. a supporting member or appurtenance to a permanent building lawfully existing on the date this standard becomes effective,
    5. an official warning sign or signal,
    6. the post section of a pole sign when there are no more than two posts and any post is less than 8 inches in diameter, and
    7. existing or new buildings that meet the minimum setbacks.
  2. A clear vision area consists of a triangular area, two sides of which are lot lines or a driveway and a lot line for a distance specified in this section, or, where the lot lines have rounded corners, the lot lines (not face of curbs) extended in a straight line to a point of intersection and so measured, and the third side of which is a line across the corner of the lot joining the non-intersecting ends of the other two sides (See illustration below). The following measurements shall establish the clear vision areas:

Type of Intersection

Measurement Along Each
Lot Line or Drive Edge*

Controlled Intersection (stop sign or signal)

20 feet

Uncontrolled Intersection (60' right-of-way)

30 feet

Uncontrolled Intersection (less than 60' right-of-way)

30 feet

Commercial and Industrial District driveways

20 feet

Residential District driveways

15 feet

Alley (less than 25 feet)

20 feet

* When there is an intersection of two or more streets of different right-of-way width, the distance to be measured along the lot lines shall be the distance specified for each type street.

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