 Good Fences Make Good Neighbors Back‘Tis the season of neighborly love, but you sure couldn’t tell it from the number of complaints being made to City staff regarding disputes between adjacent property owners on the subject of fences. There have been several incidents brought forward recently about fence height and about adding landscaping trellis to the top of fences and about building adjacent fences along property lines. It surprises me that several citizens seem disappointed that the City does not have jurisdiction in such civil disputes. This is quite a switch in philosophy from the past, when people seemed to want minimal intervention by the government. One would hope that neighbors are still able to communicate and resolve such issues among themselves. Just to set the record straight, there are a couple of cases where the City does become involved in matters regarding fences: 1) A permit is required for building fences over six feet in height, because it requires a review for structural adequacy to resist such forces as wind loading. And 2) Fence height is limited to 3’ on corners of street intersections and where driveways come onto the City Street, to meet sight distance requirements. And 3) Outbuildings must be set back at least 3’ from property lines. With this in mind, I hope that everyone has a wonderful Holiday season, and takes the time to mend their fences with their neighbors. Sincerely, Susan Tappan City Engineer
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