Only those fences which meet all of the following standards shall be allowed.
(A) Location. All fences must be located entirely on the private property of the person constructing the fence, except that if the adjoining property owner(s) consent in writing to the construction of a fence on the property line, it may be so constructed. Such written consent shall be filed with the application for a permit. In the case of adjoining properties, only one fence between the two properties may be erected.
(B) Height. Fences on all lots of records, in all residential districts which enclose property, and/or are within a required side or rear yard, shall not exceed five feet in height, measured from normal grade, however, privacy fences not exceeding a height of six feet shall also be allowed. Fences on all lots of records in all residential districts shall not extend beyond the front of the house. Decorative fences shall be permitted in a front yard where they do not exceed 42 inches above grade.
(C) Materials.
(1) Fences on lots of record shall not contain barbed wire, spikes, nails or other sharp point instruments of any kind, electric current or charge of electricity, except that barbed wire may be place on top of fences in nonresidential districts to enclose open storage areas or utility buildings or stations and shall consist of no more than three strands of wire and shall overhang into the property which it is to protect.
(2) All fences in areas zoned or used for business, office or commercial purposes shall be of an ornamental type and shall not be more than six feet in height above the normal grade. Fences shall not obstruct vision to an extent greater than 25% of their total area.
(3) All fences in areas zoned or used for industrial purposes shall not exceed eight feet in height above normal grade. Fences shall not obstruct vision to an extent greater than 25% of their total area.
(4) Fences shall consist only of naturally durable or No. 1 grade pressure treated wood, chain link, woven or welded wire (galvanized or protective coating), wrought iron, picket type, brick, masonry, stone or plastic composite.
(D) Chain link slats. Chain link fences may be supplemented with woven metal (e.g., aluminum, galvanized or other metal with protective coating) insertable slats, excluding plastic interwoven weave designs.
(E) Used materials. No used materials (not including rock and brick) shall be used as fence material.
(F) Proper installation and maintenance.
(1) All fences shall be constructed of a minimum of the following:
(a) Two-inch iron pipe;
(b) Two-inch angle iron;
(c) Four-inch wooden posts;
(d) Four-inch reinforced concrete posts; or
(e) Any other member having equal stability.
(2) All posts shall be sunk in the soil to a depth of at least three feet.
(G) Defects.
(1) Fences shall be installed and maintained free from defects, safety hazards, and collapse, and shall be kept in good repair. No sights, words, letters, images or illustrations, except for those signs required for businesses or precautionary measure may be painted or otherwise affixed to fences.
(2) Any fence which, through lack of repair, type of construction or otherwise, endangers life or property is hereby deemed a nuisance. The Building Department shall notify the owner, agent or person in control of the property on which such fence is located of the existence of such nuisance and specify the required repairs or modifications to be made to render the fence safe or require that the unsafe fence, or any portion thereof, to be moved and shall provide a time limiting such repairs, modifications or removal.
(3) All fences shall be constructed in such a manner that all structural members, including braces, posts, poles and other projections, shall be on the interior side of the fence.
(H) Responsibility. The city shall not be responsible for the enforcement of any agreements relative to the mutual or separate payments of the cost of installation, maintenance or repair of fences. The city shall not be responsible for the determination of the location of any fence to be erected on a lot line.
(I) Obstruction of view. No fences, walls, hedges, bushes, shrubs, trees or plantings shall be erected, planted, maintained or permitted near any street intersection or at the entrance to any public or private driveway so as to obstruct the view of operator of vehicles and pedestrians approaching such intersection or entrance, to the impairment of the safe operation of such vehicles and the safety of the general public.
(J) Distance of sidewalk. No fences, walls, retaining walls, hedges, bushes shrubs, tree or planting shall be erected, planted, maintained or permitted within one foot of the inner edge of any existing sidewalk.
(K) Corner clearance. The corner clearance requirements of this subchapter shall be observed.
(Ord. 163, passed 2-15-2005) Penalty, see § 150.999