Uncover Your Town’s Rules Regarding Fences
To be able to follow all the laws of the land, you first have to know what they are! There are a few laws to keep in mind when deciding on your next fence.
If you have ever built your own house—or watched one of the many DIY home improvement shows—you will know that the decision of building up and out on your property isn’t always up to the home or business owner. That’s because there are certain rules and laws depending on the town, county, or residential area your property is in. These laws can affect residential homeowners and commercial business owners alike. Whether you’re planning to put up an aluminum residential fence or an aluminum commercial fence, do your research to ensure you are following all the rules.
Property boundaries
If you don’t have your property lines in writing, have a surveyor come by and figure out exactly where your property ends and the neighbor’s property line begins. You may even want to compare your information with your neighbors if they’re friendly enough. These property boundaries are important because even going over onto the next property by a tiny inch could mean you will be fined, and you’ll have to pay for a whole new fence. It’s often recommended to erect your fence about one foot inside the property line to avoid any minor differences throughout the length of the fence.
Not too high
Approximately six feet is normally the highest an aluminum commercial fence can go if it is in a residential area. Some towns don’t allow residential front yard fences to go over four feet, so the rules for businesses can change according to what type of town they are in. This is another area that is really important to find out the exact rule for your town or county. There’s nothing worse than putting up your entire fence just to take it down and have to start from scratch because of an overlooked rule.
Added features
There may be a few more rules you have to research depending on any extra features you are planning for your fence. For example, if you have a pool on your property, many municipalities have added rules for fences to ensure the safety of all residents. These rules are not only for the safety of the residents on your property but in the town as well. The different locking mechanisms for gates may also need to be a certain way to allow emergency personnel in with ease and grant access to the property for everyone in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The main takeaway here is to cover all of your bases before beginning to build your new fence. Check all the angles, from the property lines to the height of the fence to the width of pickets to the actual purpose of the fence. Make sure it is not only keeping your property and belongings safe and secure, but that it is built with the safety of all people in mind. Do yourself and the neighboring properties a favor and be open about your fence building plans. Keeping the neighbors informed and having a conversation with the municipality can help you notice any snafus that might pop up down the road. The last thing you will want to do is to have to re-build the fence because of something that was overlooked!