If you make a pro/con list for installing a fence around
your backyard, you’ll find it weighted heavily on the pro side: privacy,
containment for young children and pets, keeping unwanted critters out,
establishing clear property lines and more.
Wood fences are the most common selection for encompassing a
backyard. Many are tall, around six to eight feet, to ensure privacy for
peering neighbors. Whether you choose to install the fence yourself, or hire a
company like HA Construction to do it for you, there is some preparatory work
involved before you dig that first post hole.
Determine Property
Lines
A “best guess” isn’t good enough when you’re installing a
fence, even if your neighbor has already taken care of one side for you. In
fact, even if you’re replacing a fence that’s already there, you should get you’re
your property lines verified.
Start by contacting the appropriate assessor’s office (Green County Assessor for
Springfield and Christian
County Assessor for Nixa, MO) to get a copy of your property description,
which details where the property lines lie.
However, sometimes the descriptions on a property listing
are hard to decipher, so you may need to hire a local land surveyor to utilize
that description and mark the property lines for you. Be aware that you may
find your neighbor is encroaching upon your side or vice versa, which opens a
whole other can of worms – and will likely delay your fence installation
process.
Additionally, you should let your neighbor(s) know your
fence installation plans. If it’s a shared fence line, maybe they’ll be willing
to help with the expenses. And if you find that there is some discrepancy with
the property line, notifying your neighbor is, obviously, the best thing to do.
Hopefully you already have strong communication with those next door.
Neighborhood
Restrictions
Depending on where you live, you may have to abide by
neighborhood covenants regarding the installation of a fence, if one is allowed
at all. You’ll know it if your home is under a neighborhood covenant, because
notification would have been part of the buying/building process and you likely
pay annual dues. Read the neighborhood covenant agreement regarding fences. If
the information is unclear, be sure to contact those in charge of enforcing the
covenant and get anything they tell you in writing to protect yourself later.
Mark Utility Lines
The last thing you want to deal with when you go to dig post
holes is a severed electric line or a broken water pipe because you were
digging in the wrong place. Before fence installation in Springfield, MO, call
the Missouri One Call System
(1-800-dig-rite) or submit an online request
and they will send someone out to mark utility lines.
And this is not a step you can skip, because Missouri law
requires you to notify MOCS at least three (but not more than 10 days) prior to
digging on your property, even if it’s just to plant a garden. You also need to
find out about easement lines on your property, which allow the city to utilize
part of your front yard for city improvements. Check into setbacks too if you
have power poles or utilities that run across your back yard; you have to work
around them so that they remain accessible to the utility company.
Zoning Requirements
The Springfield,
MO Zoning Commission (Sections 3-3601 and 5-1305 of the Springfield
Zoning Ordinance) only require approval for a fence if you’re planning to
place it in a front yard and, even then, a permit may not be necessary.
However, it’s better to be safe than sorry, so don’t hesitate to contact the
zoning commission to make sure you’re meeting zoning requirements. Contact the Nixa Zoning Department for
information on fence permits in Nixa.
Additionally, many municipalities have height restrictions
in place for fences; typically six feet is the max. Most require special
permission for a fence taller than six feet.
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