Fence permit rules in Oregon, Ohio

Oregon is the simplest city in the area for fences. The city’s own guidelines say a fence permit is only required when a swimming pool is involved.

That is not a free pass. Every fence still has to meet the zoning rules on height and location. It just means an ordinary back yard fence does not need a trip to the counter first.

The Building and Zoning Department is at 5330 Seaman Road, Oregon OH 43616, and the city publishes a one page Fence Guidelines handout that is worth printing before you start.

Heights

• Rear yard: 6 feet maximum
• Side yard: 6 feet maximum
• Front yard: 4 feet maximum. No fence higher than four feet may be erected within the required front yard

In residential districts, and in A-1 districts used as a dwelling, fences may be placed on the property line and may not exceed six feet.

Property lines and the right-of-way

The city’s wording is clear. Fences may be installed up to or on the property line, but not over it, and no fence may be built beyond the right-of-way line.

The handout also puts the responsibility in capital letters. It is the property owner’s job to verify the property lines and the right-of-way lines, not the city’s and not the contractor’s. If your corners are not marked, that is the first job.

Corner lots and sight lines

A corner lot has two front yards for fencing purposes, so the four foot front limit applies along both streets.

There is also a clear vision zone. Within a triangle measured 20 feet along each abutting street right-of-way line, nothing may stand more than 3 feet high. That rule exists so drivers can see each other at the corner, and it is the one that most often forces a fence line to step back from the sidewalk.

Materials

Wood fencing is allowed in residential districts and in A-1 districts used as a dwelling. Barbed wire, razor wire, concertina wire and electrified fencing are prohibited in all residential classifications.

Which way the fence faces

Oregon’s guidelines say nothing about it. There is no finished side rule in the handout or in the code text printed on it, which is different from Toledo where the finished side has to face the neighbor and the street.

So in Oregon this is between you and your neighbor. It is still worth a conversation before the posts go in, and most installers will build it the neighborly way if you ask.

Pools

A pool is the one case where the permit comes back. If you are fencing a pool, contact Building and Zoning before you order anything, and expect requirements for the gate hardware as well as the fence height.

Call 811 before anyone digs

Ohio law requires notice to the Ohio Utility Protection Service at least two working days before digging, on 811 or 1-800-362-2764. The state’s own guidance names fence post holes as a job that hits buried lines. Contractors have to call every time. There is more on our 811 page.

What a fence costs in Oregon

Oregon is in Lucas County, where the combined sales tax is 7.75 percent. The contractor pays that tax on the materials he buys and quotes you a single lump sum, so no tax line appears on your invoice.

Local published rates are $25 to $35 a foot installed for wood privacy fence, $45 to $75 a foot for vinyl, and $5 to $10 a foot to take an old fence out and haul it away.

See your price range

Put your fence runs into the estimator and see the installed range for your yard. If it looks right, request a quote and up to three local fence pros will come and measure.