City fencing ordinance discussed at length

Saturday, May 22, 2021
Nevada citizen Beth Gregory addressed the Nevada City Council at this week's meeting concerning fencing requirements.
Photo by Sarah Haney | Daily Mail Editor

Fencing has been a recent recurring topic of discussion at Nevada City Council meetings. Several community members have expressed displeasure with the current fencing ordinance, including Beth Gregory, who spoke to the Nevada City Council on Tuesday.

The recently hotly debated fencing ordinance discussed states that, "Decorative fences may be erected on any lot, and shall be no more than four feet high and be of open construction. Materials for construction of a decorative fence may be wood, vinyl, woven wire, chain link, wrought iron, square tubing or metal pipe. A decorative fence must be of open construction, and no panels such as plywood, wafer board, etc., will be allowed."

This has been causing issues with some community members who need chain link fences to keep pets in their yard since the four foot height limit isn't adequate to do so. Where the placement of a fence goes in property owners' yards have also been discussed at length.

Gregory noted that she had contacted the code enforcement office and was notified that she could replace her current fence without a permit, as long as she placed it in the same spot. Gregory stated that the office didn't advise her that she would need a permit if the fence was made of a different material than the prior fence — which it was. Gregory opted to go with a vinyl privacy fence since those are allotted a height of six feet, but stated she was now not in compliance due to not being informed of the different material stipulation.

Councilmember Eberhard requested the Nevada City Manager and Attorney look over the ordinance and come back to the council with a new drafted ordinance. The other council members agreed.

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