Mending Fences? 8-Foot Structure Prompts Code Review

An 8-foot fence recently installed in has prompted a code review by City Council.

The El Moro Avenue resident who constructed the fence tried to follow the city's law and will be allowed to keep it in place, City Manager Amy Hamilton said this week.

(Subscribe to the Clayton-Richmond Heights Patch newsletter)

At issue are provisions about privacy fences. While Section 505.105 of the code states that privacy fences may be no taller than 6 feet, it adds:

"A fence not exceeding eight (8) feet in height may be erected only if the fence is penetrated with openings at regular intervals so that the combined area of openings shall be at least fifty percent (50%) of the total area of the fence."

The wording caused confusion about how the code should be interpreted, Hamilton said.

Because of that, council members have offered to review the entire fence code—roughly 30 years old—to consider whether updates are needed.

Richmond Heights code does permits solid fences up to 10 feet tall, though they must be installed "along a lot line which is contiguous to a divided highway." It prohibits fences that are electrified, include barbed wire or are composed of cloth or canvas.