17-7-10.12.8 Fencing and screening standards.
All development must comply with the following fencing and screening standards:
A. Fencing. Fencing, if any, shall be part of the landscape plan, shall be designed and constructed to be compatible with the project site architecture and character, and shall comply with the following:
1. Fences or walls shall not be located within the landscape setback along a public or private right-of-way, within thirty feet of the park depicted in Figure 1 of this chapter, within the open space depicted in Figure 1 of this chapter, or used to block pedestrian and bicycle facilities. Solar energy systems, located within an open space area depicted in Figure 1 and approved as part of a large scale master plan or subsequent site plan, may be enclosed by nonobscuring, open fence materials (excluding plastic slatting within chain-link fencing), not to exceed seven feet in height.
2. Fences may be used for private recreational amenities provided nonobscuring open materials are used; private yard space for individual residential units; along project perimeters to separate uses; and to screen trash collection areas, service areas, and mechanical equipment.
3. Where allowed, fences and walls shall not exceed seven feet in height and shall be limited to four feet in height in a front yard. An exception to this fence height is allowed for a fence up to eight feet in height in a side or rear yard, provided the fence is not adjacent to a public or private road, to provide a buffer between a residential use and a commercial use, or for a warehouse or data center storage use provided the fence is in a side or rear yard and is not adjacent to a public or private road.
4. Athletic Facilities. Fencing around athletic facilities, including, without limitation, tennis courts, may be fourteen feet in height provided all portions of the fence above seven feet in height are constructed with at least fifty percent nonopaque materials and are not located within the landscape setback along a public or private right-of-way.
5. All fencing and screening walls shall be constructed to comply with sight distance and clear view requirements at road intersections and driveways.
6. All fences shall be constructed of quality materials that are specifically manufactured for fencing and shall not be constructed with any material that was originally made for other intentions. Fencing in a residential area shall not be constructed from any material that was manufactured for an agricultural use such as chicken wire, deer fencing, hog wire, wire strands, T-stakes, grape stakes, barbed wire or other sharp, pointed, or electrically charged material.
7. All fences shall be maintained in a good condition by the property owner including compliance with the following standards:
a. The fence must be free of damage, breaks or missing components or parts.
b. Areas of the fence that are leaning more than twenty degrees from vertical, buckling, sagging or deteriorating must be repaired or replaced with materials and color similar to its original construction.
c. All metal style fences shall be treated in a manner to prevent rust.
d. Plant materials growing on fences within sight distance and clear view areas shall be maintained at a maximum height of three feet.
8. Conformance with This Section. No person shall construct, alter, or maintain a fence, hedge, wall, or any similar structure, any combination of such structures, or any portion of such structures except in conformance with all of the requirements of this section.
B. Screening. Trash collection and recycling areas, service areas, loading docks, mechanical and electrical equipment, and other building operation devices shall be screened on all sides so that no portion of such areas is visible from public and private roads and adjacent properties. Solar energy systems are exempt from this screening requirement. Required screening may include new and existing plantings, walls, fences, screen panels, doors, topographic changes, buildings, horizontal separation, or any combination thereof.
1. Screening and retaining walls shall be of materials complementary to the building’s materials.
2. All building equipment shall be sited to minimize its visibility and impact, and screened and enclosed as to appear to be an integral part of the architectural design of the building. Measures shall be taken to mitigate noise impacts on adjacent properties.
3. Refuse containers shall be screened from view on all sides. Required screening may include new and existing plantings, walls, fences, screen panels, doors, topographic changes, buildings, horizontal separation, or any combination thereof. Screening fences, walls and/or plantings shall be one foot higher than the object to be screened. An opaque gate shall be included where required to complete screening.
4. Off-street loading docks and/or service areas shall be located to the side or rear of buildings. Where they are directly visible from streets and nearby residential buildings, they shall be screened by walls at least eight feet high, or densely and continuously massed landscaping that maintains its screening capabilities in the winter. Raised planters, berms or other landforms may also be used in conjunction with landscaping or walls. A combination of dense, continuous landscaping and walls may allow the use of lower walls, but no lower than four feet high from finished grade. (Ord. 2022-07 § 1 (Att. A); Ord. 2021-23 § 1 (Att. A); Ord. 2020-09 § 1 (Att. A (part)); Ord. 2019-03 § 1 (Att. A (part)))