FENCE RULES – BLENDON (TOWNSHIP) – FRANKLIN COUNTY, OHIO
OVERVIEW
Residential fences are permitted on private property within Blendon Township in Franklin County, subject to local regulations. This page applies to the unincorporated portion of Blendon Township in Franklin County governed by Blendon Township zoning; incorporated cities and villages regulate fences under their own ordinances.
Local fence rules appear primarily in the Blendon Township Zoning Resolution, including Section 501 – Fence Requirements, the certificate-of-zoning-compliance provisions, street-visibility standards, the Regulatory Floodplain District, and the Big Walnut Creek Watershed Riparian Setback Overlay. The township also publishes a Residential Fence Permit Application, while Franklin County Government administers residential building-code enforcement.
This page focuses on typical single-family residential fencing. If the jurisdiction’s code, ordinance, or zoning-resolution materials do not state a specific limit or requirement, this page notes that the controlling regulatory text does not specify one. If no local code, ordinance, or zoning resolution is available in the approved source packet, this page notes that the jurisdiction does not publish the relevant standard in the referenced published materials.
Compiled From the Blendon Township Zoning Resolution amended July 21, 2026, Blendon Township Residential Fence Permit Application, Ohio Department of Commerce Board of Building Standards Building Department Lookup, Residential Code of Ohio, Ohio underground utility-protection law and OHIO811 materials, and Ohio Revised Code Chapter 971 as of July 2026.
GOVERNANCE
Blendon Township regulates land in its unincorporated territory under the Blendon Township Zoning Resolution, adopted under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 519. The dedicated fence standards are concentrated in Section 501, with related provisions in Sections 504, 610, 655, and 705.
The Blendon Township Zoning Department and the Blendon Township Zoning Inspector administer zoning certificates, interpret and enforce the zoning resolution, review applications, keep certificate and complaint records, and inspect land for zoning compliance.
The Ohio Department of Commerce Board of Building Standards Building Department Lookup identifies residential one-, two-, and three-family enforcement for Blendon Township as Franklin County Government. Residential building-code administration is separate from the township zoning certificate and local fence standards.
PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
• Township Zoning Certificate: Section 501.016 requires a Certificate of Zoning Compliance before a fence is erected. Blendon Township uses a Residential Fence Permit Application for this review.
• Minor Repair Exemption: A zoning certificate is not required for a minor fence repair when the fence complies with Section 501 and the materials, height, and location do not change.
• Application Materials: The Residential Fence Permit Application requires fee payment by check, a signed application, and two copies of a site map drawn to scale showing the placement of every fence section, the height, and the materials. The form also requests the parcel ID, zoning district, fence length, property-line setback, and whether the work is new construction or repair.
• Review Period and Expiration: A complete certificate application is issued or refused within 15 working days. A certificate expires if the work has not begun within six months or has not been substantially completed within one year after issuance.
• Building-Code Approval Context: Franklin County Government administers the Residential Code of Ohio for one-, two-, and three-family work in Blendon Township. The Residential Code of Ohio includes a building-code approval exemption for fences not over 6 feet high. This exemption does not remove the township zoning-certificate requirement.
• Pool Barrier Review: The zoning resolution requires every swimming pool to be completely enclosed by a fence. A fence used as a pool barrier is also subject to current Residential Code of Ohio requirements administered by Franklin County Government.
FENCE PLACEMENT RULES
• Yard Placement: Fences, walls, and landscaping may be located in any required yard or along the edge of any yard, subject to Section 501.
• Property-Line Placement: The zoning resolution does not state a setback requirement for standard residential fences from property lines; however, fences must be located entirely on the owner’s property and must not encroach into rights-of-way or easements.
• Public Rights-of-Way: No fence or wall may be located within an existing public right-of-way.
• Street Visibility: No man-made structure, motor vehicle, natural vegetation, or other object may be placed or maintained in a manner that affects or impedes clear visibility from adjacent right-of-way lines or streets.
• Shrubs and Hedges: Shrubbery and hedges may not be planted beyond the property lines. Where they affect driver visibility on public streets, shrubbery and hedges must be trimmed to a maximum of 30 inches, and trees must be trimmed to avoid traffic hazards.
• Big Walnut Creek Watershed Riparian Setback: A fence or wall within the riparian setback requires a zoning certificate and must provide adequate surface-water flow through, under, or around it, as determined by Franklin Soil and Water.
• Regulatory Floodplain District: The permit application identifies whether the property is in a floodplain. The Regulatory Floodplain District operates as an overlay, and the zoning resolution defines a fence located in, along, across, or projecting into a channel, watercourse, or regulatory flood-hazard area as an obstruction. Floodplain applications may require additional site information and overlay review.
• Utility Safety: Ohio law requires notice through OHIO811 before excavation where Ohio’s underground utility protection law applies. For covered fence work involving digging, drilling, augering, boring, grading, or other excavation, notice must be given at least two working days, not including the day of notification, but not more than 16 calendar days before excavation begins. For an owner personally excavating at property containing one through four dwelling units or another property category covered by the statutory owner-excavator provision, the notice requirement does not apply unless excavation is planned in a utility easement, a public right-of-way, or an area where utility facilities are known to serve the property; an excavator employed by the owner must comply. OHIO811 is a notification center and does not mark lines itself; participating utilities or their locators mark covered facilities and provide positive-response information. This statewide utility-notice framework is separate from local fence permitting, zoning certificates, development approval, easement limits, right-of-way approvals, floodplain review, stormwater review, drainage review, road or county-engineer review, historic or design review, HOA restrictions, and other applicable requirements.
FENCE HEIGHT AND VISIBILITY RULES
• Between a Street and the Principal Structure: A fence or wall may not exceed 3 1/2 feet (42 inches) in height.
• Other Yard Areas: Elsewhere on the lot, a fence may not exceed 6 feet in height.
• Lots Fronting More Than One Street: The township illustrations apply the 3 1/2-foot limit to the areas between each public street and the principal structure, including corner and other multiple-frontage lots.
• Height Measurement: Fence height is measured from the finished grade on the higher side of the fence.
• Limited Height Exceptions: Section 501 allows different requirements where Section 521 required screening or an approved Development Plan in a planned development district controls. These are limited site-specific contexts rather than the ordinary residential yard-fence standard.
• Visibility: Compliance with a numerical height limit does not permit a fence or other object to affect or impede clear visibility from adjacent rights-of-way or streets.
• Swimming Pool Fence: Every swimming pool must be completely enclosed by a fence at least 4 feet (48 inches) high. Current Residential Code of Ohio pool-barrier requirements remain a separate building-code layer.
MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS
• Approved Fence Materials: Fences must be constructed from materials normally manufactured, used, and recognized for fencing. Published examples include wrought iron or other decorative metals, masonry, concrete, stone, metal tubing, wood planks, and vinyl or fiberglass composite fencing approved by the Administrative Officer.
• Purpose-Manufactured Materials: Material not originally manufactured for fencing or screening may not be used to construct a fence.
• Street-Facing Chain Link: Chain-link fencing is prohibited between a street and the principal structure.
• Electric and Barbed Wire: Electric and barbed-wire fences are prohibited unless otherwise permitted by Ohio Revised Code Section 971.03. That statutory context concerns partition-fence situations and is not a general ordinary-residential material allowance.
• Finished Side: The finished side must face outward. The side containing the posts must face the applicant’s property.
• Maintenance: Fencing must be properly maintained and kept in good repair at all times.
PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS
Private restrictions operate independently from township zoning. HOAs, covenants, subdivision restrictions, deed restrictions, private easements, architectural-review covenants, private boundary agreements, recorded partition-fence agreements, conservation easements, and other private restrictions may be more restrictive than the Blendon Township Zoning Resolution. A township zoning certificate does not replace compliance with those private requirements.
REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT
Fence issues are typically reviewed during permit or approval review when required, and through complaint-based code enforcement. Examples include:
• Zoning Certificate Review: New fences and repairs that do not qualify for the minor-repair exemption are reviewed under Section 501 before a Certificate of Zoning Compliance is issued.
• Application Review: Review may include the signed application, fee payment, site-map copies, fence placement, height, materials, property-line information, floodplain status, corner-lot conditions, and whether a variance is required.
• Height and Location Review: Review may include the 3 1/2-foot street-facing limit, the 6-foot limit elsewhere, right-of-way exclusion, property location, and visibility from streets and rights-of-way.
• Material and Construction Review: Review may include approved fencing materials, the street-facing chain-link prohibition, electric and barbed-wire limits, finished-side orientation, and maintenance.
• Riparian and Floodplain Review: Fences in the Big Walnut Creek Watershed Riparian Setback or Regulatory Floodplain District may receive additional review for surface-water flow, obstruction, floodplain information, and overlay compliance.
• Residential Building-Code Context: Franklin County Government administers the Residential Code of Ohio. The building-code approval exemption for fences not over 6 feet does not replace township zoning review, and pool barriers remain subject to current residential-code requirements.
• Complaint-Based Enforcement: The Blendon Township Zoning Inspector keeps records of complaints and may inspect land to determine whether a zoning violation exists.
• Utility Safety: Fence-post excavation may trigger OHIO811 notice and positive-response requirements before digging.
USING THIS INFORMATION
This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within Blendon Township in Franklin County, based on the referenced published materials as of July 2026.
In addition to local fence rules, certain Ohio laws apply statewide. See Statewide Fence Laws in Ohio.
It is not legal advice and does not replace official ordinances, zoning resolutions, permits, zoning certificates, development approvals, applicable building-code requirements, surveys, or professional guidance. Rules and interpretations may change, and application may vary based on zoning district, site conditions, easements, rights-of-way, floodplain status, restricted-floodway or stream conditions, stormwater requirements, drainage conditions, road or highway conditions, county-engineer jurisdiction, railroad adjacency, historic district status, design-review status, rural or agricultural context, livestock, partition-fence or preferred-partition-fence context, certified residential building-department status, contracted administration, pool-barrier use, OHIO811 utility-safety requirements, utility-clearance conditions, and private restrictions such as HOA covenants, deed restrictions, private agreements, recorded partition-fence agreements, or conservation easements. Before purchasing materials or beginning construction, confirm current requirements and any site-specific limitations with Blendon Township Zoning Department and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, zoning resolutions, published guidance, or direction from Blendon Township Zoning Department staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.