FENCE RULES – BRUNSWICK HILLS (TOWNSHIP) – MEDINA COUNTY, OHIO

OVERVIEW

Residential fences are permitted on private property within Brunswick Hills Township in Medina County, subject to local regulations. This page applies to the unincorporated portion of Brunswick Hills Township in Medina County governed by Brunswick Hills Township zoning; incorporated cities and villages regulate fences under their own ordinances.

Local fence rules appear primarily in the Brunswick Hills Township Zoning Resolution, including Section 303-6(H), the corner-lot visibility provision, the swimming-pool enclosure provision, and the township’s current Application for a Fence Permit. Brunswick Hills Township Zoning Department administers the local zoning-certificate process. Medina County Government enforces the Residential Code of Ohio for the township through the Medina County Building Department, while the Medina County Engineer administers the county flood-damage and stormwater regulations where those rules apply.

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 Brunswick Hills Township Zoning Resolution effective January 26, 2026, Brunswick Hills Township Zoning Department guidance, Application for a Fence Permit, Medina County Building Regulations, Ohio Department of Commerce Building Department Lookup, Residential Code of Ohio, Medina County Flood Damage Reduction Regulations, Medina County Stormwater Management Rules and Regulations, Ohio Revised Code Chapter 971, and OHIO811 materials as of July 2026.

GOVERNANCE

Brunswick Hills Township regulates residential fences in its unincorporated territory through the Brunswick Hills Township Zoning Resolution. Ordinary fence standards are concentrated in Section 303-6(H), with related provisions for corner-lot visibility, swimming-pool enclosures, riparian setbacks, zoning certificates, and enforcement.

The Brunswick Hills Township Zoning Inspector administers zoning certificates and enforces the Zoning Resolution. The township does not use a single standalone fence code; the current Application for a Fence Permit supplements the resolution with fence-specific application instructions, height guidance, property-line maintenance clearance, construction hours, finished-side direction, and permit duration.

The Ohio Department of Commerce Building Department Lookup identifies residential code enforcement for Brunswick Hills Township as being provided by Medina County Government. The Medina County Building Department administers the Residential Code of Ohio for one-, two-, and three-family dwellings and their accessory structures. This is certified residential building-department direct administration through Medina County for the township. The Medina County Engineer serves as Floodplain Administrator and administers the county stormwater program where mapped flood-hazard or regulated soil-disturbance conditions apply.

PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS

• Fence Zoning Certificate: A zoning permit is required for a fence in Brunswick Hills Township. The township uses its Application for a Fence Permit as the application for a fence zoning certificate.

• Application Information: The fence application requests the property location and permanent parcel number, zoning district, proposed installation date, total fence length, height, cost, fence type, and whether the fence line has been staked. The application and its attachments are submitted to the Brunswick Hills Township Zoning Inspector.

• Permit Duration: The current fence application states that the zoning permit becomes null and void six months after issuance unless construction has started. An extension permit must then be requested from the Brunswick Hills Township Zoning Inspector.

• Building-Code Approval Context: The Medina County Building Department administers the Residential Code of Ohio for Brunswick Hills Township. The Residential Code of Ohio includes an approval exemption for fences not over 6 feet high. Brunswick Hills Township does not publish a separate local building-permit requirement for standard residential fences in the referenced published materials. The building-code exemption does not remove the township fence zoning-certificate requirement.

• Floodplain Development: The Medina County Flood Damage Reduction Regulations require a county Stormwater Management Permit before development activity wholly within, partially within, or in contact with an identified special flood hazard area. Fence-related filling, grading, excavation, drilling, construction, or alteration is subject to that review when it falls within the county definition of development, subject to the exemptions stated in the county regulations. The Medina County Engineer administers this review as Floodplain Administrator.

• Stormwater and Sediment Control: A Medina County Stormwater Management and Sediment Control Permit is required before regulated non-farm soil-disturbing activity exceeding 5,000 square feet begins. This county threshold applies to a fence project only when the project includes regulated soil disturbance exceeding that area.

• Pool-Barrier Context: Swimming pools are regulated separately from ordinary yard fences. A fence used as part of a pool enclosure must satisfy the township’s pool-barrier provisions in addition to the ordinary fence rules.

• Construction Hours: The current fence application limits construction to Monday through Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. It states that construction is not permitted on Sundays or holidays.

FENCE PLACEMENT RULES

• Required Yards: Fences, walls, and hedges may be located in a required yard or along the edge of a yard when they comply with Section 303-6(H) of the Brunswick Hills Township Zoning Resolution.

• Side and Rear Lot Lines: Section 303-6(H) permits fences and walls along side or rear lot lines. The current fence application instructs applicants to leave at least 6 inches of clearance from surrounding property lot lines for fence maintenance.

• Front Yards: Front-yard fences are subject to the township’s visibility, openness, material, and height provisions described below.

• Driveway Gates: A gate across a driveway must be at least 10 feet wide, must be harmonious with the adjacent fencing, and must be set back 30 feet from the road right-of-way.

• Corner Lots: No obstruction to view exceeding 2 feet in height may be placed within the corner-lot triangle formed by the street right-of-way lines and a line connecting points 30 feet from the intersection of the street lines. Pruned shade trees that do not obstruct drivers’ clear view are excepted.

• Riparian and Watercourse Lots: On a lot containing a designated watercourse, the Zoning Resolution requires applicable riparian setbacks to be identified for regulated zoning-certificate work. The owner must notify the Brunswick Hills Township Zoning Inspector at least five working days before soil-disturbing activity that may be within a riparian setback and is regulated by the resolution. Application of these provisions to a proposed fence and its related excavation is administered by the Brunswick Hills Township Zoning Inspector.

• Floodplain and Drainage Areas: Fence-related filling, grading, drilling, excavation, or other development in a mapped special flood hazard area is subject to the Medina County Engineer review described in the county flood-damage regulations. Regulated non-farm soil disturbance exceeding 5,000 square feet also requires the county stormwater permit described above.

• 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

• Current Application Maximum: The current fence application states that fence height may not exceed 6 feet from the ground.

• Side and Rear Lot Lines: Fences and walls along side or rear lot lines may not exceed 6 feet above grade.

• Front-Yard Visibility: A front-yard fence, wall, or dense hedge may not impede vision across the yard above 5 feet. Front-yard fences and walls must also have uniform openings totaling at least 50 percent of their surface area.

• Planned Unit Development: In a Planned Unit Development, a front-yard fence, wall, or dense hedge may not exceed 3.5 feet.

• Corner-Lot Visibility: Within the required corner-lot visibility triangle, no obstruction to view may exceed 2 feet in height. The triangle extends to points 30 feet from the intersection of the street lines.

• Integrated Dwelling Enclosures: In a single-family development area, a solid wall, screen, or privacy enclosure designed as an integral component of the dwelling and using materials common to the dwelling may be located within 10 feet of either side lot line, must comply with front- and rear-yard requirements, and may be up to 8 feet high. This is a special dwelling-integrated standard, not the ordinary freestanding-fence height rule.

• Building-Code Context: The Residential Code of Ohio approval exemption for fences not over 6 feet is a building-code approval rule. The current fence application’s 6-foot maximum is a separate local zoning standard for standard fence applications.

MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS

• Front-Yard Barbed Wire: Barbed-wire fences are prohibited in front yards.

• Front-Yard Masonry: Masonry-type fence construction is prohibited in front yards.

• Front-Yard Chain Link: Woven-wire chain-link fences are prohibited in front yards.

• Front-Yard Openness: Front-yard fences and walls must contain uniform openings totaling at least 50 percent of their surface area.

• Finished Side: The Zoning Resolution requires the framing side of the fence to face the owner’s property. The current application expresses the same requirement by stating that the finished side must face the neighboring property.

• Condition and Appearance: Fences, walls, and hedges must be maintained in a neat and orderly manner and may not be constructed or maintained so as to be hazardous to neighboring uses. Side- and rear-lot-line fences must also be well maintained and harmonious and appropriate in appearance with the immediate area.

• Snow Fences: A snow fence or similar fence may be placed in any yard from November 1 through April 1 solely to prevent snow drifting on highways, driveways, and sidewalks. It may not otherwise be used as a temporary or permanent enclosure.

• In-Ground Pool Barriers: An in-ground swimming pool must be completely surrounded by a fence or wall at least 4 feet high. Doors and gates must have suitable locking devices to prevent unauthorized intrusion.

• Above-Ground Pool Access: An above-ground pool requiring steps or a ladder for access must have a fence or gate at the access point with a suitable locking device.

• Other Residential Materials: The Zoning Resolution does not publish separate ordinary residential construction standards for wood, vinyl, aluminum, wrought iron, or side- and rear-yard chain-link fences beyond the height, maintenance, appearance, orientation, and location requirements stated above.

PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS

HOAs, subdivision covenants, deed restrictions, private easements, architectural-review covenants, private boundary agreements, recorded partition-fence agreements, conservation easements, and other private restrictions operate independently from Brunswick Hills Township zoning and may impose additional or more restrictive fence requirements.

The Brunswick Hills Township Zoning Resolution states that when township zoning imposes a higher standard than a private deed restriction or private covenant, the township regulation governs. Ohio Revised Code Chapter 971 may separately apply to certain rural, livestock, or shared-boundary partition fences; it does not replace the township zoning-certificate and fence standards, and it does not apply to adjoining properties laid out into lots outside municipal corporations.

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: The Brunswick Hills Township Zoning Inspector reviews the fence application for compliance with the Zoning Resolution and the current application requirements before issuing a zoning certificate.

• Height and Yard Review: Review may include the 6-foot current application maximum, the 6-foot side- and rear-lot-line limit, front-yard visibility and openness requirements, the 3.5-foot Planned Unit Development limit, and the special 8-foot dwelling-integrated enclosure provision.

• Placement and Visibility Review: Review may include the application’s 6-inch maintenance clearance, driveway-gate width and right-of-way setback, front-yard openness, and the 2-foot / 30-foot corner-lot visibility triangle.

• Material and Orientation Review: Review may include front-yard barbed wire, masonry-type, and chain-link prohibitions; finished-side orientation; maintenance; and seasonal snow-fence limits.

• Pool-Barrier Review: A fence or wall used as an in-ground pool barrier is reviewed against the 4-foot minimum enclosure and locking-device requirements. Above-ground pool access points are reviewed for the required locking fence or gate.

• County Building-Code Context: The Medina County Building Department enforces the Residential Code of Ohio for the township. Fences not over 6 feet are exempt from Residential Code approval, while the township zoning-certificate requirement remains separate.

• Floodplain, Riparian, and Stormwater Review: Mapped flood-hazard conditions, designated watercourses, riparian setbacks, and regulated soil disturbance may require review by the Brunswick Hills Township Zoning Inspector or the Medina County Engineer, including the county permits described above.

• Construction and Utility Context: Review may include the application’s construction-hour limits and OHIO811 notice requirements for covered excavation.

USING THIS INFORMATION

This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within Brunswick Hills Township in Medina 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 the Brunswick Hills Township Zoning Department, the Medina County Building Department, and the Medina County Engineer where applicable, and with any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, zoning resolutions, published guidance, or direction from Brunswick Hills Township Zoning Department staff, Medina County Building Department staff, or Medina County Engineer staff, as applicable, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.