FENCE RULES – CONCORD (TOWNSHIP) – LAKE COUNTY, OHIO

OVERVIEW

Residential fences are permitted on private property within Concord Township in Lake County, subject to local regulations.

This page applies to the unincorporated portion of Concord Township in Lake County governed by Concord Township zoning; incorporated cities and villages regulate fences under their own ordinances.

Local fence rules appear primarily in the Concord Township Zoning Resolution, including Section XXXIV – Fences, the zoning-permit and Certificate of Zoning Compliance provisions, the swimming-pool barrier standards, and the riparian-setback regulations. The Concord Township Zoning Department administers zoning review, while the Lake County Building Department administers applicable Residential Code of Ohio approvals. The Lake County Subdivision Regulations separately govern subdivision plats, rights-of-way, and easements but do not establish a separate general residential fence standard.

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 Concord Township Zoning Resolution, as amended through September 5, 2025; Zoning Information Sheet #2: Fences – Residential; Concord Township zoning-permit application and fee materials; Concord Township riparian-setback materials; Lake County Building Department jurisdiction and residential-permit materials; the Lake County Subdivision Regulations; the Residential Code of Ohio; Ohio underground-utility law; and OHIO811 homeowner and positive-response materials as of July 2026.

GOVERNANCE

Concord Township regulates residential fences under Section XXXIV of the Concord Township Zoning Resolution. Related administrative rules appear in Sections XI and XII, permanent swimming-pool barrier rules appear in Section XXXI, and fences or walls within a regulated riparian setback are addressed in Section XVII.

The Concord Township Zoning Department and Zoning Inspector administer zoning permits, review site plans, inspect completed work, and issue Certificates of Zoning Compliance. The Concord Township Board of Trustees adopts the zoning resolution and fee schedule.

The Lake County Building Department is the certified residential building department serving Concord Township. It administers the Residential Code of Ohio and the township’s current residential fence guidance states that a Lake County building permit is required for fences over 6 feet high.

The Lake County Planning Commission administers subdivision and plat review under the Lake County Subdivision Regulations. Those regulations establish subdivision rights-of-way, utility easements, drainage easements, and platting procedures, but they do not create a separate ordinary residential fence permit or height standard.

PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS

• Zoning Permit: A Concord Township zoning permit is required for fences in the residential districts unless a stated exception applies.

• Decorative-Fence Exception: A small portion of decorative landscaping fence that is not longer than 20 feet does not require a zoning permit when it complies with the applicable height, yard, and maintenance requirements.

• Agricultural-Use Fences: Fences for agricultural uses are exempt from the residential fence regulations in Section XXXIV. This exemption does not convert agricultural fencing into an ordinary residential fence standard.

• Application Materials: The application must include a diagram or scaled site plan showing the proposed fence location and height. A survey is not required by the township fence sheet, but the applicant or property owner is responsible for verifying the property lines. Applications may be completed online or through the Concord Township Zoning Office.

• Zoning Fee: The published residential fence or wall zoning fee is $50.

• Certificate of Zoning Compliance: Work constructed under an approved zoning permit is subject to the township’s final inspection and Certificate of Zoning Compliance process.

• Building Permit: The Lake County Building Department requires a building permit for fences over 6 feet high. The Residential Code of Ohio separately exempts fences not over 6 feet high from building-code approval. The 6-foot figure is an approval threshold, not the township’s maximum fence height.

• Riparian-Setback Review: Fences and walls may be permitted within a regulated riparian setback only with zoning-permit approval under Section XVII. When regulated soil-disturbing activity is proposed within 10 feet of the outer boundary of a riparian setback, the setback must be identified on the submitted site plan.

• Pool-Barrier Context: A zoning permit is required for a permanent swimming pool. A fence used as the required pool barrier is reviewed under the pool standards and the ordinary fence standards; pool-barrier approval is separate from approval for an ordinary yard fence.

FENCE PLACEMENT RULES

• 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.

• Required Yards: Fences and walls may be located in any required yard or along the edge of a yard, subject to the applicable height, lot-type, right-of-way, riparian, and other location rules.

• Road Right-of-Way: Fences and walls are prohibited within the road right-of-way.

• Corner, Flag, and Double-Frontage Lots: Figure 34.05-1 in the zoning resolution identifies where the front-yard and side/rear-yard height limits apply on interior, corner, flag, and double-frontage lots. The township’s residential fence sheet directs owners of corner lots to the Concord Township Zoning Department for complete location details.

• Property-Line Verification: The township does not require a survey with the standard fence application, but the owner remains responsible for locating the property lines. The entire fence, supports, and appurtenances must remain within the owner’s lot.

• Maintenance Area: Property between a fence and a property line must be regularly maintained.

• Riparian Setbacks: Fences and walls are listed as uses that may be approved within a riparian setback with a zoning permit. The township’s Riparian Setback Guide Map is a reference map; the setback criteria in Section XVII control when the map and the regulation differ.

• Subdivision and Easement Context: Recorded subdivision plats may identify public rights-of-way and utility or drainage easements. The Lake County Subdivision Regulations govern the creation and depiction of those areas, while the township zoning permit controls the ordinary residential fence 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

• Front Yards: Fences and walls in any front yard may not exceed 4 feet in height.

• Side and Rear Yards: Fences and walls in the side or rear yards, up to the front edge of the building, may not exceed 8 feet in height.

• Controlled-Access Highway: A fence or wall in a side or rear yard abutting a controlled-access highway may not exceed 8 feet.

• Lot-Type Assignment: The zoning-resolution diagram assigns the front-yard and side/rear-yard height limits on interior, corner, flag, and double-frontage lots. Lot configuration can therefore change which limit applies along a particular boundary.

• Height Measurement: Fence height is measured from finished grade. Posts and other supporting portions may extend no more than 4 inches above the permitted maximum fence height.

• Building-Approval Threshold: A fence that exceeds 6 feet requires a Lake County building permit even when it remains within the township’s 8-foot side- or rear-yard maximum.

• Visibility: The township’s residential fence sheet states that fences should not obstruct visibility. Section XXXIV does not publish a separate numeric sight-triangle measurement for standard residential fences.

• Permanent Pool Barriers: A permanent in-ground or above-ground pool must be enclosed by a fence of sturdy construction at least 4 feet high, unless an above-ground pool has non-climbable vertical sides at least 4 feet high and its access steps or ladders are removed when the pool is not in use.

• Temporary Pool Protection: During installation of an in-ground pool, temporary fencing at least 48 inches high must completely enclose the excavation area until the permanent enclosure is completed.

MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS

• Permitted Open Fences: Published open-fence types include chain link, bollard-and-chain, open picket, smooth rail, split rail, contemporary or estate rail, and wrought-iron-style designs. The residential fence sheet also lists woven-welded lawn and hinge-joint fencing.

• Permitted Solid Fences: Published solid-fence types include board-on-board or alternating-board fencing, solid picket, stockade or palisade, basketweave, board-on-batten, baffle, solid wood, and brick or stone wall fences.

• Prohibited Materials: Residential fences may not be composed of or include a charged electrical current, razor or concertina wire, chicken wire, pallets, barbed wire, or guard rail.

• Finished Side: The smooth finished side must face outward from the yard being fenced. Horizontal, diagonal, and supporting members must be placed on the interior side.

• Property Containment: The fence and all supporting structures and appurtenances must be contained entirely within the owner’s property.

• Maintenance: Every fence must be kept safe, secure, neat, and orderly and maintained to prevent rust, corrosion, rotting, or other deterioration. The township’s residential fence sheet also states that fences are to remain free of advertising.

• Pool-Barrier Construction: A permanent pool barrier must be designed to prevent a child from crawling or passing through or under it. Gates must have suitable locking devices. A swimming-pool cover does not replace the required enclosure.

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 Concord Township zoning and may be more restrictive than public fence rules.

The Lake County Subdivision Regulations govern public subdivision and platting requirements, but they do not replace recorded private covenants or subdivision architectural standards. A township zoning permit, Lake County building permit, or Residential Code of Ohio approval exemption does not remove applicable private restrictions.

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-Permit Review: The Concord Township Zoning Inspector reviews fence applications for compliance with location, height, material, orientation, property-containment, maintenance, lot-type, and riparian-setback rules.

• Decorative-Fence Exception: A decorative fence segment not longer than 20 feet may be reviewed if it does not comply with the height, yard, or maintenance conditions attached to the permit exception.

• Certificate Review: Completed work covered by a zoning permit is subject to inspection and the township’s Certificate of Zoning Compliance process.

• Lake County Building Review: Fences over 6 feet enter the Lake County building-permit process. Fences not over 6 feet remain exempt from Residential Code of Ohio approval but are still subject to township zoning requirements.

• Placement and Height Conflicts: Review may address a fence in a road right-of-way, a fence extending outside the owner’s property, a front-yard fence over 4 feet, or a side- or rear-yard fence over 8 feet.

• Material and Maintenance Conflicts: Review may address prohibited fencing materials, inward-facing finished sides, exposed support members, unsafe or deteriorated fencing, advertising, or unmaintained land outside the fence.

• Riparian Conditions: A fence within a regulated riparian setback is reviewed under Section XVII. When land development or soil disturbance occurs within 10 feet of the outer setback boundary, the setback must be identified on the site plan and marked on the property with construction fencing before the work begins.

• Pool Barriers: Permanent pool fencing, locking gates, above-ground pool exceptions, and temporary excavation fencing are reviewed under the pool-barrier standards.

USING THIS INFORMATION

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