Yes. The City of Cleveland requires a permit to put up a fence. The Department of Building and Housing issues it, and the rules on height and material are in Chapter 358 of the city's Codified Ordinances. Every suburb around Cleveland has its own code. We check the rule for your address before we quote.
Do I need a permit to build or replace a fence?
In Cleveland, yes. The Department of Building and Housing says a permit is required to erect a fence. The application needs a site plan drawn to scale that shows the property lines, the buildings, where the fence runs, its height and material, and how close it comes to buildings next door. A contractor must be registered with the city to take out the permit. The suburbs run their own process. Lakewood, Shaker Heights, Cleveland Heights, Parma, South Euclid, Maple Heights and Brook Park all require a fence permit, and Lakewood's fence packet says a like-for-like replacement needs a permit too, so do not assume an old fence gives you a pass. Strongsville's code requires a permit for a fence over 4 feet. Our town pages name the office and the main limits for each city.
How tall can my fence be? Is 6 feet allowed?
Yes, in a back yard or an interior side yard. Section 358.04 of Cleveland's Codified Ordinances allows up to 6 feet there, solid or open. In a front yard, and in the side yard along a street on a corner lot, the limit is 4 feet, the fence must be at least 50 percent open and it must be an ornamental type such as metal picket, wood picket or split rail. On the street side of a corner lot, a fence set back at least 4 feet from the property line may go to 6 feet. Barbed wire is not allowed on a house lot. Section 358.06 bans scrap material and chicken wire and says the finished side must face out toward the neighbor or the street. Suburbs differ: Shaker Heights and Lakewood hold front yard fences to 3 feet in single-family areas, and Parma and South Euclid do not allow a fence in front of the house at all.
How close to the property line can I build? Do I need a survey?
Cleveland lets you build up to the line as long as the fence is on your side. Two rules in section 358.04 catch people out on narrow lots. A fence that runs alongside a building on your own lot must be at least 3 feet from its wall. And a fence that runs alongside the neighbor's house may not be taller than its distance from that house. Some suburbs add their own spacing. Lakewood wants the fence next to the line and not on it, and Maple Heights wants side fences 12 inches inside the line. Lot lines in older Cleveland neighborhoods are often not where the old fence or the shared driveway suggests. If the boundary is not marked, or your neighbor disagrees about it, get a plot plan or a survey before any post goes in.
I live in a historic district. What can I build?
Check with the city before you buy material. In a Cleveland landmark district, exterior work needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Cleveland Landmarks Commission. The review starts with a project record at the Department of Building and Housing. The commission lists a fence that cannot be seen from the public right of way as minor work that its staff can approve. A fence that can be seen from the street may go to design review. In Cleveland Heights, a fence in a front yard needs approval from the Architectural Board of Review. The review staff can tell you which materials and heights have been accepted on your street.
Can my condo association or HOA restrict my fence?
Yes. An association or a deed restriction can set stricter limits than the city on height, style and color. This comes up most in newer subdivisions in suburbs like Strongsville. Have the approval in writing before you pay for material.
We are adding a pool. What fence does code require?
A home pool needs a barrier that meets the building code your city applies. Ohio building departments describe the Residential Code of Ohio standard this way: a barrier at least 48 inches high, no opening that a 4-inch ball can pass through, and gates that close and latch by themselves and swing away from the pool. Cleveland's fence code (section 358.04) sends pool fences to section 3117.03 of the city's Building Code. Some suburbs write their own figures. Your building department gives the exact numbers and inspects the result, so choose the fence while the pool is still on paper.
The inspector failed my existing fence for the pool. Who brings it up to code?
A fence contractor does. Existing yard fences usually fail on the gate, the space under the fence, the spacing of pickets or mesh, or something next to the fence that can be climbed. Send us the inspector's list. We quote those items and nothing more.
My association only allows a 4-foot open fence, but I want privacy. What are my options?
Work inside the rule first. Plant evergreens or tall grasses on your side of a 4-foot open fence and you have privacy in a few years. A screen next to the patio may come under a different rule from a fence on the lot line. Failing that, ask the board in writing for an exception. Look at your survey as well, because drainage and utility easements along the back line can keep a fence out.
Who calls 811 before digging, me or the contractor?
Whoever is going to dig. In Ohio the service is OHIO811, and Ohio Revised Code section 3781.28 puts the duty on the excavator. The request is free. It has to be made at least 2 working days before digging starts, not counting the day you make it, and not more than 16 calendar days ahead. A ticket is good for 16 calendar days. We make the request for every fence we install. The utilities mark the lines they own. OHIO811 does not cover private lines, such as a wire to the garage, a gas line to a grill, sprinkler pipe or yard lights, so show us where yours run.
My contractor wants to skip the permit and reuse the old holes. What is the risk?
The risk lands on you as the owner. Where a permit was required, the city can halt the work or order the fence changed, and its notice is addressed to the property. Reusing old holes is a separate problem. If those holes were too shallow, the new posts will lift in the frost exactly as the old ones did.
The city says my existing fence breaks the current rules. Can I just repair it?
In Cleveland, yes, within a limit. Section 358.06 of the Codified Ordinances says a fence that does not meet the current rules may be repaired but not replaced. Replacing less than half of it in any 12 months counts as repair. Replace more than that and the new fence has to meet today's rules. Suburbs set their own line, so talk to the building department before paying for work and get the answer in writing if you can.
The only real price is one measured in your yard. The estimate is free and comes in writing. Call (216) 238-3677 or text us a photo of the fence line.