Springfield caps fences in a required front yard at 4 feet (and they must be at least 50% open), limits residential fences to 6 feet overall, and allows up to 8 feet in commercial and industrial districts. Recreational fences (tennis, baseball backstops, etc.) may be taller with a permit.
Fence heights are set by Springfield Code of Ordinances Title XV, Chapter 155 (Zoning), Article IV (Bulk Regulations), Section 155.069. In residential districts, no fence in a required front yard may exceed four feet in height measured from ground level, and any front-yard fence must be at least 50% open; no privacy fence may be erected in front of a residence. Elsewhere on a residential lot no fence may exceed six feet above ground level. A three-inch clearance is allowed for installation and does not count toward the height. In commercial and industrial districts (subsection (b)) no fence may exceed eight feet above ground level, again with a three-inch installation clearance. Recreational-facility fences under subsection (e) are exempt from these limits and may reach 10 feet (basketball court), 12 feet (tennis court), 16 feet (baseball backstop), or 8 feet (public swimming pools and schools), provided the fence is at least 75% open, a permit is obtained, and it is not within 20 feet of a corner formed by two street lines. Variances are handled like other zoning variances under section 155.213.
Building a fence taller than allowed (over 4 ft in a front yard, over 6 ft residential, or over 8 ft commercial/industrial) without a variance is a zoning violation enforced by the Office of the Zoning Administrator. Because any fence over four feet also requires a permit, an over-height fence built without one is subject to the standard fines for building structures without a permit, in addition to any other penalties under Chapter 155, and may have to be lowered or removed.
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