City of Lower Burrell, PA Article XII Fences, Walls and Screens

§ 300-93 Fences, enclosure walls and screens.

The location, nature and height of fences, walls and screens shall be such that they will not hinder the appropriate development and use of adjacent land and buildings or impair the value thereof. Fences, other than a wire fence with barbs, enclosure walls, shrubbery or hedges, are permitted in any yard subject to the requirements of this article.

A. Solid fences, walls or similar enclosures are permitted in any front yard; provided, the height of such fence, wall or enclosure shall not exceed four feet above the adjacent ground level. No fence, wall or screen shall extend within the right-of-way at any street.[1]

[1] Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).

B. In Residential and Conservancy Districts, ornamental or screening walls, wire or solid fences may be erected in any required side or rear yard or within the buildable area to a height not exceeding 6 1/2 feet above the adjacent ground level.

C. In Commercial and Industrial Districts, wire fences, walls, hedges or similar enclosure screens not exceeding six feet in height are permitted in any yard except abutting a street. Where parking is permitted in a portion of required yards, a fence or enclosure wall may extend into a required yard abutting a street but not closer to a street line than the area in which parking is permitted. (See § 300-91G.)

D. In R Districts, fences or screens are required along certain property lines, as specified in § 300-94, when abutting C or M Zoning District uses, and such fence shall be permitted to exceed the height limits of Subsection B hereof, where required.

E. Where determined by the Zoning Hearing Board to be necessary in conjunction with any use permitted or made as a special exception, such required fences, walls and screens may exceed the height limits of this section.

F. Wire fencing or chain-link fencing shall be permitted in farm areas or large areas for the purpose of enclosing animals in pastures or fields. Barbed-wire fence is permitted when required as part of normal accepted farm practice.

G. All public sidewalks, except at driveways, shall be protected from automobiles extending on or over them by wheel barriers or guard rails.

§ 300-94 Screening of commercial uses.

In any Commercial or Industrial District, where a required yard abuts property in a Residential District, the commercial use shall be screened from the residential property as follows:

A. If a portion of a required yard in a C or M District abutting an R District is used for parking, or if a parking area abuts the required yard, screening shall be provided as prescribed in §§ 300-91 and 300-93.

B. If a required yard in a C or M District abuts a Residential District and is not included in the provisions of § 300-91, such yard shall be screened from the R District by a five-foot-high solid fence, wall, or deciduous or evergreen hedge four feet high at time of planting.

C. In addition to Subsections A and B hereof, all common boundaries of developed C or I District properties with R District properties, if determined by the Planning Commission as essential to carry out the intent of this chapter, shall have a screen planting strip of deciduous or evergreen plants a minimum of four feet high at time of planting or a solid fence or wall a minimum of five feet high.

D. Trees required by § 154-10 are excluded from the height limitations stated herein.