(a) 
Wood shingles shall not be used within the city limits.
(b) 
Fiberglass or approved 320 lb. weight shingles or better must be used.
(c) 
Metal roofing is allowed only if it is 20 lb. terne metal or 16 oz. copper as approved by the building inspector per the International Building Code.
(d) 
All roof pitches shall have a minimum rise of six (6) inches over twelve (12) inches of run. For two story houses, roofs over entryways may be reduced to two (2) over twelve (12) pitch with the approval of the director.
(e) 
Replacement of roofing on a dwelling or accessory structure shall require a permit if the type of roofing material differs from the original material (i.e. replacing composite shingles with metal roofing).
(Ordinance 2020-12 adopted 9/8/20)
All new principal dwellings shall have a minimum of 80 percent masonry total on exterior walls.
(Ordinance 19-06 adopted 5/14/19)
All fireplaces shall be installed in a masonry enclosure and vented through a masonry enclosure (excluding Hardie board).
(Ordinance 2020-12 adopted 9/8/20)
(a) 
Driveways shall be at least ten feet in width. Width shall be a minimum of 16 feet where the driveway approach connects to the public street, and approach width shall be a minimum of 12 feet.
(b) 
Driveways less than 100 feet in length shall be constructed of concrete that is five (5) inches thick and reinforced with a minimum of three-eighths (3/8) inch rebar 18 inches on center.
(c) 
Driveways that are greater than 100 feet in length shall have the approach and first 100 feet adjoining the roadway paved in concrete. The remainder may have an all-weather driving surface constructed of gravel, crushed concrete or other suitable material.
(d) 
Culverts shall be minimum 18-inch diameter reinforced concrete or hot dipped galvanized corrugated metal pipe. Culverts shall extend away from each side of driveway on a slope no greater than three horizontal to one vertical and include a concrete safety end treatment. Culverts shall be sized to accept the amount of storm water that would naturally drain to that point, including any improvements made concurrently that affect the natural drainage patterns. Driveways that contain, abut or cross drainage ditches or creeks may require additional evaluation to determine the proper size of drainage improvements. Each property owner shall be responsible for keeping the culverts and drainage ditches open on his property.
(Ordinance 1702, sec. 3.400.001, adopted 1/10/17; Ordinance 18-09 adopted 5/8/18; Ordinance 19-06 adopted 5/14/19)
(a) 
An accessory building is a permanent building or structure that is not attached to the main residence. Examples are storage sheds, gazebos, pavilions and garages.
(b) 
Accessory buildings shall be constructed from pre-engineered metal, brick, wood or comparable weather bearing material.
(c) 
Accessory buildings over 250 square feet on less than five (5) acres shall have a slab concrete foundation.
(d) 
A permit shall not be issued for an accessory building unless a primary residence exists on the property or is under a current building permit for its construction.
(e) 
An accessory building shall be limited to the height of the main building or 25 feet, whichever is less.
(f) 
An accessory building shall be placed to the rear of the front plane of the house. For corner lots, placement is recommended to be unobtrusive to view from all visual neighbors.
(g) 
An accessory building shall be 10 feet from the side property lines or 5 feet from the fence. If the fence is on the property line, the building shall be a distance of 10 feet from the fence.
(h) 
In a platted residential subdivision, total square footage of an accessory building or multiple accessory buildings shall be limited to 50% of the main dwelling square footage of air-conditioned and heated living space for lots five acres or less.
(i) 
(1) 
For purposes of this section, shipping containers may be considered accessory buildings and are defined as any metal or primarily metal container designed or constructed to ship, store, or handle bulk goods or items, or which appears substantially similar to such containers in appearance. Such containers include reusable steel boxes, freight containers, and bulk shipping or storage containers.
(2) 
Shipping containers shall not be used as accessory buildings except in the following manner:
(A) 
No more than one (1) shipping container shall be allowed on a lot or parcel;
(B) 
The lot or parcel must be ten (10) acres or greater in size;
(C) 
The shipping container dimensions shall not exceed eight (8) feet by eight and one-half (8.5) feet by forty (40) feet;
(D) 
The shipping container shall be one color, non-reflective, and of earth-tone shades;
(E) 
The shipping container shall be placed on an all-weather surface;
(F) 
The shipping container shall be positioned and screened on the property to limit visibility from the public right-of-way and adjacent properties; and
(G) 
The use of the shipping container shall be limited to storage purposes.
(j) 
Open-air structures, including but not limited to pergolas and trellises, are not included when calculating allowable accessory building(s) sizes, as follows:
(1) 
Open-air structure(s) cannot exceed the total square footage allowed for accessory buildings specified above.
(k) 
This article does not apply to temporary unattached buildings or portable storage containers necessitated by a remodeling project or natural disaster providing a time limit of 90 days is observed.
(Ordinance 2021-17 adopted 11/9/21)
(a) 
An application for a fence permit to erect a fence must include:
(1) 
Applicant’s name and address; and if the person represents a company or corporation, the name and address of the foreman of the company or corporation together with the name of the president of same shall be supplied.
(2) 
Name of owner of the property.
(3) 
Local address where fence is to be erected.
(4) 
Type of fence.
(5) 
Height of fence.
(6) 
A plat plan drawing indicating the fence line.
(b) 
A fence may not exceed eight (8) feet in height.
(c) 
Solid privacy-type fences and chainlink fences are prohibited in front yards. In addition, new fences in front yards must be compatible in appearance and quality with other front yard fences in the same neighborhood so as to preserve property values in the neighborhood. For instance, a wire and pipe fence would normally not be compatible in a neighborhood where all other fences are wrought iron.
(d) 
On all corner lots where the rear lot line is adjacent to a side lot line or across an alley from such side lot line, no fence exceeding three (3) feet in height shall be constructed outside the designated building line along the side or rear yard which is next to the street.
(e) 
Appropriate fencing materials shall include wrought iron, chainlink, wood, vinyl, masonry or other approved material unless a specific regulation herein requires that a fence be constructed of a specific material. Gates must be compatible with the fencing in design, material and height. All posts shall be steel, vinyl or other approved material and must be set in concrete facing the inside of the property, so that the finished side of the fence faces out. Barbed wire and chicken wire are prohibited for residential fence construction. Hog wire, horse wire and cattle wire are likewise prohibited unless framed by and constructed as part of an iron or steel pipe fence.
(f) 
It shall be unlawful for any fence to be erected in an area zoned for residential use that is electrically charged in any form or manner except for properties with agricultural tax bases assigned by the Ellis Central Appraisal District. Properties with this designation may use UL approved livestock type electrified fences and are responsible for establishing safety measures on such fences and maintaining same. An electric fence greater than twenty-four (24) volts shall be clearly marked at fifty-foot intervals with a warning sign, which shall state that the fence is electric. All liability for such fences lies with the property owner.
(g) 
In order to allow for the entrance and exit of fire department and police department personnel, there must be at least one gate no less than three-feet wide on each fence that is adjacent or parallel to a public alley or utility easement. This does not pertain to those easements which the city has allowed to be completely fenced in.
(h) 
In all residential developments with rear or side entry access to a garage or carport, clear visibility must be maintained for at least ten (10) feet from the corner of the driveway, alley or street in both directions on both sides of the drive.
(i) 
No fence shall ever be constructed on a corner that does not afford proper visual clearance for traffic approaching the intersection in either direction.
(Ordinance 2020-02 adopted 2/11/20)
(a) 
Any person, group of persons of a corporation, owning or having control of any fence within the city shall be responsible to maintain a fence in a safe and presentable condition. This shall include replacement of broken defective boards, posts, wire or other fence parts that may cause the fence to be unsafe or unsightly.
(b) 
No permit will be required for normal fence maintenance; however, if more than fifty percent (50%) of the fence is replaced, a fence permit shall be required.
(Ordinance 2020-14 adopted 11/10/20)