City of Highland Haven, TX SCREENING STRUCTURES

(a)

Residential perimeter fences shall be a privacy fence, decorative fence, or constructed of wood, wrought iron or wrought iron like material, brick or chain-link and shall be no higher than six (6) feet.

(b)

Walls shall be constructed of brick or rock and shall be no higher than six (6) feet. This requirement does not apply to seawalls or retaining walls.

(c)

Shrubs, bushes, and other vegetation planted for the purpose of screening, or in such a manner as to create a hedge, shall be maintained at a maximum height of six (6) feet.

(d)

No screening structures shall be constructed or allowed to grow higher than six (6) feet.

(e)

Shrubs, bushes or any other vegetation shall not be allowed to grow or take root in such a manner as to encroach upon the property of owners of an abutting lot or lots or upon any public street, road or right-of-way, or to obstruct or restrict the view of intersecting traffic, pedestrian or vehicular, from or to any street, road or driveway.

(f)

Fences, walls, hedges and/or any other screening structures shall not be constructed or allowed to grow outside of a twenty (20) foot setback from the intersection of the streets abutting any corner lot.

(1)

Any fence, walls, hedges or any other screening structure shall not be constructed or allowed to grow outside of the 20-foot front setback except as provided in subsection (f)(2) below.

(2)

A decorative fence may be constructed up to the front lot line provided there is at least ten feet of right-of-way between the fence and the street pavement. The fence must be no closer than 10 feet from the street pavement. If the right-of-way is less than ten feet, the fence must be moved back from the front lot line accordingly to achieve a ten-foot space from the fence to the street pavement. The fence, including fence posts, shall be no higher than three (3) feet. Decorative fences built for the purpose of screening devices, including but not limited to pool equipment, propane tanks, air conditioners, and trash cans, may be constructed from PVC rigid vinyl or privacy fence material and shall be no higher than 6 feet.

(g)

Landscaping borders must follow the same setbacks as a decorative fence. Landscaping borders shall be no higher than 12 inches and shall be constructed out of rock, brick, or cement and shall not impede normal water drainage. Landscaping borders constructed of concrete blocks shall be painted or covered with neutral-colored stucco on both sides that is consistent with the colors of the structure on subject property.

(h)

Any fence constructed for the purpose of growing vegetables or flowers may be constructed from chain-link or galvanized welded fencing with T-posts, chain-link posts, or wooden posts set into the ground. Garden fences may be no more than 6 feet tall and will not serve as a perimeter fence.

(i)

All fences, walls, decorative fences, landscaping borders, or garden fences must be installed as per manufacturer's specifications and maintained in good condition at all times. Repairs of current fences over 50% must follow the specifications allowed in this article.

(j)

Prohibited fence materials in SFR (unless otherwise stated in this article) include, but are not limited to:

(1)

Plywood, oriented strand board (OSB) or similar material.

(2)

Bamboo mat or similar material.

(3)

Corrugated sheet metal or fiberglass.

(4)

Plastic or fabric tarp material.

(5)

Patio shade cloth or similar flexible fabric or material.

(6)

Any flexible wire (including but not limited to barbed wire and/razor ribbon.

(7)

T-posts (T-posts may only be used for garden fences).

(8)

Livestock panels (except trimmed by treated wood or cedar on 4 sides no smaller than a standard 2 x 4).

(k)

Fencing within those areas of the city that are zoned mixed use, agricultural, or as a PDD may be in excess of six (6) feet if such height is reasonably necessary to protect the public from safety hazards within such fencing or to contain permitted animals; provided, however, that such fencing does not obstruct or restrict the view of intersecting traffic, pedestrian or vehicular, from or to any street, road or driveway.

(l)

Fencing requirements for municipal wells and the city water system are specified by the state commission on environmental quality (TCEQ).

(m)

Trees that overhang city streets shall be kept trimmed to a minimum height of fifteen (15) feet to permit safe passage for tall vehicles such as fire trucks, school buses, garbage trucks, moving vans and motor homes.

(n)

Trees and shrubs near street intersections shall be kept trimmed sufficiently to provide motorists with an adequate view of crossing traffic.

(o)

Fences bordering on Camp Champion may be constructed to a maximum of eight (8) feet high.

(p)

Privacy fences, walls or chain-link fences shall not extend beyond the front of a single-family residence toward the street. Chain-link fences may extend to the back lot line on lots connected to two streets.

(q)

Electric fences shall not be permitted except in Zoning District C (Agricultural).

(Ordinance 37 Rev. 6, sec. 4, adopted 8/3/2021)