Fence Guidelines Brochure

Single Family Residential
Fences cannot exceed six feet (6') in height. A permit is not required for any fence six feet (6') or less in height, on or inside your property line. Refer to the diagram for general information regarding fence height and location. Check your Homes Association and deed restriction before constructing any fence, they may have additional regulations regarding building materials, height and location. Any regulation that exceeds City requirements may be enforced through the Homes Association or deed restrictions.

Multi-family Residential, Commercial and Industrial Properties 
 Fences can be higher than six feet (6').  A permit is required for fences higher than six feet (6'). Please call Community Development Department at (913) 742-6011 for approval of all fences other than those on single family or duplex lots.

Before constructing a fence in a drainage easement, please contact the Public Work Department at (913) 742-6009.

Materials
All fences, regardless of whether or not a permit is required for their construction, that are constructed, repaired, expanded or enlarged, should be constructed only of approved fence materials. Approved fence materials include:

• wrought iron or other decorative metals
• masonry
• concrete
• stone
• chain link
• metal tubing
• wood planks
• vinyl
• fiberglass composite manufactured specifically as fencing materials

Fence materials shall be approved for exterior use and shall be weather and decay-resistant. The Building Official is authorized to evaluate and determine if the proposed material is satisfactory and complies with the intent of the provisions of this code.
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Temporary Fencing

The Building Official is authorized to approve temporary fencing, such as plastic silt fence and safety fencing, for active construction projects. Temporary fencing shall not remain in place longer than is necessary to perform its function.
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Additional Requirements
All fences must be double-sided or constructed with the finished side facing the property line.
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Shawnee Municipal Codes:

17.60.020 Corner Plots. No hedge, fence (except a transparent fence such as chain link, in which the solid area is not more than five percent of the total area of the fence), or wall over three feet high and no accessory off-street parking space shall be located within the triangular area as prescribed in the parking section of [the Zoning Regulations.]

17.60.030 Fences and walls.

1. Except as provided in Section 17.60.020 of this code, no solid fence, hedge or freestanding wall no more than four and one-half feet in height, may be constructed in front of the front line of the residence, as constructed; behind this line a fence may be six feet in height. On interior lots which have double frontage, a six-foot-high fence may be constructed in the area between a platted building setback line and the property line in the rear yard.
2. On corner lots, a solid fence, hedge or freestanding wall may be placed in the side yard a height of six feet to the platted setback line; between the platted setback line and the property line, the fence may not exceed four and one-half feet in height. The board of zoning appeals may grant a variance to the regulation and allow a fence up to six feet in height within a platted side yard setback line and the property line, provided the following conditions are met in addition to other items considered when reviewing a variance request: the fence will not create a site problem for traffic; and the side yard is not adjacent to the front yard of an adjoining lot.
3. On corner lots with three frontages, a six foot fence may be placed between the platted setback line and the property line on that frontage which constitutes the rear yard of the adjacent lot, provided the adjoining yard is not a front yard. Properties which are not platted shall measure setbacks from the standards prescribed for rear, and side yards in the applicable zoning district.
4. For the purposes of this section a solid fence is described as fencing which does not meet the standards of a transparent fence as identified in Section 17.60.020.
5. All fences and walls shall be constructed with a finished side facing outward from the property. The posts and support beams shall be on the inside or shall be designed as an integral part of the finished surface.
6. No barbed wire fences shall be allowed in the residential zoning districts, unless the owner of property has a valid livestock permit, or the Planning Commission has approved a site plan which includes barbed wire fencing for security purposes.