Standards and Guidelines 2023-0607

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City of South Bend and St. Joseph County Historic Preservation Guidelines 12 Residential Standards: Fencing and Retaining Walls General understanding and approach Fences in front yards should be no taller than three feet and comprised of an open design as approved by the Commission . Traditional materials such as wood or wrought iron are encouraged . Fences in rear yards beyond the back wall of a building should be no taller than six feet and have the finished face installed towards the adjacent property. Rear yard fences should be constructed of wood. For more on fences click here . Historic walls are considered character defining features and help to establish a sense of visual continuity and should be preserved. Where new retaining walls are installed, they should complement the traditional retaining walls in the district or building to which they are associ-ated . For more information about fences go here . What is your project? Repair an existing fence • Existing historic fences should be repaired using the same materials and designs as the existing fence . • Existing chain link fences requiring less than 20% repair can be repaired with matching materials and design . • Chain link fencing requiring more than 20% replacement should be replaced with a new fence of a design approved by the Commission. Replace an existing fence • Existing historic fences should be repaired rather than replaced . • If an existing historic fence is beyond repair, defined as more than 50% needing replacement, then a new fence should either match the historic fence in design, material and installation . Install a new fence where no fence exists • New front yard fences should only be installed if front yard fences are a prevalent part of the district’s other property’s front yards . • New front yard fences should be no more than 36 inches tall and be at least 50% open visually. • The front yard fence should extend down the side yard to at least the front wall of the house . • Rear and side yard fences should start no further forward on the site than the front wall of the house, no taller than six feet, and may be solid in construction . • New rear and side yard fences should be constructed of wood . Install a landscaping screen • Planting windbreaks or hedgerows to function as privacy “fences” alone or in front of a true fence may be considered, where adequate historic documentation exists, or where screening of less appropriate site amenities may be required . Fencing and Retaining Walls Administratively Approvable Repair of an existing fence with the same materials and design as existing. Administratively Approvable Replacement of an existing fence with one that matches the original.