The Sandusky Planning Commission on Aug. 27 voted to recommend that the City Commission adopt an amendment to the zoning code allowing fences up to 6 feet above grade in side and rear yard areas of residential properties while retaining a 4‑foot maximum where fences are adjacent to front porches or other front entrance features.

Planning staff told the commission the proposal responds to a steady increase in board of zoning appeals requests for side‑yard fence height variances. Staff summarized a review of 10½ years of variance records showing the request was approved in about 93% of cases and that the request averaged roughly 13% of the BZA caseload, rising as high as 29% so far in 2025.

The presenter said staff also surveyed 17 Ohio municipalities, including eight demographically similar cities and the state’s five largest cities; many of those municipalities already permit 6‑foot residential fences, and the proposed text preserves distinct corner‑lot and front‑yard rules. Commissioners discussed the draft language and asked staff to clarify the “adjacent to” trigger point; staff explained the intent is to preserve sight lines and public‑safety visibility by setting the transition point at the front building wall/front corner of the dwelling and by treating porches and other defined entrance features as front‑adjacent.

Mike Zuloft, a commission member, and other commissioners pressed staff to simplify a sentence they found ambiguous; staff said the draft language mirrored existing code structure and offered to tighten punctuation and phrasing for clarity before submission to the City Commission.

A motion to recommend the amendment with language that explicitly capped fences at 6 feet in side and rear yards but limited fences to 4 feet when adjacent to front porches and other entrance features passed on a commission roll call. The commission discussion included public‑safety considerations, aesthetics and the goal of reducing the number of BZA variance applications by aligning the code with common local practice.

Staff said the change, if adopted by the City Commission, would be reflected as a text amendment to chapter 11.45 (supplemental area and height regulations), section 11.45.17 (landscape features and yard structures), with additional clarifying renumbering but no change to corner‑lot rules.

The commission’s recommendation now moves the proposal to the City Commission for final legislative action.