Northborough planning board moves to clarify fence rules — measurement, hedges and grandfathering

Planning staff told the Town of Northborough Planning Board that a proposed fences bylaw responds to recurring uncertainty about measurement, property‑line placement and sight‑distance impacts.

Staff said the draft aims to make clear which features are measured (for example, whether decorative post caps count toward total height), specify how front‑yard sightline concerns will be treated, and confirm that existing fences would be grandfathered while new fences would have to comply with the bylaw. "The intent of this bylaw was just to clarify all of these issues," planning staff said.

Jacob Jones, the board’s town liaison, urged the board to check an existing streets/sidewalks exception about plantings and to consider how many existing fences would be rendered nonconforming if decorative caps were included in the measurement standard. Staff responded that existing fences would be grandfathered and that the building inspector — not the planning board — would enforce the new measurement rules for new installations.

Board members debated whether hedges should be regulated the same as fences, and whether a recommendation ("should") would be preferable to a strict requirement ("shall") to address shared fences between neighbors. The draft also incorporates state guidance on measuring fence height (from finished ground level at the base to the highest point of the fence, including caps, rails and pickets) to avoid conflicts with building‑code practice.

Planning staff will incorporate the suggested wording changes, confirm cross‑references with other bylaws, and advertise a public hearing for the draft in February.