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La Porte board approves compromise on tall privacy fence for 13‑acre property
Summary
The Board of Zoning Appeals approved a negotiated variance letting a property owner install 8‑foot fencing on side and rear lines (tapering to 6 and 4.5 feet toward the front), after rejecting an initial 12‑foot request and weighing privacy and neighborhood character concerns.
The La Porte Board of Zoning Appeals approved a narrowed variance on Jan. 13 allowing a property owner to install taller fencing along portions of a roughly 13‑acre parcel at 1797 West 300 North while limiting visual impacts for the surrounding residential area.
Attorney David Ambers, representing property owner James Schaffner, asked the board for a 12‑foot wood/privacy fence on the side and rear yard and an 8‑foot wrought‑iron fence in front. Ambers said the taller side and rear fence is intended to reduce the risk that children could access the owner’s swimming pool and pond as adjacent land is developed. “If the taller he goes, the more secure his property is and the less likelihood that some child’s going to come over,” Ambers said.
Staff opposed the full request, telling the board the zoning code limits front fences to 4.5 feet and rear/side fences to 6.5 feet and recommending denial because the proposed heights would be incompatible with the established residential character. Planning staff summarized the petition (26‑03) and noted the property is in an R‑1B single‑family district and measures about 13.07 acres.
Board members negotiated a middle path. One member called a 12‑foot fence “comically large” and proposed a compromise that would allow an 8‑foot fence in the rear and along most side yards up to the front of the house, tapering down to 6 feet in some side areas and 4.5 feet in the front yard where the ordinance limits apply. Board member (Speaker 3) moved the compromise and Board member (Speaker 4) seconded; the motion passed on a voice vote.
The board’s action limits the previously requested 12‑foot height, while giving the owner additional screening and privacy in the rear and portions of the side yards. Attorney Ambers thanked the board for working toward a solution, and the item was closed with the board returning to its regular agenda.
The board’s decision addresses only fence heights and locations; any future disputes about installation, materials or enforcement will be handled through the city’s permitting and enforcement processes.
