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Board continues debate on theft‑deterrent‑wire ordinance; asks staff to define residential limits
Summary
After a staff presentation on draft amendments to allow and regulate theft‑deterrent wire in commercial and industrial zones, supervisors asked for clearer limits on residential use (height, appearance, and permitted cases) and continued the public hearing to Feb. 17 for additional code language and performance standards.
York County planning staff proposed amendments Jan. 20 to the county zoning ordinance that would add a definition for "theft deterrent wire," allow it in commercial and industrial districts with performance standards (design, color and placement limitations), and clarify limited residential use when the wire is used for gardening or to secure domesticated livestock consistent with Va. Code §55.1‑2804.
Staff said the draft also includes administrative‑exception language to allow the county to permit more intensive measures in narrowly defined hardship cases if equivalent safety and aesthetic objectives can be met by alternate means. The presentation cited sample ordinances from peer localities and recommended standards intended to balance security needs and visual impact.
Several supervisors expressed concern about unintended consequences in residential neighborhoods — for example, a homeowner claiming a small garden or a single backyard chicken as a justification for high‑security wire around a property. Board members asked staff to clarify the maximum height, number of strands, color/finish (staff noted black finishes are less visible), and whether outward‑facing projections would be allowed next to residential lots or public rights of way. Staff observed state code provisions for domesticated livestock and cited a 5‑foot reference for certain livestock fence standards, and agreed to draft explicit residential performance standards.
Chair Holroyd and others said the public deserves clear limits so the code cannot be used to place high‑security fencing in established neighborhoods. The board voted to continue the zoning‑amendment public hearing to Feb. 17, 2026, and directed staff to return with specific residential guidance and proposed text addressing height, visual treatments and enforcement mechanisms prior to the continued hearing.
What’s next: Planning staff will prepare refined ordinance language, including residential performance standards (height, color, spacing, outward‑projection restrictions) and circulate it as part of the Feb. 17 public hearing packet.
