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Century To Cut Allowable Fence Heights To Cut Crime
September 2, 2012
The Town of Century will consider an ordinance Tuesday night to cut back the height allowed for privacy fences in the town — partially in an attempt to cut back on crime.
Century Mayor Freddie McCall said he wants the town council to consider adopting the same fence ordinance already in place for residents in unincorporated Escambia County. McCall said four Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies have asked him to consider the ordinance because it would be a “great help to them fighting crime”.
McCall said at a recent Century Town Council meeting when a resident has a high, solid privacy fence in front of their home “they are hiding something”.
The mayor said Escambia County’s fence ordinance limits the height of a solid fence in front of a residence to three feet and a chain link to a four foot height. Escambia’s ordinance allows for a fence to be up to six feet high along the side and rear yard of a residence. To view Escambia County’s fence ordinance, click here.
The Century council is set to consider the fence ordinance during their regular meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Pictured: The Century Town Council. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Comments
33 Responses to “Century To Cut Allowable Fence Heights To Cut Crime”
We have a privacy fence at our house. It has been up for 20 years. I’d hate to see it cut down or thrown out all together. We had a problem some years ago of unwanted guests sneaking into our yard and stealing our dogs or anything else they saw desirable. If they’re chasing after a crook on my road right now the crook would be limited to running down my road, which is a dead end, or trying to run back to hwy 29. If they cut my privacy fence down to 3 feet, then all the crook has to do is jump it then hit the woods..I really hope they reconsider this.
They are talking about a tall fence in the front yard, not the side’s and back of the yard. You can still have your privacy. And also it was Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies that ask Mr. Mcall to consider the ordinance . Safety reason, pray it all works out for best.
I agree with Willene. Why in the heck would you want a six foot fence in front of your house. There are a few fences that are to far out toward the road that make it hard to see an automobile coming. There are also fences that have ole weeds and vines growing on them that block the view. matter of fact there has almost been a wreck across the street from me several times because of an overgrown fence. It may be your property David, but if it blocks intersections then it doesn’t need to be there.
Some tall fence’s and even shrubs on corner of streets block the view of traffic. They need to be down size. Shock there hasn’t been a wreck at some of them.
Escambia’s County fence Ordinance
Fence heights in residential districts. Maximum heights for fences constructed in residential districts shall be [in feet]:
Opaque Transparent Materials Which Do Not Obstruct Light,Air and Visibility
Materials
Front yard 3 Front yard 4
Side yard 6 Side yard 6
Rear yard 6 Rear yard 6
If fences being too tall means “we must have something to hide”, then walls on houses must mean the same thing! Do we regulate walls on a house because we surely must be trying to hide something? Maybe they should be made of glass! I like a tall privacy fence because I don’t like to feel like I am being watched by my neighbors! I can’t go outside without somebody wanting to walk over and chat! The people in office are crossing lines that they have no business crossing. Law abiding citizens are being trampled on because of government officials that waste time on silly answers to a problem and crimminals that get by with just a hand slap.
Come on people. I don’t like being told what to do with my property either, but we’re talking about a privacy fence in THE FRONT YARD!!! 6 or 8ft privacy fences around the front of the house is an unattractive at best. If you want to improve the appearance of your city, start by improving the appearance of your front yard!! If you don’t like seeing what’s out your front windows, or you want privacy, plant some azalea’s or hedges out front!!
Wow…I cannot believe that we dont have bigger fish to fry than this…where are all the jobs yall promised if elected???? Instead we are going to discuss fence height..UMMM OK…yeah sounds like a worthy topic to me..NOT!!!
If their reasoning is that people could be hiding something, why the 4 ft limit on a chain link fence that you can see straight through anyway? There is more to it than what they want the home owners to know.
I am curious as to how fence height regs would diminish the 3 AM fistfights like the one we read about recently.
Though the Mayor and council may be powerful, they are at the mercy of the VOTER.
The funny thing I notice about citizens in the Tri-city metro is they complain and complain about their mayors, but the mayors never seem to get voted out?
Vote them out or stop complaining.
Century should have it’s own reality show, it would certainly make for amusing entertainment.
This is nothing other than an attempt by Freddie McCall wanting to control what goes on in Century. I really haven’t seen but maybe two or three residences with a high privacy fence in front of their home, so I wonder who are they targeting with this ordinance. This is one of the most ridiculous things that I have heard and the council members ( who were voted in to represent the citizens of Century) need to tell the Mayor just that.
Why does the government feel that it is their job to tell us what we can and can’t do with our on property…I feel that this issue could probably be challenged in court because this appears to be infringing on the property owner rights…aren’t we still a free country…everyone in the Town of Century doesn’t fit in the “criminal” category..are the mayor and council members going to abide by the law or find a way around it when they decide they want taller fences…you are requested by your insurance companies to have fences to keep your dogs in…and may need a taller fence to do that.
Seem’s 2 me like Yall got 2 much free time on ur Hands, Privacy Fences R just what they R , 4 Privacy regaurdless 2 where U Live…..
What a lousy political way to say your doing something about crime…a fence regulation? This is a joke, right? So Century will enforce this, the same ones who can’t get water bills, other utilities correct at all. Just like the code enforcement they never do this will be forgotten by them in a year.
” 4 ft is plenty high enough to keep in small children and pet’s.”
My dog can easily jump a four foot fence. I’ve seen her do it. And my dog is only medium sized.
fencing is owners choice,,,tresspassing issues should be dealt with by arresting and fining upon first offense,,.an average height individual can straddle a three foot fence,,curfew is another way,,streetlights help,,buckshot stops the buck
While I understand the reasoning I would not want to be told what and what not is allowable on my own land.
That is just stupid reasoning. And to Front St. — I have a dog (Collie/Sheperd) that could jump a 4 ft fence. She is friendly as can be but I am a responsible owner who doesn’t want their dog roaming the neighborhood.
I live in Century and agree that the fence’s should be lower. 4 ft is plenty high enough to keep in small children and pet’s. If you want more privacy then move to the country where you can have a 15 foot fence if you want it. We need to help our deputy’s stop crime not enable the crime.
the issue is not the hieght of the fence or the kind of fence or even the reason for the fence ……the issue is why is it the city council’s authorithy to regulate business… the last time i checked this was a FREE society and could do with our own property as we see fit….if you want a fence 10 feet high or a fence 4 feet high it should be your choice, and not dependant upon the crime rate in your neighborhood ……i agree with the first comment earlier get off the couch turn off ” survivor” or “american idol” and go to the council and make your right heard and your opinion heard. let them know that you can put up any kind of fence you need to protect or to beautify your property, butit is not their place to decide..
Hey People…. Instead of griping on here why not show up to the meeting and voice yourselves! I expect that very few have the guts to do it. That is what is wrong with this country … ALL TALK AND NO ACTION. It is easier to write your comments on here than to actually take time out of your busy lives to go to these meetings. DON’T COMPLAIN UNLESS YOUR GOING TO DO SOMETHING!!!!!!
In looking around it does not appear the county follows their own ordinances. Too many to remember unless they want to use one against you. Good fences make good neighbors.
Look out junk man their coming for you.
what I would like to know is how many meth labs has the Century cops busted hiding behind a 6 foot privacy fence? How many crack dealers operating and busted living in a house blocked from sight by a 6 foot privacy fence?
Lowering privacy fence will not solve a thing, if I lived in Century I’d want a 10 foot privacy fence topped with razor wire, remote gate entry, video cameras on every corner and patrolled by German shepherds. I agree with another commenter, I purchased and owned the property, I pay my taxes on the land, I carry the insurance… if I want a tall brick wall all the way around my property with a iron gate entrance, I’ll build it, thank you. By the mayor’s logic I’d really be hiding something behind a 6 foot brick wall around my property… I surely wouldn’t be protecting anything.
Tall solid fences in front yards can give thieves, drug dealers, and illegal activity cover. That’s the issue here.
“high fences mean somebody is hiding something” = presumption of guilt. This man ought to live in a country where an 8′ wall around every house is an expected design feature. Those walls are topped with razor wire, colorful broken glass bottles, etc. and are there to keep the criminals out! From what I see, there’s enough crime that residents of Century OUGHT to all build high fences. Anyway, the cops will be able to put a drone over your house to look right down into it with thermal imaging cameras and no recourse for you.
I prefer a shorter fence because it doesn’t provide cover for someone who is trying to break in and burglarize my home. It’s the same for high shrubbery around the windows and doors, because thugs can easily hide from view while making entry. I really haven’t found that my neighbors are all that interested in my activities.
@Raisedincentury
They have to keep there cars or tahoes running in case they get a call such as you have someone breaking into your home of shots fired or something like that. If they turned there vehicles off it could be that it may not crank back up and you know if you were the one in need you would fuss cause the cops didn’t make it fast enough so before you go bashing cops reread the article this is about something McCall said not about trash talking cops.
So makes the few people in Century feel like they are better than the 200,000 of us that live in the county? We already live under this ordinance.
This makes no sense. I live in an area that might be considered high crime and a four foot chain link fence won’t stop anyone trying to evade the police. This ordinance take the privacy out of privacy fence and makes the assumption that the homeowner is engaging in criminal activity. You’ve got it backwards. A tall, fence traps someone IN if they try to use your yard as an escape route. What are these people thinking?
“McCall said at a recent Century Town Council meeting when a resident has a high, solid privacy fence in front of their home “they are hiding something”.”
So let me get this straight, we are going to fight crime by having shorter fences yeah that will keep people safe alright….
Sounds like Mr McCall thinks that all of citizens with a tall fence are criminals until proven otherwise.
Well, Mr McCall if your town weren’t crime ridden maybe people wouldn’t need tall fences? It really sounds like the council has ran out of things to do. Why not focus on jobs? Or cutting real crime, and cleaning the place up.
So i f you have a fence that is 6 foot tall your hiding something? Really?? Maybe you just like your privacy, or don’t want your neighbors being so nosey. I can’t believe the mayor said that. This is just another way for Government to have their finger on us. I believe that if you buy land and pay taxes on it and have to buy all the permits and what not to do anything or build anything, then you should be able to say how high you want your fence. Let the cops jump a high fence it might give them something to do beside sit at the diamond or the flomaton Alabama ( still haven’t figured out why its OK to cross state lines with a good reason) Tom Thumb with . Their cars and tahoes idling away while they stand and talk to the cashiers for hours on end. Idling v8= wasted tax money. Maybe the mayor should worried about issues that matter instead of fences. Our youth have nothing to do so they do whatever they can find including drugs.
“McCall said at a recent Century Town Council meeting when a resident has a high, solid privacy fence in front of their home “they are hiding something”.”
Or they realize they live in a high crime area and want to keep the trash out. I have a 6 foot wood privacy fence around my house that is chain locked because when we were away at work local thugs (best guess) would come into our backyard at let our dogs our and destroy our property and leave trash around. I also have a toddler I allow to play in that backyard. Glad I don’t live in Century, since the leaders seem to in such an illogical manner. And I agree, thinking a fence has anything to do with crime prevent is foolish.
If I lived in Century I’d want a tall fence with razor wire and a moat. Granted if I were a deputy chasing folks I’d want a lower fence too…but to think the size of the fence will deter crime is wishful thinking.