Existing fences can stay

BURBANK ? The City Council passed an interim fence ordinance on Tuesday night that raises the height limit for residential fences by one foot in most cases and allows existing fences to stay up as long as they do not pose a safety hazard.

A Blue Ribbon Task Force will be formed to review the interim standards before they are put in place permanently.

Homeowners have been coming out en masse to protest changes to residential fence standards, but as it turns out, the outcry was much ado about, almost, nothing.

With new standards in place, most homeowners will not have to modify their fences at all. In fact, the new ordinance the council approved provides more flexibility than the original codes, which were set in 1967.

Existing fences may remain in place, provided they are six feet or less in height, structurally sound, pose no danger to pedestrians, and do not obstruct emergency vehicles or driver visibility. The previous code limited fences to three feet in front yards and street-facing side yards, a code city staff said was a relic of pre-development Burbank.

“When something new comes along, many people think the worst,” said Greg Herrmann, assistant community development director for the city. “I don’t think it’s going to be as big a deal as many people thought it would be.”

As required by municipal law, city inspectors must still investigate the 571 complaints filed against Burbank homeowners. Inspectors are adding several fence inspections per day to their usual work load, to determine if the properties on the list are truly inconsistent with the new code, Herrmann said.

Quite a few properties were consistent with the old fence codes, Herrmann said. Fences not meeting the old codes will likely be permitted under the new standards, he added.

“It is likely two-thirds [of the complaints] are going to be eliminated straight off because of the changes,” he said.

Although residents can breathe a sigh of relief that the ordinance is unlikely to affect their properties, some residents still want to know who filed the individual complaints against homeowners. Two homeowners filed all 571 complaints in retaliation for complaints made against their own property, Community Development Director Sue Georgino said.

Those complaints obligated the city to take up fence standards in the first place, sparking almost instant community upheaval.

“One important question is who are the two Burbank residents who filed over 500 complaints on fences, walls and hedges?” homeowner Margaret Sorthun asked at a public hearing earlier this month. “It sounds to me like there is an underlying ulterior motive in mind.”

Regardless of what caused all the fuss, a revised code means homeowners who build new fences must comply with the new standards.

Front-yard and street side-yard fences that stretch to the rear corner of the house are limited to 4 feet or less in height. The top foot of the 4-foot fence must utilize an open design such as wrought iron or picket.

Fences running between the rear corner of the house and the rear property line must be built 6 feet or less, unless the fence is on a reverse corner lot ? those fences must be limited to 4 feet. The maximum height allowed elsewhere on the property is 8 feet.

Hedges are not subject to any height limitations, but must meet safety criteria for corner cutoffs, which call for a 10-foot triangle for street and alley intersections and a 5-foot triangle for driveways that open onto a street or an alley.

The city is still accepting applications for the Blue Ribbon Task Force.