Springfield Township in Lucas County requires a zoning certificate to build, enlarge, alter or replace any fence, and its online fence application charges $30. Between the house and the street a fence may be 48 inches tall, and at the side and rear of the house 6 feet. The Village of Holland sits inside the township but has its own code and its own fence permit. There, no fence may block the view across a front yard above 3.5 feet, chain link is not allowed in a residential front yard, and fences stop at 4 feet beside the house and 7 feet behind it. Call the township on 419-865-0239 or the village on 419-865-7104.
Township or village?
Most homes with a Holland mailing address are not in the village. The village says so itself, and both town halls carry a Holland OH 43528 address.
To check, look up your property on the Lucas County Auditor’s AREIS site. The tax district on the summary page reads SPRINGFIELD TWP or HOLLAND VIL. If your property does not come up in the village’s online permit search, the village says it is likely in the township. The school district will not settle it, since parts of Toledo and Maumee are in the Springfield school district too. Toledo homes follow our Toledo permit page.
Ohio has other Springfield Townships, and this page covers the one in Lucas County.
Springfield Township permit and fee
Section 1904 of the township’s zoning resolution requires a zoning certificate for any new, enlarged, altered or replacement fence. Apply online at springfieldtownship.net under Residential Application, then Fence, or print the paper form and return it to the Zoning Department at 7617 Angola Road, open Monday to Friday 08:00 to 16:30. Either way you need the fence type, length, height and a site plan.
The online fence form charges $30 for a home and the commercial form $60. The trustees keep the fee schedule at the zoning office, so confirm the amount when you apply. Building without a certificate can cost three times the fee. The zoning inspector has 20 days to decide, and work must begin within 6 months.
Springfield Township heights and lines
| Where on the lot | Maximum height above grade |
|---|---|
| Between the house and the street | 48 inches |
| Corner lot, between the house and either street | 48 inches |
| Side or rear of the house | 6 feet |
A fence may sit on the property line, but not past it or in the right-of-way, and it must stay at least 1 foot from the edge of a public sidewalk or walkway. Finding the line is your job, and the township suggests a surveyor. The resolution’s definition of a fence also names plant material, so ask before you plant a tall hedge out front.
On a corner lot, nothing may block the view between 2.5 and 10 feet above the street inside a triangle measured 50 feet each way from the point where the right-of-way lines meet. Barbed wire and electric fences are banned except for farm use. Archways over driveways are banned outright.
The resolution has no rule on which way the finished side faces, but your homeowners association may have one.
Springfield Township pools
A pool fence must be at least 48 inches and no more than 6 feet tall, with a lockable, self-latching gate. The pool sits behind the house in the rear yard, at least 10 feet from every lot line. An above-ground pool that stands 4 feet above the ground on all sides needs no fence if its ladder locks or comes off. The pool application is also $30.
Village of Holland permit
Holland’s zoning code says a fence requires a fence permit. Apply through the village’s online permit portal, or on the paper Zoning Permit Application from the village offices at 1245 Clarion Avenue, open Monday to Friday 08:00 to 16:30. Include a drawing that shows the house, any other buildings and the fence, with distances from the street and every property line. The permit expires if work does not start within 6 months or is not mostly finished within a year.
We could not find the village’s fence permit fee. Call the zoning administrator on 419-865-7104 and ask.
Holland heights and corners
| Where on the lot | Holland rule |
|---|---|
| Front yard | Nothing that blocks the view across the yard above 3.5 feet, and no chain link or wire fence on a residential lot |
| Required side yard beside the house | 4 feet, a limit the code also carries into the required front yard |
| Anywhere else on the lot | 7 feet |
The way we read it, a solid fence out front stops at 3.5 feet and an open one at 4 feet. Ask the zoning administrator to confirm it.
A corner lot has a front yard on both streets and no rear yard. The code keeps a triangle clear between 3.5 and 10 feet above the street, measured 50 feet each way from the corner, while the village’s fence page says 30 feet. Ask which one applies. Barbed and razor wire are banned in residential areas, and electric fences everywhere except buried pet fences.
The village says facing the good side toward the neighbors is accepted practice, but no rule requires it.
Holland pools
A pool, or the whole yard around it, must be fenced at least 42 inches tall with a gate and lock. An above-ground pool’s own wall can count if it reaches 42 inches, and the ladder must be removed or locked when the pool is not in use. Pools stay out of the front yard and at least 10 feet from the side lines and the house.
Call 811 before anyone digs
Ohio law requires notice to the Ohio Utility Protection Service at least two working days before digging, on 811 or 1-800-362-2764. Our 811 page has the details.
What a fence costs here
Both are in Lucas County, where the sales tax is 7.75 percent. The contractor pays it on the materials and quotes you one price, so there is no tax line on your invoice.
Treated pine privacy fence runs $25 to $35 a foot installed, cedar $35 to $55 and vinyl privacy $45 to $75. For a front yard, a 4 foot wood picket fence runs $20 to $40 a foot and 4 foot aluminum $40 to $55. Taking out an old fence adds $5 to $10 a foot. Every style is on our Toledo area cost page, and nearby towns are on the permits by town page.
See your price range
Draw your fence in the estimator and see the installed range for your yard, then ask for a quote from up to three local installers. Tell them whether you are in the township or the village, because the front and side limits change at the village line.
Questions people ask
Do I need a permit for a fence in Springfield Township, Ohio?
Yes. Springfield Township in Lucas County requires a zoning certificate to build, enlarge, alter or replace any fence. The township’s online fence application charges $30.
How tall can a fence be in Springfield Township?
Up to 48 inches between the house and the street, including both street sides of a corner lot, and up to 6 feet at the side and rear of the house.
Is my Holland address in the village or in Springfield Township?
Most Holland mailing addresses are in Springfield Township, not the village. Look up your property on the Lucas County Auditor’s AREIS site, where the tax district reads HOLLAND VIL. or SPRINGFIELD TWP, or call the village on 419-865-7104.
How tall can a fence be in the Village of Holland?
Up to 7 feet behind the house and 4 feet in the required side yard beside it. In the front yard no fence may block the view above 3.5 feet, and chain link and wire fences are not allowed there on a residential lot.
What does a fence permit cost in Holland, Ohio?
We could not find the Village of Holland’s fence permit fee in anything the village posts. Call the zoning administrator on 419-865-7104 and ask. Outside the village, Springfield Township’s online fence application charges $30.
What fence does a pool need in Springfield Township or Holland?
Springfield Township wants a pool fence 48 inches to 6 feet tall with a lockable, self-latching gate, and Holland wants at least 42 inches with a gate and lock. An above-ground pool’s own wall can serve instead if it reaches 4 feet in the township or 42 inches in the village, with the ladder locked or removed.