Sylvania Township requires a zoning permit to build, enlarge, alter or replace any fence, and the residential fee is $35. For a home, a solid privacy fence may stand 3 feet tall inside the front setback and an open fence 4 feet. Inside the side and rear setbacks the limit is 6 feet, and the finished side faces out. The township’s Planning and Zoning Department is at 4927 N. Holland-Sylvania Road, on 419-885-5276.
These numbers come from the township’s own zoning resolution. They apply only outside the City of Sylvania, so check which one you live in before you apply.
City or township?
The city and the township share a name, and both use Sylvania OH 43560. The township surrounds the city, but township zoning covers only the land outside the city limits. The address alone will not tell you which side of the line you are on.
There are two quick ways to find out.
- Look up your property on the Lucas County Auditor’s AREIS site, which the township’s zoning page links to. The summary lists a tax district, and it reads either SYLVANIA TWP. or SYLVANIA CITY.
- Call the township zoning office on 419-885-5276 and give them your address.
If you are in the city, the form and the rules are different, and our City of Sylvania page covers them.
How tall the fence can be
The limits depend on whether the fence is solid or open. The resolution calls a fence open when you can see through at least 75 percent of it, like split rail, wire, chain link or open mesh. A wood or vinyl privacy fence counts as solid.
| Where on the lot | Solid privacy fence | Open fence |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the front setback | 3 feet | 4 feet |
| Inside a side or rear setback | 6 feet | 6 feet |
The setback, meaning the required distance from the lot line, comes from your zoning district. The front setback is 30 feet in every residential district, R-A, R-2, R-4 and R-5, and 60 feet in the A-3 agriculture district. Older papers that say R-1 or R-3 now follow R-2 and R-4, and a planned unit development may have approved setbacks of its own. Your AREIS record shows a zoning code, and the zoning office can tell you which district it means.
The table covers the setbacks only. If your house sits well back from the 30 foot line, ask the office what height it allows between that line and the front of the house. Lots used for anything other than a single or two family home get 8 feet at the side and rear.
Corner lots
A corner lot has a front on both streets, so the front setback and the 3 and 4 foot limits apply along both street sides.
The fence section also says clear traffic visibility must always be kept. The resolution defines a sight triangle with two 30 foot sides running from the corner of the lot, which must stay open so drivers can see around the corner. Keep the fence out of it.
On the major roads the resolution lists, such as Sylvania Avenue, Central Avenue, Holland-Sylvania, King, McCord and Monroe, building setbacks are measured from the center of the road and run 75 to 120 feet. Ask the office whether that changes where your fence can go.
Property lines and easements
A fence may sit along any property line, but no part of it may cross the line or stand in the street right-of-way. Finding the line is your job, and the resolution suggests a surveyor.
The application asks you to certify that the work is not inside a recorded easement or the right-of-way, so check your survey or plat first. It also has you initial a line saying your subdivision association may need to approve the fence too.
Materials and the finished side
The resolution lists aluminum, steel, vinyl, wood, masonry and decorative stone walls. Any other screening material needs the zoning manager’s approval. The finished side must face outward, and the fence must stay in good repair with no advertising on it. Barbed wire is allowed only in some commercial and industrial districts.
Hedges planted as a screen need no permit, but they are held to 3 feet inside the front setback.
Pools
A pool needs its own zoning permit, and the fee is $40. An in-ground pool must be completely fenced or walled, with a fence at least 3.5 feet tall and a locking gate. An above-ground pool with a wall 3.5 feet or taller can use a removable ladder instead. Private pools go in the side or rear yard behind the front of the house, with the water’s edge at least 10 feet from the side and rear lines.
How to apply
Use the township’s Structure/Use Change application from the permits page at sylvaniatownship.com, and check Fence under Accessory Structure. Attach a site drawing to scale with the lot dimensions, the house, the fence line, its distance from each property line, its height and its length.
The resolution says a permit that meets the rules is issued within 10 days. Work must start within 6 months, and the permit expires a year after it is issued.
The office is at 4927 N. Holland-Sylvania Road, Sylvania OH 43560, on 419-885-5276. It is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 08:00 to 16:30, and closed Tuesday and Friday.
Call 811 before anyone digs
Ohio law requires notice to the Ohio Utility Protection Service at least two working days before digging. Call 811 or 1-800-362-2764. Our 811 page explains what happens after you call.
What a fence costs here
Sylvania Township is in Lucas County, where the sales tax is 7.75 percent. In Ohio the contractor pays that tax 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. Out front, 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 other 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 you are in the township, so the quote is built to the 3 and 4 foot front limits and the $35 permit.
Questions people ask
Do I need a permit for a fence in Sylvania Township?
Yes. The township’s zoning resolution requires a zoning permit to build, enlarge, alter or replace any fence. The residential fee is $35, and you apply on the township’s Structure/Use Change form with Fence checked.
How tall can a fence be in Sylvania Township?
For a house, 6 feet inside the side and rear setbacks. Inside the front setback, which is 30 feet in the township’s residential districts, a solid fence may be 3 feet tall and an open fence 4 feet.
Am I in Sylvania Township or the City of Sylvania?
Both use Sylvania OH 43560, so the address will not tell you. Look up your property on the Lucas County Auditor’s AREIS site, where the tax district reads SYLVANIA TWP. or SYLVANIA CITY, or call the township zoning office on 419-885-5276.
Can I put a fence on the property line in Sylvania Township?
Yes. The resolution lets a fence sit along any property line, as long as no part of it crosses the line or stands in the right-of-way. Finding the line is the owner’s job, and the township suggests a surveyor.
What fence does a pool need in Sylvania Township?
An in-ground pool must be completely fenced, with a fence at least 3.5 feet tall and a locking gate. An above-ground pool with a wall 3.5 feet or taller may use a removable ladder instead. The pool needs its own $40 zoning permit.
Who do I call about a fence permit in Sylvania Township?
The Planning and Zoning Department at 4927 N. Holland-Sylvania Road, on 419-885-5276. It is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 08:00 to 16:30 and closed Tuesday and Friday.