Fence contractor in Bristolville, Ohio

Bristolville is a farm and residential township with no city hall

Bristolville is an unincorporated community in the middle of Bristol Township, in the northwest part of Trumbull County, Ohio. There is no incorporated town or village inside the township, so the township itself is the local government you deal with for most land use questions. That matters for fences, because a fence is a structure on your land and the township decides how its zoning resolution treats it.

Solid Rock Fencing is based at 5146 North Park Ave, Bristolville, Ohio 44402. We are locally owned and operated, family owned, and the owner was raised Amish, which is where the habit of building fence and gates to last comes from. We build farm, horse, privacy, picket, wire and chain link fence and gates in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and we also repair, paint and stain fence. Other counties and the state picture are on the Ohio fence rules page.

The township zoning resolution is the first place to look

Bristol Township has a zoning resolution and a zoning commission, and the zoning inspector handles questions and permits. The township lists the inspector as Erik Jennings, by appointment only, at 330-889-2246 extension 3, with email at zoning@bristolvilletownshipoh.gov. The township office is at 1864 Greenville Road, Bristolville, Ohio 44402. The township zoning page also says the resolution can be viewed at the Bristol Public Library, 1855 Greenville Road.

The township web pages we read do not spell out fence rules such as height limits, setbacks or whether a permit is needed. Those answers sit in the resolution itself and with the inspector. Rules also change when a township amends its resolution, so treat anything you read online, including this page, as a starting point and confirm with the township. This is general information, not legal advice.

A farm field and a house lot are not treated the same way

Ohio law gives agriculture some protection from township zoning, and that protection depends on how much land you have. Under ORC 519.21, township zoning confers no power to prohibit agricultural use of land, and no zoning certificate is required for buildings or structures used for agriculture. A township also cannot regulate buildings, structures or animal husbandry on lots greater than five acres. For lots of one to five acres, limited regulation of setbacks, height and size is allowed only in platted subdivisions or in groups of 15 or more contiguous lots.

What fence work looks like on rural township property

Most fence jobs around Bristolville fall into a few familiar shapes. A pasture needs long runs of woven wire or board with strong corners and a few good gates. A horse paddock needs a fence the animals can see and cannot catch a hoof in, which is covered on the horse fence page. A house lot usually wants a privacy fence or picket fence near the home, and often a plain farm fence further back.

• Long fence lines with brush, old fence rows and uneven ground that need clearing before layout.
• Farm gates and drive gates at field entrances, where a gate that drags or a post that leans shows up fast. See gates.
• Old fence that is partly sound, where repair of posts, rails or wire costs less than starting over. See fence repair.
• Wood fence that has gone gray or bare and needs painting or staining before the boards give out.
• Fence between neighbors, where Ohio's partition fence law may apply to rural parcels.

Rural lots also bring questions that town lots do not: where the road right-of-way ends, whether a drainage ditch or utility easement crosses the fence line, and who owns the old fence that has been there for years. Check the deed and recorded plat, and look for corner pins or monuments before you decide where a fence goes. A licensed professional surveyor is the right person when the line is in doubt.

Fence between neighbors is a separate question from zoning

Zoning decides whether and where you may build. Ohio's partition fence law, ORC Chapter 971, decides who shares the cost of a line fence between two rural owners. Unless a written agreement says otherwise, each owner pays half the cost of building and maintaining a shared partition fence. The chapter does not apply to enclosure of lots in municipal corporations or to adjoining properties laid out into lots outside municipal corporations, so a typical subdivision lot is outside it.

If a neighbor will not do their share, the township trustees can hear a complaint, but only after the owner has received and signed a notice explaining the court option. Trustees give at least 10 days' written notice to the adjoining owners and decide at their next regular meeting. Our fence laws guide and line fence article go into more detail.

Call 811 before any digging in Bristolville

OHIO811 notification is FREE and required by law before digging, and OHIO811 names fences among the work that disturbs soil. The notice must be made at least two working days before digging, not counting the day of notice, and no more than 16 calendar days ahead. A ticket stays valid for 16 calendar days. These figures reflect OHIO811's summary of a recent law change, so confirm the current rule when you call.

When a contractor does the digging, the contractor submits the notice, and OHIO811 advises homeowners to confirm it was done. Some service lines on private property belong to the owner and may need a private locator, such as a line to a barn, a well pump or a yard light. Our 811 page covers the flag colors and the steps.

How a FREE estimate works from Bristolville

1. Call (440) 241-4312Tell us the address, what you want to fence, and what the fence has to do, whether that is holding horses, keeping dogs in or giving a yard privacy.
2. We confirm we reach the propertyWe build in Ohio and Pennsylvania from Bristolville, and the first call confirms whether your property is within reach.
3. Walk the line togetherWe look at the fence line, gates, slope, wet spots, old fence and the places a post will have to carry load.
4. Talk through rules and utilitiesWe point out what to check with the township and what needs an 811 call, so nothing is a surprise on build day.
5. Receive a written estimateThe estimate describes the work, the materials and the 10 year workmanship warranty terms. The warranty covers workmanship defects, not weather, impact, animals or normal wood aging.
6. Decide when you are readyThere is no charge for the estimate and no pressure to book. See how estimates work for more.

Mistakes to avoid on a Bristol Township fence

• Skipping the call to the zoning inspector because a neighbor said no permit is needed. Each lot and each township is different.
• Setting a fence from memory of where the line is. Old fences and hedges drift from the true boundary over time.
• Forgetting that an agricultural exemption does not mean the fence can go anywhere. Road right-of-way and easements still apply.
• Digging a post hole yourself without calling 811. Hand digging counts.
• Buying wire for horses that is sold for cattle. Horse safety is a different standard, covered on the horse fence page.
• Putting off a gate repair until the post has pulled the whole line out of square.

Questions we hear