West Valley City's council has moved forward with a plan to prohibit new chain-link fences everywhere in the city except industrial areas, building on an earlier rule that already bans the material along one major corridor. A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at West Valley City Hall.
The push began in August, when city staff gave council members two options: ban new chain-link fencing along major arterial roads, or restrict it citywide outside of industrial zones, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. The council has moved forward with the broader of the two options. That followed an ordinance the city approved in August that opened up more fencing options for property owners along 4100 South while banning chain-link there specifically.
Council members have indicated support for extending that chain-link construction ban well beyond 4100 South, and the West Valley City planning commission recommended last month that the council adopt the citywide change. Council member Lars Nordfelt said a long-term outlook for the city may justify revisiting its front-yard fence rules.
What the Proposal Would and Wouldn't Do
The proposed ordinance would not force anyone to tear out a chain-link fence already standing. Steve Pastorik, the city's community development director, said existing chain-link fences could remain in place and that the new restriction would apply only to new fencing going forward. The proposal would also allow homeowners and businesses to replace a damaged existing chain-link barrier rather than requiring them to switch materials.
West Valley City, Utah's second-largest city and located in western Salt Lake County, has older eastern neighborhoods — including Chesterfield — where chain-link fences remain common. City code already prohibits certain fencing materials outright, including barbed wire and metal paneling, and separately bars building fences out of materials never intended for the purpose, such as old skis.
How the Current Code Treats Chain-Link
Under the city's existing municipal code, chain-link is currently listed among the fencing materials permitted in residential areas, according to the West Valley City Municipal Code. The code already carves out an exception for 4100 South, where new front-yard fences cannot be chain-link. The same code also addresses fencing along major or minor arterial streets.
West Valley City would not be the first Utah city to limit the material. Ogden's fence regulations bar chain-link in a front-yard setback or in the street-facing side yard of a corner lot, and property owners there who already had chain-link in place as of July 31, 2010, are barred from expanding its use, according to Ogden City's fence rules.
No decision has been finalized. The scheduled hearing at West Valley City Hall gives residents a chance to weigh in before the council acts on the planning commission's recommendation.
