Fence installation and repair in Lakewood, on the west side of Cleveland and including the West End. Lots here are tight and the city has firm rules about the building line, so Matt does the work himself with no subcontractors.
Fence installation and repair in Lakewood, West End included.
Lakewood's fence rules start at the building line.
Lakewood’s Department of Housing and Building issues fence permits and publishes a fence packet. This list is built from that packet and Chapter 1153 of the city’s codified ordinances. Check the city’s current packet before you order.
Searching for West Lakewood? The West End is part of Lakewood and falls under the same fence chapter. The Lakewood Historical Society’s house history page projected that by 2020 almost 60 percent of single-family and 52 percent of two-family homes would be at least a hundred years old.
Not sure your lot qualifies for a front-yard fence? Contact Best Fence with the address.
6 ft behind the building line
Front yard: narrow exceptions only
5 days of string on posts
Neighbor letter required
Permit: needed to install, replace or modify a fence. Repairs under 8 total feet in length are exempt. The packet asks for the permit application, a site plan, a signed owner acknowledgement of property lines and a neighbor notification letter.
Rear and side yards: up to 6 feet behind the building line.
Front yard: Chapter 1153 allows a front-yard fence only in narrow cases. One is a fence of 36 inches or less, parallel to the street, at least 10 feet from the right-of-way and within 8 feet of the house, no longer than 55 percent of the house front, with no gate. Ask the city whether your lot qualifies.
Corner side yards: a standard fence set at least 5 feet from the right-of-way, or a fence no taller than 48 inches and at least 50 percent open set at least 12 inches back. Chain link is not allowed in a corner side yard.
Property line: a fence may go next to a property line but not on it. Lakewood does not keep survey records, so the owner has to know where the line is, and the city advises a boundary survey when there is doubt.
String line and inspections: for a new fence, mark the route with string on temporary posts 5 calendar days before construction so the inspector can see it, then call for a final inspection when the fence is built.
Materials: durable materials with the finished face toward the street and the neighbors, and no barbed or razor wire in residential districts. A repair or partial replacement has to match the existing size, shape, materials and color, or the entire fence has to be replaced.
Design review: the Building Commissioner may require Architectural Board of Review approval of any fence design.
Pools: the packet says fences enclosing swimming pools are permitted under Section 1722.08. Ask the city for the barrier details before you design one.
Contractors: a contractor doing the work has to be registered with the city and applies for the permit. The city's registration page lists $75 for general contractors and says no bond is required.
Fee: the packet says to pay through the CitizenServe portal after approval but does not state the amount, so ask the city.
Lakewood Department of Housing and Building, City Hall, 12650 Detroit Avenue, Lakewood, OH 44107, building permits line (216) 529-6270. Monday to Friday, 8 am to 3:30 pm, last walk-in 3 pm (City of Lakewood, Housing and Building page). Applications go through the city’s CitizenServe portal.
Lakewood in numbers
Close lots, close neighbors.
50,942
Residents, 2020 census
28,802
Housing units
9,191
People per square mile
5.5
Square miles of land
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 census.
Older fence on a tight Lakewood lot?
Lakewood’s packet says a repair has to match the fence that is already there, or the whole fence gets replaced, so call before you tear anything out. We repair every material, including fences we did not build, and Matt will tell you what can be fixed in place. See fence repair in Lakewood and wood fence repair.
