Sheds and fences require permits, even replacements. Consult these articles for information on sheds and fences:
A permit is required for all new sheds, including replacement sheds. To seek approval for a shed, you must complete and submit the Zoning Approval Request Form to the Administration office at the Amberley Village Municipal Building. Regulations for sheds (accessory structures) are covered in Chapter 154 of the Village Code.
An outdoor shed is considered an accessory structure in the Amberley Village zoning code. These buildings are highly regulated in the interest of preserving the aesthetic beauty of our neighborhoods.
First, you cannot put a shed in the front yard of your home. Sheds are only allowed in side yards and in the rear of your home, but you must adhere to code regulations. You have to pay very close attention to the distance away from the side and rear lot lines. As previously mentioned, these regulations are covered in great detail in the Amberley Village Zoning Code Section 154.
The main access door of the shed is not allowed to face the street. This is an aesthetic issue.
You can build a large shed, but it cannot cover more than 30 percent of the area of your required rear yard and cannot exceed 200 square feet.
Fences can be found in many parts of Amberley Village. Some are a carry over from the early days of the Village when many parts of the village were still farms and undeveloped land.
The underlying vision guiding this part of the zoning code is the preservation of the unspoiled vistas one can see from yard to yard. For this reason, the height of fences within the village is regulated and enforced. All fences require approval by the Village Manager prior to construction.
If you want to build a new fence, you cannot put one in your front yard. You can put fences in side and rear yards, but they may not be taller than 54 inches. To obtain approval to construct a fence on your property, complete and submit the zoning approval request form.
You may notice some fences in the Village that do not comply with these requirements. In some cases those fences existed before the zoning code was adopted and therefore are allowed to remain in place as they are grandfathered under our code. These are usually decorative fences like split rail in front yards.
Other fences have been allowed because the property owner obtained a special variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals allowing a fence not in compliance with our code. These typically are 6 foot fences along Ronald Reagan Highway or the industrial corridor.
If a fence is put up that is not grandfathered in or subject to a variance granted by the Board of Zoning Appeals and is in violation of our zoning code, it is subject to being removed and the owner fined.