City Council Eases Residential Fence Regulations for Double-Frontage Properties

Steve Jurrens
6 days ago
2 min read

Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - Double-frontage property owners caught in a regulatory bind following previous zoning changes received permanent relief after the City Council unanimously passed the second reading of Ordinance No. 26-11. The text amendment modifies Chapter 21.61 of the municipal code, adjusting height parameters for residential properties bounded by streets on multiple sides.

Community Development Manager Brandi Hanten introduced the adjustment, explaining that a sweeping rewrite of the fence ordinance enacted in 2025 created unworkable conditions for certain layouts.

The 2025 rule restricted the height of all residential front-yard fences to 48 inches. However, this inadvertently penalized residents whose backyards faced a secondary street, preventing them from installing standard 6- or 7-foot privacy fences. Hanten detailed the correction to the Council:

“This is really a cleanup for what we’ve noticed with our amendments that were made to the fence ordinance. Currently, it states that you cannot have a fence taller than 4 feet within the front yard setback, which poses challenges for properties with double frontages. So, one frontage usually functions as more of a side yard or a rear yard. So, this amendment would allow applicants the ability to utilize a secondary front yard to have a larger fence or a taller fence up to seven feet.”

Under the newly adopted text, the yard that provides direct access to parking on the lot is legally defined as the primary front yard and must strictly comply with the 48-inch height cap. Conversely, the secondary frontage—which lacks vehicle access and naturally mimics a backyard—is now legally cleared to accommodate privacy fencing up to seven feet tall.

Hanten confirmed that all safety-critical clear-view triangle restrictions at driveways and intersections remain untouched and fully enforceable under the revised text. The Planning Commission previously advanced the cleanup with a unanimous 7-0 recommendation.