The Carroll City Council is taking steps to ban the use of wooden pallet fencing in town following complaints from residents. City Building Inspection Director and Fire Chief Dan Hannasch says staff recommends an ordinance amendment outlining what is and is not allowed for fence building materials.
Hannasch adds they know of at least two properties that have built or are building fencing around their yards using stacked four-foot pallets. Several councilmembers say they’ve heard complaints from residents about the pallet fences’ appearance. The amended ordinance allows “customarily used materials,” which would include things like wrought iron, wood, or PVC, to be used for fencing so long as it results in a “clean, finished appearance.” It specifically bans the use of pallets, scrap lumber, scrap metal, snow fence, and other materials not typically intended for permanent fence construction. The ordinance specifically states that fences not in compliance must be removed within 30 days of its adoption. Ward 2 Councilman Jason Atherton supported the amendment but said he’d like it to have more specific language. For example, the ordinance does not apply to garden or other temporary fences.
Hannasch adds that temporary fences can only be used for up to 180 consecutive days and would consist of materials like chicken wire, snow fence, or cloth screening fabric. Due to questions from the council about the definition of a garden and concerns over the code being easily bypassed, city officials opted to table the first reading of the pallet fencing prohibition until their next council meeting on July 8.
