Greetings and Welcome

Since the dawn of man, human beings have sought ways to secure themselves within their own environment and keep out others that may threaten or disturb. The solution created by man was always to build some sort of barrier. These barriers ranged from rock piles stacked in front of a cave entry, to a fortress or moat around the castle, to a fort wall, to wire fences around the ranch on the Plains, to architecturally designed fence systems around subdivisions and universities. But the regulations that govern fencing can be confusing and is one of the most frequent topics that we are asked about and make adjustments for in the rezoning process, site development review or for individual homeowners. The following discussion is intended to clarify some of those regulations.


Thank you for your interest,
Paula Harvey
Division Director, Planning and Zoning
Zoning Administrator

Fences, the Great Equalizer in Zoning

The rezoning process receives input from all parties who may favor or oppose a particular proposal for change in land use. The perceived “threat” of what may happen usually results in a requirement for a fence or wall to be installed to separate the different land uses that will exist next to each other. The concept of a fence requirement has become the equalizer in the otherwise controversial world of rezoning. The need for fences is such an accepted way to address differences in land use that fences are a requirement within the Land Development Code (LDC). If the rezoning proposal is to develop an office or commercial use adjacent to residential, a fence is a requirement of the office and commercial development. Fences are required between unlike land uses as a matter of law. These fences are required to be built with a permit and be inspected. They are referred to in the LDC as “required fences.”

However, single family homeowners who want to put up a fence around their backyard can do so without having to get a permit. Such fences are “permitted” but not “required.” This privilege does not mean that regulations don’t have to be followed, they do. Generally, fences along side and rear yards of single family homes can be up to 6 feet high. They also have to be on the homeowner’s property which means the fence cannot be constructed in the neighbor’s yard. If a homeowner wants fencing along the street in front of their house, the fence cannot be more than 4 feet high. These are general regulations. The specific requirements can be found in Section 6.07.02 of the LDC.

Learn More about Zoning and Rezoning

Fast Fact

 There are 14 adopted community-based plans, 7 in development and 5 to be developed in future years. Adopted community plans become part of the Comprehensive Plan.

Learn More about Community Plans

FAQ:

What is Oral Argument and what is it used for?

Oral Argument is a form that must be filed if a party of record to a rezoning petition wants to address the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) before a final decision is made about a rezoning. The Oral Argument form is filed at the Clerk’s Office – BOCC Records. The Oral Argument form must be filed within 10 days of the recommendation being filed by the Land Use Hearing Officer who conducted the rezoning public hearing. A party of record who may file Oral Argument and address the BOCC is any person who received mailed notice about the rezoning or testified or presented evidence at the public hearing. Any person who does not file Oral Argument according to these restrictions will not be able to address the BOCC. The main reason for this limitation is to protect the record created at the public hearing, thereby reducing the potential for the final decision of the BOCC being legally challenged or invalidated.

Learn More about How To Be Heard in a Rezoning Process

Let Your Voice Be Heard on the County’s Budget

Hillsborough County government is advancing citizen participation with its budget review process this year. The public will have a variety of opportunities to give their ideas and opinions and find more out about the budget from the comfort of their home or office.

Championed by County Commissioner Al Higginbotham, the four public hearings this year for the proposed budget will be interactive, and allow residents to call in or email questions and comments during the meetings. In addition to attending in person, residents will be able to watch the meeting live on Hillsborough Television (HTV) on Bright House channel 622 or Verizon and Comcast channel 22 or on the County’s website at: www.hillsboroughcounty.org through live streaming video. Viewers then will be able to submit questions or comments to a special email address: hcbudget@hillsboroughcounty.org; by using an online budget email form on the County’s website; or with a special phone number: (813) 307-8337. The comments and questions will be relayed to the County Commissioners during the hearings and answered or read out loud as time allows. All comments will be reviewed by Commissioners.

The remaining public hearings are scheduled to be held on Thursday, July 16; Tuesday, September 8; and Thursday, September 17. All the meetings start at 6 p.m. and will be held in the County Center, 2nd Floor Boardroom, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., downtown Tampa.

Throughout the budget review process until the budget is adopted on Sept. 17, residents also will be able to give the County Commissioners their opinion via several methods. Residents can call the phone number listed above and leave a voicemail message, which will be checked regularly; they can send an email to the address listed above or use the online budget email form on the County’s website; or they can upload a question or comment video via YouTube and submit the link to the County to view.

Additionally, residents also will be able to view all budget workshops conducted by the County Commission via television, live streaming video on the County’s website as mentioned above, or in person. Typically, there is not a public comment period during these workshops. The remaining workshops will be held in the County Center, 2nd Floor Boardroom, on Thursday, June 18; Thursday, July 16, Wednesday, July 22; Wednesday, July 29 (if needed); and Thursday, July 30 (budget reconciliation).

More information and instructions for all comment options, a link to the dates of the budget hearings and workshops, and to the actual budget document in its entirety is available on the County’s website. A prominent graphic on the homepage will take you the budget section of the website.