kris10185 OP t1_j51zomj wrote on January 19, 2023 at 8:59 PM

Reply to comment by Rashaverik in Question about fences in Columbia by kris10185

This is incredibly helpful, thank you! Do you know offhand of any of the villages that allow 6ft fences? I would not want to chance buying a home and not being able to build a secure fence. I don't want to bother touring homes in communities where we wouldn't be likely to get approval.

Rashaverik t1_j52goew wrote on January 19, 2023 at 10:47 PM

Like I said. 48" is the standard height allowed in all the villages that I'm aware of. A 6' fence rarely exists. If it does, it's possibly long grandfathered in due to other circumstances. If you're buying a home that is CA assessed, DO NOT expect to be able to get a 6' fence.

kris10185 OP t1_j52pawn wrote on January 19, 2023 at 11:52 PM

Thank you! That's both very helpful and very disappointing. We may be looking for a "unicorn" that doesn't exist then, and that's very good to know. We love Columbia and all the trails, lakes, and restaurants but I'm not sure what we are looking for in a home exists there :(. Is there not a lot of pushback from homeowners about this? I can't imagine in a huge town that there aren't other homeowners with dogs that hope for fences higher than 48". I know if my dogs saw a deer they could clear one of those split rail 48" fences without missing a beat!

inline4addict t1_j54zhfu wrote on January 20, 2023 at 1:05 PM

I hate to scare you, but people I know don’t mess with the HOA. I’m told not to get on their bad side or else they’ll look for things to fine you about. There’s just no way to get a fence that tall.

Liakada t1_j52k55q wrote on January 19, 2023 at 11:15 PM

You could buy outside of Columbia Association. If it’s a county parcel, 6ft fences are allowed. At least that’s what everybody has in my neighborhood.

Sure_Comparison6978 t1_j52t7b2 wrote on January 20, 2023 at 12:20 AM

Yes and not that unusual. There are a lot more neighborhoods in Columbia that aren’t part of the CA than many realize. And you can easily find this out when you’re looking as these homes will proudly state “NO HOA!!” In their listing description.

sinofmercy t1_j53j7j9 wrote on January 20, 2023 at 3:28 AM

Yep my parents home is in one of the neighborhoods. Or I guess technically their house was built first so there was no HOA in place in the late 80s and it stayed that way.

TwinPeaksNFootball t1_j550a4z wrote on January 20, 2023 at 1:12 PM

It’s really easy when you are shopping for homes. If the houses next to the one you are interested in doesn’t have a 6 foot fence, then you will not be allowed to either.