State Fence Law Mended

The governor recently signed a measure that overhauls the old line fence statute in Ohio. The previous law had been in place for over a century and desperately needed revision.

Previously, the law stated that adjoining landowners must equally share the cost of building and maintaining fences that divided their properties. With many different situations in place, township trustees really had no fair way to enforce this law. The law now states that for existing fences, adjoining landowners are now responsible for "equitable" rather than equal share of their upkeep. To determine fair shares, the law gives specific criteria that should be considered such as the number and type of livestock, topography, bodies of water, vegetation and the risk of trespassing.

Also, landowners that have disputes can go directly to common pleas court and have their case settled through binding arbitration.

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