I'm trying to find out if there are any ordinances pertaining to fence setbacks. We're outside of anyone's city limits so I was thinking the county could tell me, but you would think I asked the person how to build a nuclear reactor based on their response of "Uh. Let me transfer you." Click.
The reason I ask is that our neighbor to the South is putting up a fence and is doing so on the property line. I was under the impression that there was some sort of setback required unless both parties agreed to building the fence on the property line.
I wouldn't even bring it up except for the fact that in places the line goes through some trees and I came home yesterday to him attempting to bulldoze a rather large Pecan tree in order to get it out of the way to the fence. I managed to stop him, though some pleasantries were exchanged, but he had already cut down 3 other medium sized, fifteen feet or so tall, trees. I'm really not happy with anyone messing with trees in the first place, especially when I feel they are at least partly mine.
Anyone know the answer to this or who I could call and actually get an answer other than "uh" from?
While I completely agree about the trees I don't think it works that way. If any part of the tree is on or covering his property, he can trim it as he wishes. While in principal that doesn't give him permission to cut it down, it does give him the right to trim it to the point where it will die. End result is the same as cutting it down.
The setback rules will be in your abstract or the most recent covenants covering your property. In the absence of any setback rules in either document, the fence can be built on the property line.
I am not an attorney nor do I play one on TV. These are just items I have researched in the past and as usual, things change.