1.  For a fence that already exists, property owners on both sides of the fence share the cost of upkeep in an equitable, not equal, manner. If there is a dispute as to what is equitable, township trustees and courts assign what is equitable using guidelines set by the law.

2.  If a landowner needs and builds a completely new fence, they are 100 percent responsible for the cost and should file an affidavit with the county recorder to note what was spent to build the fence. If a neighbor who didn’t pay for the construction of the fence takes advantage of the fence line by placing livestock against it in the next 30 years, they must pay a portion of the cost.

3.  Landowners are always free to make an alternative written agreement between themselves regarding shares of care, maintenance and upkeep. Alternative agreements should be filed with the county recorder.

4.  Line fence law allows a property owner a 10-foot leeway onto neighboring property to build or maintain a new fence when the adjoining property owner does not share in the cost.

5.  Owners of a line fence who plan to remove it must give 28 days notice to the adjoining property owner. If a fence is removed without the notice, the person removing the fence forfeits any reimbursement for construction and maintenance of any new fence.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact your county Farm Bureau if you would like an informational brochure on line fence law.

*County Farm Bureaus can only provide information and resources about the current law. They cannot settle disputes.

Growing our Generation
Having opportunities to attend leadership institutes, advocate for rural Ohioans on the state and national level, facilitate young ag professionals events, and serve in a variety of leadership positions have helped my skills grow exponentially.
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Sara Tallmadge

Ashland County Farm Bureau

Growing our Generation
Business Solutions
Labor has always been an issue, mainly because we are a seasonal operation. So that's a challenge finding somebody who only wants to work three months out of a year, sometimes up to six months.
Mandy Way's avatar
Mandy Way

Way Farms

Business Solutions
Washington, D.C. Leadership Experience
If it wasn't for Farm Bureau, I personally, along with many others, would not have had the opportunity to meet with our representatives face to face in Washington.
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Austin Heil

Hardin County Farm Bureau

Washington, D.C. Leadership Experience
Farming for Good
I was gifted the great opportunity through an Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation Youth Pathways grant to run a series of summer camps here. That really expanded my vision of what ‘grow, maintain, sustain and explain’ could actually be.
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Jim Bruner

Mezzacello Urban Farms

Farming for Good
Leadership development
I see the value and need to be engaged in the community I live in, to be a part of the decision-making process and to volunteer with organizations that help make our community better.
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Matt Aultman

Darke County Farm Bureau

Leadership development
Advocacy
So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
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Mary Smallsreed

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

Advocacy
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