Fences & neighbors

Capricious · Jun 8, 2015

Cedar County, Missouri, just had a vote and adopted the "local option" fence law.

For a summary of Missouri's "regular" fence law, and the "local option" law, see

Don't fence me in

Now, in Cedar County (and 18 other Missouri counties) if your neighbor decides he wants a fence, YOU can be forced to pay for half of it, whether you want (or need) a fence or not.

Doesn't seem right to me, but perhaps others have differing opinions?

Creamer · Jun 8, 2015

I agree. It does not seem very fair. If you need a fence build it but your neighbor should not have to help pay.

Capricious · Jun 8, 2015

Creamer said:
I agree. It does not seem very fair. If you need a fence build it but your neighbor should not have to help pay.

Looks like you have somewhat similar laws in Indiana; i.e. a landowner can be forced to pay for half of a fence, whether he/she wants it or not:

https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ec/ec-657.pdf

Steppenwolfe · Jun 8, 2015

Who gets the good side of the fence ?

Creamer · Jun 8, 2015

I have never heard of it being enforced but I will ask around.

ovrszd · Jun 8, 2015

I'm in Harrison. My County Commissioners were at the time extremely lazy and ALWAYS took the easy route. I do not agree with their decision. I don't own livestock. I should not have to bare the cost of fence to keep my neighbors stock in. That's so silly it's beyond discussion.

Their idea was that I might buy livestock later and then benefit from the neighbors expense. Cool. Got it. But what if I never buy stock??

At my home place I have 3 neighbors. They all have stock. They maintain the fences with never a discussion.

At my farm I have 4 neighbors. One has stock. I have to maintain half the border fence against him, even though I have no stock there and never will.

But then, he's the neighbor that replaced one of his fences that border me couple years ago and moved it 8ft toward me. That was an interesting conversation. When I told him I would tear it out with my Grapple and sell all the iron for scrap and block the hedge posts for firewood if he didn't move it, he moved it. WTH???

Wagtail · Jun 8, 2015

Here in Tasmania we have the "local option" law but it's mostly to prevent potential neighbour complaints. Ie: objection to a truly hideous monstrosity that blocks views. It's mostly a townie/suburb thing but slips over to rural.

Now, the adage 'Good fences makes for good neighbours' is particularly true for rural settings as we (hopefully) rely on our neighbours.

10 years ago, as an absentee owner, I had my perimeter fencing re-done. I contacted my neighbours via my property manager and offered them the option of paying for half the cost of the new fence that ran with their sections. Both of them declined but didn't object to the new fence. Yes, I could have 'gone after them' for the money but what would that have achieved? Ticked-off future neighbours.

Fast forward to a couple of months ago, one of these neighbours offered, free of charge, the use of his adjacent front 6 acre paddock for my horses whilst I was away for a month. He then put in a 12' gate into that shared fence line to ease the transfer of the horses.

I understand that this 'local option' has the potential for conflict but, it also has the potential for harmony too.

Creamer · Jun 8, 2015

Wagtail - it seems to me like you chose not to enforce the "Local Option" and thereby created a friendly neighbor which is now working to your advantage, i.e. you chose not to use the law. i have always thought that it is very difficult to legislate "being nice or considerate" and those two usually go a long way to having good neighbors.

Sysop · Jun 9, 2015

Wagtail said:
it's mostly to prevent potential neighbour complaints. Ie: objection to a truly hideous monstrosity that blocks views. It's mostly a townie/suburb thing but slips over to rural.