"Illegal" fence - what are the consequences?

[Anonymous]

Out of compliance. Not to code. No permit.
You can look at any address in Arlington on their property search site and see improvements and permits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What makes the fence 'illegal'?

It's from Honduras.

Or installed by Hondurans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Literally 75% of all the basements in Arlington were finished without a single permit. That's electrical, plumbing, HVAC, you name it.

They won't GAF about a fence.

This is OP. Thank you all for the comments, especially the bolded above (which is my thought exactly).

[Anonymous]

Rotsa ruck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Literally 75% of all the basements in Arlington were finished without a single permit. That's electrical, plumbing, HVAC, you name it.

They won't GAF about a fence.

This is OP. Thank you all for the comments, especially the bolded above (which is my thought exactly).

That's me you're quoting.

I finished my own basement (properly) in Del Ray in 2008 and tried to play by the rules pulling permits. All it did was tip my hand and direct their compliance guys to my project. When they started getting prickly I asked about the lack of permits at two dozen basements of friends and neighbors that were finished without permits and the city stopped bugging me. They did however up my assessment on finished space below grade. Jerks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Literally 75% of all the basements in Arlington were finished without a single permit. That's electrical, plumbing, HVAC, you name it.

They won't GAF about a fence.

This is OP. Thank you all for the comments, especially the bolded above (which is my thought exactly).

I think the only way the county would care about a fence is if it caused a visual impairment – blocked line of sight around a corner or something like that.

[Anonymous]

OP,

What is the reason for the fence and why do you not want it permitted?

[Anonymous]

The worst is probably the waste of money if they make you take it down and any fines and whatever it will cost to rebuild it properly. Do not discount nosy nellies calling the city. Also, a fence in a lot of places usually only requires an online permit not inspections so it's easy to set up the permit.

[Anonymous]

lol. The fence companies won’t care if there is a permit or not.

And if the county actually comes out and says they heard you had an unpermitted fence (believe me they would not notice on their own, some lonely jerk would have to have complained), just refuse access to the property. That’s it. Nothing else happens. They can’t make you do anything on YOUR property.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Literally 75% of all the basements in Arlington were finished without a single permit. That's electrical, plumbing, HVAC, you name it.

They won't GAF about a fence.

This is OP. Thank you all for the comments, especially the bolded above (which is my thought exactly).

That's me you're quoting.

I finished my own basement (properly) in Del Ray in 2008 and tried to play by the rules pulling permits. All it did was tip my hand and direct their compliance guys to my project. When they started getting prickly I asked about the lack of permits at two dozen basements of friends and neighbors that were finished without permits and the city stopped bugging me. They did however up my assessment on finished space below grade. Jerks.

Yup. Alexandria loves to jack up taxes based on permitted work. Their inspectors barely check for compliance. It’s a total money grab.

[Anonymous]

Our neighbor did this and the fence is about 8' into our property. It happened before we moved in and we figured it out shortly after. We could make them take it down but are considering options. It could be an issue when we sell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our neighbor did this and the fence is about 8' into our property. It happened before we moved in and we figured it out shortly after. We could make them take it down but are considering options. It could be an issue when we sell.

In that case I would assume it is considered your fence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They make you take it down. They may fine you. You can't sell house until you disclose and likely take it down. Handyman msy do bad job.
Can't you just get a permit online?

+1 As long as you're doing something standard and following the height rules there's no reason to worry about the permit process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our neighbor did this and the fence is about 8' into our property. It happened before we moved in and we figured it out shortly after. We could make them take it down but are considering options. It could be an issue when we sell.

In that case I would assume it is considered your fence.

If you don't give them notice they are encroaching and explicitly allowing it to stay you are setting it up for their getting 8 feet of your land by adverse possession.
It varies by state but here's some info
https://www.hsclaw.com/how-a-misplaced-fence-can-lead-to-an-adverse-possession-lawsuit-in-maryland/
https://www.ashwell.law/blog/adverse-possession-virginia-guide/#:~:text=The%20criteria%20for%20adverse%20possession,assistance%20to%20substantiate%20the%20claim.

[Anonymous]

I didn't think you needed a permit for a fence. Most people get a survey to be safe but not a permit?