Fencing in Bemis: What to Check in Jackson's Historic Mill Village

Bemis is one of the more unusual places to put a fence in Jackson. It was built as a company town, planned from the start, and the people who laid it out thought about how the yards would look, at least in the Silver Circle section. A fence is the one thing that changes that picture.

This guide sorts out what is actually known about fences in Bemis and what is not. I am a fence contractor, not a historic preservation office, so where the answer lives at city hall I will say so and not guess.

What Bemis Is, in Plain Terms

The National Register nomination for the district describes Bemis as a planned industrial town, developed beginning in 1900 for the Jackson Fiber Company, which was part of the Bemis Brothers Bag Company. It was laid out on Garden City principles on either side of Cane Creek, in the southernmost part of Jackson. The period of significance runs from 1900 to 1949. The nomination also says the city did not annex the area until 1975. Today it is inside the city limits, so the city's fence rules apply.

The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 16, 1991. That is a federal recognition. On its own, it is not a local design review, and it does not by itself tell you what you can build in your yard.

Why the Back Yards Are the Whole Question

This is the part that matters for a fence. The nomination describes two full blocks in the Silver Circle area designed around shared rear-yard space. It says the rear yards of those blocks are "undivided by fences," which keeps "the appearance, if not the fact, of a privately-held park." For the other areas of Silver Circle it says "few fences divide the rear yards" today. The nomination dates from the early 1990s, so it tells you how the neighborhood was laid out and what its nominators valued. It does not tell you what is on the ground today. Walk the block and look.

Read that as a heads-up, not as a rule. Nothing in that sentence bans a fence. But it tells you what the neighborhood looks like and what the people who care about it are protecting. A tall solid privacy fence set across an open row of back yards is the biggest possible change to that look. A low picket, a metal fence you can see through, or a fence set to follow an existing line is a smaller change.

The nomination also records some layout details worth knowing before you plan a line. Houses in Silver Circle and West Bemis have uniform front setbacks from the curb, with grassy planting strips and sidewalks. In Silver Circle the nomination says utilities are located to the rear of the properties. The earlier areas have rear alleys, while Silver Circle and West Bemis have none. I do not know where the lines run on any particular lot today. If utilities run along the back of your lot, that shapes where posts can go and makes the 811 call more important.

What the City Requires Regardless of Overlay

These rules apply to every fence in the City of Jackson, Bemis or not:

• A permit for every fence. Jackson deleted the model code's exemption for fences not over seven feet. Its amendment says all fences within its jurisdiction require a permit, with prior approval from the Planning Department.
• A boundary survey or neighbor agreement goes in with the application.
• Good side out. On a privacy fence, the finished side faces your neighbors and any public right-of-way.
• Front yard vision. In a required front yard, no fence may materially impede vision above two and a half feet.
• Easements. A fence in a dedicated easement can be removed at the owner's expense if it damages, blocks access to, or otherwise impedes the easement.

The full application detail is in the permits and rules guide. Do not skip the easement line if utilities run along the back of your lot. Check your plat or ask Planning.

The Historic Overlay: What Is Verified and What Is Not

Here is the honest split. Jackson's Zoning Ordinance does create Historic and Conservation overlay districts. In those districts, no structure can be constructed, altered, repaired, relocated or demolished until the Historic Zoning Commission approves it, through a certificate of appropriateness. The ordinance also says the building official shall not issue a permit for work in such a district without first sending the request to the Commission. If the Commission does not act within thirty days of receiving an application, the case is deemed approved, unless both sides agree to an extension.

What I cannot tell you from the ordinance text is whether your particular Bemis address is inside one of those overlays. The ordinance does not list addresses or name Bemis in the part I could confirm. It also does not list fences by name as a reviewable feature, so I will not tell you a fence in an overlay needs a certificate. It might. Planning will know.

I am also not going to repeat anything I read about "Bemis fences must be wood" or "iron only." I found no material rule for Bemis, and I will not make one up.

The Three Calls to Make Before You Hire Anybody

Choosing a Fence That Fits Open Back Yards

Nothing here is a Bemis rule. It is how I would think about the choice if my own house sat in one of the open-yard blocks.

• Keep it see-through where you can. A metal fence or aluminum fence keeps a dog or a toddler in without closing the yard off.
• Stay low in front. A picket fence suits a house with a porch and a front walk. It also keeps the front of the lot open to the street, which fits the front-yard vision limit the city already sets.
• Go solid only where you need it. If you need privacy behind a pool or a patio, a short run of privacy fencing that wraps just that area leaves the rest of the line open.
• Match what is already there. If a neighbor has a fence, the guide to matching a new fence to an existing one covers how to line up height and style.

What to Have in Hand When You Call Planning

You will get a faster, better answer if you show up to the call prepared. Have these ready:

• Your street address and, if you have it, the parcel number from your tax bill.
• A rough sketch of where the fence would run, with the lengths, and where any gates would go.
• The fence style and material you are leaning toward, even if you have not chosen.
• Whether the line runs along a rear alley, a side street, or open back yards shared with neighbors.
• Your boundary survey, if you already have one. If you do not, say so, because the permit application will ask for a survey or a signed neighbor agreement.

Ask them to confirm anything they tell you by email. An answer you can forward to your contractor is worth more than one you remember from a phone call.

Why Bemis Is Different From a Newer Subdivision

In a newer subdivision the question is usually an HOA covenant and the city permit. Bemis adds a layer: a planned mill village with its own history, and possibly a local review on top of the standard permit. None of that makes a fence impossible. It means the schedule should leave room for a review, and the design should respect what the place looks like.

If you do have a homeowners group or neighborhood association, ask them too. This guide covers only what is in the city and federal record, and I have no verified information on private covenants in Bemis.

Common Questions About Fences in Bemis

The Honest Bottom Line

Bemis deserves a slower start than an ordinary subdivision lot. Confirm your overlay status, get the permit, call 811, and choose a fence that respects an open-yard layout. Do those four things and the fence itself is the easy part.

If you want to talk through styles, see our fence installation in Jackson page, or read how the HOA and neighborhood rules guide handles approval before you build. Greg will walk the line with you whenever you are ready.

More plain-English answers on cost, permits, materials, and repairs are in all of our fence guides.