Corner Lot Fences: The Sight Triangle in Jackson, Madison County, Humboldt and Lexington

Corner lots are the best and the hardest lots to fence. You have extra yard on two streets, which is exactly why you want the fence. You also have a driver pulling up to a stop sign who needs to see a kid on a bike, a car coming from the left, and the corner of your yard all at once.

The rule that protects that driver is called a sight triangle, or a vision clearance rule. Every jurisdiction I checked in writing has one. The catch is that they do not all measure it the same way, and a fence designed for the Jackson rule can be wrong in the county or in Lexington.

This guide walks through each written rule, says plainly which towns I could not check, and ends with what to do about your own corner.

The Idea Behind Every Version

All of these rules share one band of height. Between two and a half feet and ten feet above the street, near the corner, nothing is supposed to block a driver's view. That means a fence, a wall, a hedge, a pile of lattice, a tall shrub, a sign.

The band starts at two and a half feet, which is the part that matters for fence people. A fence lower than that is below the band. A fence that stands taller is in it, and if it is solid, it blocks the view. What differs from place to place is the size of the corner the rule covers.

City of Jackson

Jackson's zoning ordinance has two rules that work together.

The first is the corner-lot rule in Article VI, Section 1. On a corner lot in a residential district, nothing may be erected, placed, planted or allowed to grow in a way that materially impedes vision between two and a half and ten feet above the center-line grade of the intersecting streets, within the area bounded by the street lines.

The second is the front-yard rule in Article VI, Section 2. In a required front yard, no fence or wall may materially impede vision above two and a half feet, and no hedge or plant may block vision between two and a half and ten feet. That applies to every front yard, corner or not.

The City of Jackson fence permit application backs this up. It has a section called Sight Clearance Triangle. Where a driveway meets a public right-of-way, or the lot sits at an intersection, every fence, wall, hedge, screen, structure and planting in the triangle has to leave clear cross-visibility. The form also asks you to mark whether the lot is an interior lot or a corner lot.

One more note on Jackson. The city requires a permit for every fence, and the planning department signs off before the permit is issued. The permits and rules guide covers that process. I will not tell you a side-yard or backyard height number for Jackson, because the ordinance I read does not set one. The vision rules are what is written.

Unincorporated Madison County

The Madison County Zoning Resolution (Outer Region), Section 2.07, measures the corner differently. It uses the center lines of the two streets and a line joining points on those center lines one hundred feet from where they cross. Inside that area, no obstruction to vision between two and a half and ten feet above the average street grade.

Because it is measured from the center of the road and not from the property line, the area can reach into the front and side yards of a corner lot. The section says it does not prohibit a necessary retaining wall.

Humboldt

Humboldt Municipal Code, Section 14-211, uses the same hundred-foot center-line test as the county, with the same two and a half to ten foot band and the same retaining-wall exception. It applies to corner lots outside the B-3 central business district. Humboldt sits in two counties, and the Humboldt fence rules guide covers who to call for what.

Lexington

Lexington is the odd one. Its zoning ordinance, Section 11-208, uses a twenty-five foot triangle. You measure twenty-five feet along the right-of-way lines of each street from the corner, and connect those two points to form an equilateral triangle. Same two and a half to ten foot band.

Do not apply the hundred-foot rule in Lexington, and do not apply the Lexington number in Humboldt. The Lexington fence rules guide covers the rest of that city's fence section.

Side by Side

• City of Jackson: area bounded by the street lines. Plus a front-yard rule: nothing over two and a half feet that materially blocks vision.
• Madison County, unincorporated: center lines of the streets, a line joining points one hundred feet out.
• Humboldt: same as the county, outside the central business district.
• Lexington: twenty-five feet along the right-of-way lines, an equilateral triangle.
• Brownsville and unincorporated Haywood County: both use the hundred-foot center-line rule with the two and a half to ten foot band. Brownsville's ordinance exempts the C-B district.
• Bolivar: a hundred-foot center-line test too, but the band starts at three and a half feet, and the Board of Zoning Appeals may reduce the requirement. Bolivar exempts its central business district.

Where I Could Not Find the Number

Medina, Milan, Trenton and Henderson adopt their zoning ordinances by reference, which means the actual text sits in a separate document at city hall instead of in the published municipal code. For those four, and for Three Way, Selmer, Alamo and Bells, I do not have a verified sight-triangle distance, and I will not guess one.

If you are on a corner in one of those places, the question is simple. Call the city recorder or building official and ask what the sight-clearance rule is at an intersection, how it is measured, and whether they will mark it on your plan. The guide for Medina, Milan, Trenton and Henderson explains how to get a straight answer from those offices.

What It Does to the Fence You Want

A solid six-foot privacy fence is well inside the band, so it generally cannot sit in the clear triangle. That is the plain reading of the numbers. It does not mean you cannot fence the lot. It means the fence has a shape.

1. Pull the solid fence back. Run the privacy section along the part of the yard that is outside the triangle, and end it before the corner.
2. Change the style in the triangle. Low sections that stay under two and a half feet are the clear-cut answer. An open style may also work. Ask the planning office how they judge an open fence with a given spacing, because that is a judgment call and not something I can promise.
3. Step the fence in. Move the line back from the corner and let the open piece of yard do the work.
4. Watch the plants. Hedges, tall shrubs and vines on a fence count too. A fence that passes can still be spoiled by a hedge that grows into the band.

Here are materials to look at for a corner. Picket fencing in a low height, ornamental iron or aluminum with open pickets, and sometimes split rail on a larger lot. For a full privacy build on the rest of the yard, see the privacy fence guide.

How to Get Your Own Corner Marked

Practical read, and a favor to yourself. Ask the permit office to mark the triangle on your drawing. In Jackson, the application already has the sight clearance section and asks you to mark interior or corner. In the county, start with the Madison County Building Department at (731) 423-6014. It is at 100 E. Main Street, Suite 100 in Jackson. A fence that is drawn against the actual triangle before the posts go in saves a lot of arguments later.

Three things to bring to that conversation: your address, a rough sketch of where the fence runs, and the height and style you want. If you want a hand with the layout, see fence installation in Jackson or call.

Common Questions About Corner Lot Fences

The Honest Bottom Line

On a corner lot, plan the fence around the triangle first and the style second. Find out which rule applies at your address, get the corner marked on a drawing, and keep anything solid and tall out of it. The rest of the yard is yours to design.

When you are ready, contact us with the address and we will start with the corner.

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