HOA Fence Approval in Union County and York County: What to Send

Why the HOA comes first

A fence is the most visible thing you can add to a yard. The neighbors see it from their windows, the street sees it, and the HOA board hears about it. That is why many HOAs in Union County and York County require approval before a new fence, and why a fence built without it can end in a letter asking you to take it down or change it.

Posts set in concrete do not move. If the HOA asks for a different height, a different color, or boards facing the other way after the fence is up, the change can mean pulling posts and starting over. The order that avoids that is simple: measure, get our written quote, send the HOA what they ask for, wait for the yes, then build.

One more thing to know: the HOA and the county are separate. The HOA rules on looks and placement inside the neighborhood. The county or town rules on permits and setbacks. A new fence can need both, and neither one speaks for the other.

What the form asks for

Forms differ, but most ask for the same handful of things. If you send all of them the first time, the board has nothing to send back for.

• A plan from above: your lot, the house, and the line where the fence goes. Most boards accept a simple hand drawing or a marked-up copy of your plat.
• The height: most often 4 feet or 6 feet.
• The style: privacy, shadowbox, picket, or rail, and whether the top has a cap or a dog-ear cut.
• The material and color: treated pine, cedar, vinyl in white or tan, or black aluminum. If you plan to stain, the stain color.
• The gates: how many, where, and how wide.
• The distance from the house and the lot lines: where the fence starts on each side of the house, and how far it sits from the lines.
• Sometimes a product sheet or a picture of the style, which we supply for the fence we quote.

The drawing is where most people get stuck. It does not have to be pretty. It has to be clear. We draw it from the sizes you send us for the quote, so you have one page to attach to the form.

Rules you see a lot

Every set of covenants is its own document, and yours is the only one that counts. But a few rules show up again and again in neighborhoods around here, so it is worth looking for them before you plan.

• No fence forward of the house. Many HOAs allow a fence only behind the front corners of the house, so the front yard stays open.
• A height cap. Many allow 6 feet in back and less toward the street, or only 4 feet on a corner lot.
• Finished side out. Many ask that the smooth board side faces the neighbors and the street, with the rails on your side.
• Approved styles and colors. Many name the styles they allow and the colors: natural wood, a short list of stains, white or tan vinyl, black aluminum.
• Pool yards. A fence around a pool has to meet the pool barrier rules of your town as well, on height, gaps and self-closing gates. Those rules differ by town and county, and the HOA does not replace them.
• Matching the neighbors. Some HOAs want a new fence to tie into the fence next door at the same height and style.

If a rule says something your yard cannot do, ask the board before you file. Many will talk it through with you, and some have a variance process for a slope, a corner lot or a drainage easement.

Timing, permits and 811

Boards meet on a schedule. Some answer in a week, some meet once a month, and a form that is missing a drawing waits for the next meeting. So the order that works is this: measure with our guide, send us photos and sizes, get our free written quote with the style and height on it, file the HOA form with our drawing, and wait for the yes in writing.

While you wait, check with the county or your town about a permit. Union County handles building permits for most addresses there, with zoning and setbacks from your town inside its limits. York County and Lancaster County work the same way on their side of the line. A repair that keeps the same fence in the same place usually needs nothing. A new fence, or one on a property line, is worth the call. They have the final word.

Then, before the first hole, 811. Utility marking is free in North Carolina and South Carolina, and we arrange it on every install job, so the gas, water, cable and power lines are marked in the yard before anyone digs. It takes a few business days, which is one more reason to get the HOA yes early.

If the answer is no

Ask what the board would accept. Most of the time the no is about one thing: the height, the color, the side the boards face, or a run that sits too far forward. The change is often small. We can quote the fence again with the change before anything is ordered or set.

If the no is about the whole idea, a different material sometimes solves it. Many HOAs that say no to a 6 foot privacy fence will say yes to 4 foot black aluminum, which keeps the view open. Read wood vs vinyl vs aluminum for how the three compare.