Fence Row Etiquette

[Shawn T. W.]

In Missouri your allowed 10' on either side of the fence for maintenance purposes ... Obviously this does not apply for in town lots, but acreage like shown, and I have ... I still ask the neighbors if they mind if I step out on to there side with my tractor...

I bought mine almost 4 years ago ... I have cleared over a mile, now I just want to maintain it!

Yup, there's a fence in that overgrown mess!

 

[RayIN]

Both sides of my three fence lines are farmed in corn/soybean rotation. One of the three sides is owned by an absentee landowner whom I have never met in the 30 years I have been here.

His side has some locust trees that I keep on his side of the fence everyway possible. I don't think anyone would object to me killing a tree with 4" thorns that can destroy an expensive tire on a tractor or combine. Some of them are in the neighborhood of $2000 and then some others are really expensive.

In this instance, Copper Sulfate granules is your friend
If you don't keep after them every year, they spread like an invasive species.
Years ago Locust and Hedgeapple/Osage Orange made the longest lasting fence posts available.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Another thought this morning ...

How about just trimming up enough to be able to drive under? I did this in one area that the oak trees are on the other side of the fence ...

 

[Jason05216]

Another thought this morning ...

How about just trimming up enough to be able to drive under? I did this in one area that the oak trees are on the other side of the fence ...

View attachment 4308218

I probably just end up going this route for now. I don't have any way to trim limbs that are high off the ground and I don't really want to have to pay someone to come in and do it.

 

[Runner]

I am in your exact same position. Have been clearing/maintaining the fencelines for the last couple of years. One neighbor I actually talked to and he said fine to get on his side and cut things away from the fence. The other neighbor I haven't actually asked, but I'm sure is fine with it because they've seen me doing it and we are on good terms.

I have, therefore, cut all brush and trees away from the fencelines for a couple of feet and I consider anything hanging over the property line to be fair game for trimming. However, I would never even dream of cutting brush and trees on the fence line and dumping them on other property, even if it originated on their property.

Just my opinion, but for me, I collect up anything I cut and dispose of it on my side in whatever way works best. Don't know what the law says about this, but I just consider it being a good neighbor and want to show them that I'm acting in good faith.

The one exception is if something big, like a whole tree, falls on the fence onto my side. In that case, I cut the tree off a couple of feet back on to their side, but I still take whatever falls on my side and dispose of it on my own. Again, just being neighborly and showing good faith.

 

[RjCorazza]

99% of the time the neighborly approaches mentioned work out just fine.
I mow 30-some acres of rural residential lawns and as a rule do not trim anything on the other side of a fence line. Brush on the other side just gets cut flush to the line. On my own property I access and trim both sides, because I own the fence and they didn't necessarily want a fence to trim.

 

[Cub 7275]

In Missouri your allowed 10' on either side of the fence for maintenance purposes ... Obviously this does not apply for in town lots, but acreage like shown, and I have ... I still ask the neighbors if they mind if I step out on to there side with my tractor...

So if someone puts a fence on the property line then the other property owner has to allow access to 10' of their property for the fence owner to maintain their fence? I assume that doesn't mean the fence owner can do any modification to the other owner's property, such as mowing or brush removal, just foot traffic to work on their own fence, yes?

 

[ponytug]

So if someone puts a fence on the property line then the other property owner has to allow access to 10' of their property for the fence owner to maintain their fence? I assume that doesn't mean the fence owner can do any modification to the other owner's property, such as mowing or brush removal, just foot traffic to work on their own fence, yes?

Not around here. If the fence is on the property line, the fence work is done from the owner's side of the fence, unless the neighbor says otherwise, and vice versa.

In California, the fence belongs to the erector of the fence. So, if you want to replace/upgrade/maintain a boundary fence, you might need the neighbor's permission. One of my neighbor's offered all the fencing supplies if I renewed our communal fence. Neither of us really know who erected the fence, or when, but pieces of wire date from the post Civil War era, and there are old growth redwood posts.

Point being I think it depends a lot on where you live and what your neighbors are like.

All the best,

Peter

 

[jk96]

So if someone puts a fence on the property line then the other property owner has to allow access to 10' of their property for the fence owner to maintain their fence? I assume that doesn't mean the fence owner can do any modification to the other owner's property, such as mowing or brush removal, just foot traffic to work on their own fence, yes?

Good info here for Missouri

Missouri Fencing and Boundary Laws | MU Extension

Learn about Missouri fencing and boundary laws, including duties, rights, and resolving disputes between landowners regarding fences and boundaries.

extension.missouri.edu

 

[Shawn T. W.]

So if someone puts a fence on the property line then the other property owner has to allow access to 10' of their property for the fence owner to maintain their fence? I assume that doesn't mean the fence owner can do any modification to the other owner's property, such as mowing or brush removal, just foot traffic to work on their own fence, yes?

272.110

says in part about repairing division fences ... "may enter upon any land lying adjacent thereto for such purpose"

I don't know how to attach a PDF ... But here are two screenshots, that says it's not "law" but "tradition" to clear both sides of the fence

---------------------------------------

I saw that last link, it's in the bottom of the PDF ...

I got the link to MU PDF G00811 from my search, looks like this ..

 

[Yander]

or... Pile it in an out-of-the-way location on your property, and don't burn it. Leave it for wildlife. I have a few things behind my barn that the rabbits love. I like seeing the rabbits. They are probably the least destructive critter on my land. The skunks are the worst, but they are easy to eliminate.

 

[Dawg in Fl]

Years ago Locust and Hedgeapple/Osage Orange made the longest lasting fence posts available.

And the locust was cheap!

 

[Jason05216]

Here's the actual fence line. As you can see the trees hang over a lot.

 

[mjonesnh]

Have a similar fence line on a shared property line at my farm. Use a polesaw every few years to clear a tractor with ROPS and bush hog. Take the limbs cut and put them in a close by woods and let them decay. Once cut back only have to trim every 3-4 years.

 

[Jason05216]

Have a similar fence line on a shared property line at my farm. Use a polesaw every few years to clear a tractor with ROPS and bush hog. Take the limbs cut and put them in a close by woods and let them decay. Once cut back only have to trim every 3-4 years.

I'm going to start working on this fall and winter. It's frustrating to me that the neighbor's lack of upkeep will be an ongoing job for me (granted it was allowed to get this way by the previous owner who held both these pieces but, current owner doesn't seem inclined to change it). Maybe someday he'll want to reclaim it for the row cropping that he has done in the rest of the piece.

 

[Sportsman762]

I'm going to start working on this fall and winter. It's frustrating to me that the neighbor's lack of upkeep will be an ongoing job for me.

I know in my neck of the woods most folks maintain their own fencerows. Which means if you want a fence, you maintain the trees. I always figured that If I care about the limbs overhanging the fenceline then I should remove them. It would chap me pretty bad if a neighbor told me I needed to trim my trees off their fence. In my area your expectations would be out of line.

With that being said I bought some property recently and the neighbors trees over hang the fence line something terrible. I trimmed the trees back with a pole saw then burnt the brush in a pile on my property. I recovered up to 30' of field in some areas, and my brush pile was 12x70 stacked 8' or so tall. Going forward I will have to trim the trees every 3 years to keep it from tickling the tractor cab. If a small branch falls I will chuck it back to their side. However if I cannot easily pick it up then I burn it on my side. Just had a neighbor's tree drop a branch on my fence. I cut it up, will burn the brush, and am delivering the wood to him to burn because I do not burn wood. Living in the country is work, constant work.

 

[bigtiller]

Here's the actual fence line. As you can see the trees hang over a lot.

View attachment 4320285View attachment 4320286

For basal bark treatment, mix 1 part Brushtox with 4 parts diesel

Basal tree spray is a method for controlling woody plants by applying an herbicide mixture to the lower 12 to 15 inches of the trunk's bark. This treatment is ideal for young trees and plants under six inches in diameter, as the herbicide is absorbed through the bark to kill the plant, including its roots. The spray is made of an oil-soluble herbicide mixed with an oil carrier like diesel fuel or a commercial basal oil and is applied to the entire circumference of the stem.

 

[lman]

I have a fenceline in a wooded area. I have always maintained a trail on my side. The neighbors side was lined with planted Ash trees that were probably 40 years old and 25 ft. tall. All of the ash trees died and started falling onto my trail and damaging the chain link fence. I saw the neighbor one day and mentioned the Ash trees and he said that he tried to find somebody to clean it up but had no luck. I don't believe he has ever used a chainsaw. I told him that I could clean it up some on his side and he didn't object. I cut down many of the trees and left them. It's a mess on his side but out of sight, out of mind for the neighbor, which is fine for me. I spray herbicide in the fenceline to keep the poison ivy and other vines off the fence but the honeysuckle is trying to get to my side.
My neighbor probably wonders why I don't just leave it but that's not my nature, I guess. When I'm gone Mother Nature may invade my side but that day is a few years away