Why does the old fence handout still turn up at the counter?

Where did the handout come from?

The 2025 edition of the residential fence handout was printed by this department. It explained that a fence seven feet or higher needed a permit, listed the practical details an application needed, and sat in a rack beside the counter. People took it home. Some stapled it to a quote from a fencing contractor and filed it for spring.

Then the ordinance changed. In March 2026 the Board of Supervisors adopted Ordinance 2026-07, which lowered the permit threshold to six feet in section 4.2 and added the corner-lot sight-triangle rule in section 4.5. The handout did not change in anyone's kitchen drawer.

What is still useful on the old sheet?

More than you might think. Section 2 of the handout asked for a site sketch, owner contact details and a height measurement. Those practical details are still what an application needs. What the handout no longer does is decide the threshold. The sketch is good. The number is historical.

What does the clerk do when the handout appears?

The procedure is specific, and I follow it in this order.

1. Acknowledge the difference without blaming the resident. The handout was ours. The resident did nothing wrong by reading it.
2. Show the replacement provision. Section 4.2 of Ordinance 2026-07, page 2, and the March 2026 adoption date.
3. Offer the current intake form. Permit Desk Intake Procedure, version 3, effective 1 April 2026.
4. Record which edition was discussed in the permit inquiry log, with the source title, section, date and next action.

That last step matters later. If the same resident writes to the county clerk asking why they were told two different things, the log shows exactly which document was discussed on which date.

What do I say out loud?

Something close to this: "That sheet was our handout last year. The ordinance was amended in March, and the threshold is now six feet, in section 4.2. Here is the current page, and here is the date it took effect. Your sketch is exactly what we need." Then I ask whether the lot is a corner lot, because section 4.5 may apply as well.

Why keep a superseded document at all?

Because the history explains the confusion. The handout is kept in the archive, stamped superseded, so that staff can see what residents were told and when. The Records Retention Schedule makes the same point: an older public handout may be retained to explain a superseded rule, as long as its version and effective-date labels stay attached so it is never mistaken for current counter guidance.

Has every old copy been removed from the counter?

Not yet, and I would rather say so than pretend. Removing the superseded 2025 handouts from the counter is an open item on the intake version 3 rollout, with Marcus Hale as the person I report to on it. The next step is to check every counter copy against Ordinance 2026-07, print the current ordinance page and the intake checklist, and keep one archived copy marked superseded. Until that pass is finished, a resident may still find a 2025 sheet somewhere in the building, and the procedure above is how we handle it.

What should a resident do with their copy?

Keep it if you like, but treat the number on it as history. Bring your sketch, your address and your contact preference. If your fence is six feet or higher, including a replacement, plan on a permit and the $85 fee. If your lot is on a corner, mention it. The desk will show you the section that applies and the date it took effect.

What does the archived copy look like?

A single printed sheet, stamped superseded across the first page, filed with the date of the stamp and a note of the provision that replaced it. The stamp is the point. A person pulling the sheet from the archive in two years should see at a glance that it was replaced, by what, and when. Without the stamp, an archived handout is indistinguishable from a current one, and the Records Retention Schedule warns against exactly that confusion. The same discipline applies to our electronic copies: the version label and the effective date stay attached to the file name and the first page.

How do I know the sheet in my hand is current?

Look for the title, the version and the effective date. The current intake form says version 3 and 1 April 2026. The current ordinance page says Ordinance 2026-07 and March 2026. A sheet with no date, or with 2025 on it, is one to ask about.

Q&A

The questions people ask about the superseded handout are answered below.

Last updated 1 October 2026.