Fence Law at Stake in Debate : Regulations: A 1922 measure outlaws even the white picket variety--and almost all walls. It was widely ignored until a recent enforcement change.

GLENDALE — How many lampposts are too many and when do lampposts become a wall?

Glendale officials have been trying to shed light on those questions for decades.

It’s part of a debate over what to do with Glendale’s 70-year-old law that prohibits building any fences, and any walls higher than 18 inches, within 25 feet of front property lines.

Adopted in 1922, the rules are the most stringent in the county--even the all-American white picket fence is illegal--and have been widely ignored. Several landmark sites are guarded by illegal walls, including some on city-owned property.

The debate was rekindled Tuesday in a City Council study session that launched the latest attempt to revamp city laws that have become increasingly bothersome.

But changing the fence law does not appear imminent. Any change in the zoning laws requires a four-fifths vote of the council. Members Tuesday appeared to have conflicting views on the types of fences and circumstances under which fences should be permitted in front yards.

“I am a little confused,” Planning Director John W. McKenna said after a two-hour discussion among council members, staff planners and residents. “We will have to sort this out and come in with a recommendation.”

The 1922 ordinance was designed to preserve an open atmosphere in the city; yet numerous variances have been granted for a variety of reasons, often safety. In an attempt to meet the particular needs of homeowners, the law has been revised 45 times.

Lampposts in a front yard, for example, are permitted. But there are no criteria on how many, McKenna said. A “clear abuse of a lack of a standard” has been demonstrated by some homeowners who have put lights on an illegal wall, he said.

A lack of clarity in the rules and general misunderstanding among homeowners has led to complaints to the City Council, and homeowners are angered by citations for building illegal walls, officials said.

New buyers, for example, often are unaware of the restrictive rules, usually because so many illegal walls are up in their neighborhoods, McKenna said.

A survey by city planners of Burbank, Pasadena, San Marino, Beverly Hills and Los Angeles found that each city permits more extensive construction of fences and walls in front yards than does Glendale.

The problem apparently resurfaced when enforcement of the rules was transferred in 1990 from the city’s zoning section, which had only a few part-time inspectors, to the newly created neighborhood services section, where a full-time staff of code officers undertook the task with vigor. Notices of violations doubled, as did complaints from homeowners.

City officials two months ago temporarily suspended enforcement of the law while they attempted to sort out the confusion. But council members warned that homeowners who violate the laws despite warnings will still have to comply with current regulations.

City Manager David Ramsay said proposed changes in the fence law could be brought back for study by the council in two to three months.