Ohio Code 971.17 – Notification of removal
(A) Not fewer than twenty-eight days prior to removing a partition fence, an owner shall notify the owner of adjoining property in writing that the owner intends to remove the partition fence. The notice may be delivered personally or by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the last known address of the adjoining owner. If the notice delivered by certified mail is refused or unclaimed, the notice may be delivered by ordinary mail. If the notice delivered by ordinary mail is returned for failure of delivery, or if the address of the adjoining owner is unknown and cannot be ascertained with reasonable diligence, notice may be served by publication once a week for three consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the partition fence is located.
Terms Used In Ohio Code 971.17
- in writing: includes any representation of words, letters, symbols, or figures; this provision does not affect any law relating to signatures. See Ohio Code 1.59
- Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
- Owner: means both of the following:
(1) The owner of land in fee simple, of estates for life, of easements, or of rights-of-way while used by the owners thereof as farm outlets;
(2) Any of the following with regard to any land that it owns, leases, manages, or otherwise controls and that is adjacent to land used to graze livestock:
(a) The department of natural resources;
(b) A conservancy district organized under Chapter 6101. See Ohio Code 971.01
- Partition fence: includes a fence that has been considered a division line between two such properties even though a subsequent land survey indicates that the fence is not located directly on the division line. See Ohio Code 971.01
- Property: means real and personal property. See Ohio Code 1.59
(B) If an owner removes a partition fence without notifying the owner of adjoining property in accordance with division (A) of this section, the owner forfeits the owner’s right to seek reimbursement under section 971.07 of the Revised Code for the construction and maintenance of a new partition fence.
(C) An action for trespass by the owner of adjoining property against the owner removing a partition fence may include a reasonable request for court costs, attorney’s fees, and other litigation costs.
(D) No owner shall place any debris accumulated from the removal of a partition fence on adjoining property without entering into a written agreement with the owner of the adjoining property. An adjoining owner who has not entered into a written agreement under this division shall have a cause of action against the owner that placed debris from the removal of a partition fence on the adjoining owner’s property for the cost of removing that debris. Any action against the owner may include any attorney’s fees.