Indiana fence laws?

[Tactically Fat]

[Threadjack]

I've hit a concrete sanitary sewer in Pendleton one day...

I've hit a residential natural gas line just outside I-69 in Ft. Wayne one day...

I've hit a water main outside of Madison one day...

And I've hit a big fiber optic line up somewhere in northeast Indiana one day...I think it was SR 2 between Lowell and I-65. Saw the line insulation come up out of the ground and was...."uh oh". Kept working. Actually hit it twice - about 100' apart. That was fun.

And I've made some folks MIGHTY nervous as we were working close to a LARGE trans-continental petroleum pipeline on US 224 out by Belmont HS in Decatur. Our equipment was still a few hundred feet from their stuff but they still sent out people to be SURE that we wouldn't impact their stuff.

Best part about all of the above: Not my fault due to faulty, incorrect, or plain missing utility location marks.

 

[Morgan88]

Would checking with local city and county code enforcement be a good place to start?

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

IUPPS. It doesn't seem to help, though, at least it didn't help me. Supposedly a professional, he marked 4 of the 3 utilities, and marked them so badly I hit 2 of them.

 

[Brian Ski]

Would checking with local city and county code enforcement be a good place to start?

If you are in the city check with both. They should give you some pointers. Calls are cheap. At least for planning the fence.

For digging call 811 (call before you dig.. Indiana) and ask if there is anyone else you need to call. Give them at least a week notice.

 

[Brian Ski]

IUPPS. It doesn't seem to help, though, at least it didn't help me. Supposedly a professional, he marked 4 of the 3 utilities, and marked them so badly I hit 2 of them.

But if you did not call and tore one up, you could get stuck with a big bill. I never heard of anyone paying, but I bet there are.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

But if you did not call and tore one up, you could get stuck with a big bill. I never heard of anyone paying, but I bet there are.

I recognize the liability issue, but I usually just splice them myself; it's faster and nobody needs to know. My problem was the guy actually marked them and I hit them anyway.

 

[Tactically Fat]

I recognize the liability issue, but I usually just splice them myself; it's faster and nobody needs to know. My problem was the guy actually marked them and I hit them anyway.

You'd be amazed (or maybe not) at how horrible utility location maps are. Most of them don't have tracing wires on them, either. The above-mentioned sanitary sewer I mentioned above - the city guy told me he was kind of glad we hit it because now they knew for sure where it was...

 

[Brian Ski]

I recognize the liability issue, but I usually just splice them myself; it's faster and nobody needs to know. My problem was the guy actually marked them and I hit them anyway.

I have fixed them too... Don't think I could do a fiber optic line though.... Who knows a little super glue and let them find it!!!

 

[DoggyDaddy]

When I wanted a shed with a concrete floor and footer, I just [bad word] built it. The city guy came out a couple of years later for some reason I can't remember and we were talking about stuff. He said with a concrete floor I could have some trouble, but nothing ever came of it. That's in Carmel, honorary home of the HOA. I also got a 2.5m satellite dish and put it up, mostly to annoy my neighbor, but I can do stuff like that with an amateur radio ticket, since case law has shown prohibitions against antennae to be unenforceable.

For the fence, I'd have an official survey done, put it maybe a foot inside the line, and avoid utility easements.

While reading this thread, and particularly when it came to the Log Cabin Rule, I wondered about this. I would like to build another shed, and would prefer to put it on a slab, but was told that then it would be classified as a permanent structure and subject to all attendant rules. Would the Log Cabin Rule apply if the structure wouldn't be used as a dwelling (unless of course I really tick DoggyMama off) if I were to do all the work myself?

 

[CHCRandy]

But if you did not call and tore one up, you could get stuck with a big bill. I never heard of anyone paying, but I bet there are.

I got hit with a $13,000+ bill once from PSI at the time. My liability insurance paid it even though I disputed it. I installed a fence in existing holes from chain link that I removed for customer....3 years later electrical storm fried peoples dishwasher, TV and a few other small things. PSI said I had "hit" the line when I installed. I told them I installed in existing holes...they did not believe me.

 

[CHCRandy]

While reading this thread, and particularly when it came to the Log Cabin Rule, I wondered about this. I would like to build another shed, and would prefer to put it on a slab, but was told that then it would be classified as a permanent structure and subject to all attendant rules. Would the Log Cabin Rule apply if the structure wouldn't be used as a dwelling (unless of course I really tick DoggyMama off) if I were to do all the work myself?

I think the slab comes in to effect when you "attach" the building to it. I would pour the slab...then when you build your shed hide the fasteners under a double sill plate. Tell them the building is "sitting" on the slab and not anchored, hence a temporary structure.

it's my opinion the only reason they want people to pull permits is so they can charge more for property tax.

 

[scootn103]

I have seen many people put fences up based on what a realtor has said, which is 9x out of 10 wrong. Spend the extra money have your property surveyed and all the corners marked . Put the fence on the line according to where the licensed surveyor found your property corners.

 

[Brian Ski]

it's my opinion the only reason they want people to pull permits is so they can charge more for property tax.

Some of it is to make sure the building is built well, some to make sure the inspector has a check, the rest so they get their share of taxes.

Never heard of a log cabin rule. Was told you can build anything on your property as long as you build more than half of it. And the gov will tax you for it sooner or later. I am not going to worry about anchoring down an outbuilding for a few bucks worth of taxes.