Source: https://nislick.com/2015/01/26/good-fences-and-spite-fences-in-massachusetts/
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 08:41:46+00:00

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When Massachusetts neighbors start to disagree with each other, it should come as no surprise when someone wants to erect a fence. Suppose that you have had a falling out with your neighbors. His car is loud. Her dog runs around and barks uncontrollably. They park on your property. Their shed encroaches over the property line.
You have tried to approach them like reasonable people. You have asked them to be a little more considerate. Sadly, this has not gone over so well. Now it is tense whenever you see them. They are making your family feel uncomfortable in your own home. You value your privacy, and you feel like your neighbors are invading it.
You want to put up a fence. What can you do? What can’t you do?
By way of further example, the town of Merrimac has a “‘Good Neighbor’ Fence Policy” which advocates, among other things, that you discuss your plan with abutters before doing any work, verify the property line and construct the fence about one foot in, place the finish side out, and not pose a danger to anyone.
If you call a reputable fence company who does work regularly in your town, they will probably be knowledgeable about any particular bylaws that may apply. They will probably be cautious so that your fence sits entirely within your property, and does not encroach onto the adjoining lot.
If you tell the fence installer that you intentionally want to block your neighbor’s view and access to light and air by erecting a ten-foot-high fence on the neighbor’s property, they will probably tell you to call someone else.
But what if your neighbor puts up a fence to spite you?
If your neighbor has erected or is threatening to erect a spite fence, contact Massachusetts land use attorney Robert Nislick, today.
In addition to awarding damages, the court may also enter injunctive relief abating so much of the fence as exceeds six feet in height.
The Land Court ruled that the eight-foot fence was clearly within the scope of the Massachusetts spite fence statute, G. L. c. 49, § 21. Interestingly, the Land Court also ruled that the fifteen-foot tree was a “structure in the nature of a fence” also within the scope of the statute.
How can you analyze whether your neighbor will be liable for erecting a spite fence?
The court will want to know whether the neighbor acted malevolently against you in erecting the fence. There may be a reason, other than malice towards you, that the neighbor erected a fence higher than six feet. In such a case, you would not prevail against him in a nuisance under the spite fence statute. But even if the fence would not be viewed as a spite fence, it may still be illegal for some other reason, and you may be able to compel him to remove it.
Attorney Robert Nislick is a Framingham, Massachusetts, land use attorney. Contact him today for more information.
 Frigoletto v. Pirro, Land Court Miscellaneous Case No. 302684 (KCL) (Long, J.) (Jan. 21, 2009).
 G. L. c. 49, § 21.
 See Rice v. Moorehouse, 150 Mass. 482, 483 (1890).
 See Duey v. Trudel, Land Court Miscellaneous Case No. 06 MISC 336171 (KCL) (Long, J.) (Sep. 28, 2010).
 Rideout v. Knox, 148 Mass. 368, 373 (1889).

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