9.561 Electrified Fences.
It shall be unlawful for any person to install, maintain or operate an electrified fence in violation of this section. The construction and use of electrified fences shall be allowed in the city only as provided in this section, and section 10.731 through 10.735, subject to the following standards:
Definition:
Electrified Fence – Any fence, barrier or enclosure partially or totally enclosing a building, field or yard, carrying any electrical pulse or charge through any part, section or element thereof.
(1) Permitted Electrified fences shall be permitted in the following zones: C-C, C-H, I-L, I-G, and I-H, or where needed to control livestock.
(2) Prohibited. Electrified fences are prohibited in the following locations:
(a) Central Business overlay district;
(b) Liberty Park Plan Area;
(c) Southeast (S-E) Plan Area;
(d) The Neighborhood Commercial (C-N) and Service-Commercial/Professional (C-S/P) zoning districts;
(e) All of the Single Family and Multi-Family zones (SFR-00 through SFR-10, MFR-15, MFR-20, and MFR-30); and
(f) In the Public Parks (P-1) zoning district.
(3) Permits Required. Electrified fences shall only be installed under a permit issued by the Building Safety Department, and if an alarm is included, shall also have a Burglar Alarm permit issued under Medford Municipal Code 8.605 through 8.695. Prior to initially energizing an electrified fence, the property owner or owner’s agent shall contact the Fire Department to ensure fire officials inspect the premise for compliance and the location is added to the Fire Department’s electrified fence registration list.
(4) Electrification. The electric charge produced by the fence upon contact shall be non-lethal, and shall not exceed the energizer characteristics set forth in the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Standard No. 60335-2-76, 2018 edition. All electrical components shall bear the label of a testing agency recognized by the State of Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Building Codes Division. The electrified fence shall be installed and used in accordance with the Oregon Electrical Specialty Code and Oregon Structural Specialty Code, the listing, and the manufacturer’s installation instructions.
(a) The energizer for electrified fences shall be driven by a commercial storage battery or batteries, not to exceed 12 volts DC. The storage battery or batteries may be charged either by a solar panel, or a commercial trickle charger, or a combination of both. AC current shall not be used to energize any electrified fence.
(5) Fence Details. Electrified fences shall be constructed in the following manner:
(a) Maximum Height. Electrified fences shall not exceed 10 feet in height.
(b) Perimeter Fence. No electrified fence shall be installed or used unless it is completely surrounded by a non-electrified perimeter fence in order to separate the electrified fence from the abutting property line and right-of-way. The non- electrified perimeter fence shall be installed under the regulations and height limitations in Medford Municipal Code 10.731 through 10.735. The minimum height for the non-electrified perimeter fence shall be six feet. The electrified and non- electrified perimeter fence shall be separated by no more than 12 inches.
(c) Setbacks. Electrified fences shall not be located in the front yard setback, required landscaping areas, or required bufferyard areas as set forth in Chapter 10. No electrified fence shall be installed within 12 inches of a property line.
(d) Fence Standards in conjunction with a Bufferyard. When a bufferyard exists, the applicant shall provide photographs of the existing fence or wall and vegetation. When a bufferyard does not exist and is required under current code, the non-electrified fence or wall shall be of solid construction (e.g. wood, concrete, masonry block) and the minimum height shall be eight feet and can be located at the property line.
(6) Warning Signs. Electrified fences shall be clearly identified with warning signs in English and in Spanish that read: "Warning-Electric Fence" and include the international symbol for an electrical hazard at intervals not to exceed thirty feet. The warning signs shall be mounted on both sides of the electrified fence. The signs shall be reflective with a minimum two-inch letter height, minimum stroke of one-half inch and with a contrasting background.
(7) Emergency Access. Fire Department access shall be provided in accordance with the Fire Code and the Oregon Structural Specialty Code. When a vehicle gate opens automatically, it shall open using a sensing device approved by the Fire Department. The vehicle gate shall provide a means for the Fire Department to egress through the gate. Power to the electrified fence, excluding gate opening controls, shall be deactivated upon automatic Fire Department access through the gate. In addition, an approved Knox key box or approved equivalent shall be provided at an exterior location for any keyed locks or keyed gates for immediate emergency access necessary for life-saving or fire-fighting purposes. An approved method to manually disconnect electrical power to all portions of the fence and gates, such as a “Knox Remote Shunt Control Station”, shall be provided at an exterior location. The method and location of both the key box and the electrical disconnect shall be approved by the Medford Fire Code Official.
(8) Hours of Operation. An electrified fence shall only be energized during the hours when the general public does not have legal access to the protected property, unless when used to control livestock.
(9) Surveillance. Electrified fences shall be part of a functioning security system and monitored 24 hours a day.
(10) Compliance. Failure to maintain an electrified fence in conformance with the standards set forth in this section shall result in the fence being declared a public nuisance subject to abatement under Medford Municipal Code 5.530.