Town board moves culvert and fence changes to ordinance draft, tables noise-hour change
February 03, 2026 | Burns Harbor, Porter County, Indiana
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The town board voted to advance draft ordinances on culverts and fences and agreed to revisit proposed noise-hour changes after additional review.
At the meeting the presiding officer said staff will prepare ordinance text to bring back to the board and set it for a public hearing next month. "Culverts and fences, we'll get those ready in ordinance form to approve next month to set for public hearing," the presiding officer stated.
Why it matters: the proposed culvert language adds explicit penalties and enforcement language (suggested examples discussed included fines of $100 for a first offense and $250 for a second) and would be placed under chapter 4, article 3 to avoid ambiguity about which penalties apply. Staff told the board that checks and guarantees tied to infrastructure must also include clear expiration language so the town can track them going forward.
On fences, the board approved removing language that previously exempted fences from certain violation provisions so that fence violations can be cited consistently across the code. Board members asked staff to ensure all cross-references to fences throughout the code are updated when the ordinance draft is prepared.
The board tabled a proposal to change residential noise hours after members raised enforcement and policy concerns. Staff explained the current ordinance reference (7 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time) and a police representative warned that shortening nighttime hours broadly could create enforcement challenges for the department. A local contractor told the board that many builders begin work before 8 a.m.; a member urged the board to check the 2015 ordinance history before adopting new hours.
On certificate-of-occupancy rules, staff proposed a change to allow conditional certificates for some commercial projects with security equal to an estimate (discussed as roughly "110%" of the cost to finish outstanding work) so towns can account for price fluctuation on unfinished punch-list items. Staff also noted that some items (for example, fire-suppression measures) must be resolved before occupancy; board members asked staff to supply the punch list used for a recent commercial conditional occupancy so the BZA and the board can review it.
The board asked staff to draft the culvert and fence ordinances, to reword chapter-4 penalty language for clarity, and to research the background for the noise-hours provision before returning with recommended language. The items will be set for public hearing once ordinance drafts are ready.
The board did not take final ordinance votes at this meeting; the next procedural step is for staff to return with ordinance drafts and supporting materials for public notice and hearing.
At the meeting the presiding officer said staff will prepare ordinance text to bring back to the board and set it for a public hearing next month. "Culverts and fences, we'll get those ready in ordinance form to approve next month to set for public hearing," the presiding officer stated.
Why it matters: the proposed culvert language adds explicit penalties and enforcement language (suggested examples discussed included fines of $100 for a first offense and $250 for a second) and would be placed under chapter 4, article 3 to avoid ambiguity about which penalties apply. Staff told the board that checks and guarantees tied to infrastructure must also include clear expiration language so the town can track them going forward.
On fences, the board approved removing language that previously exempted fences from certain violation provisions so that fence violations can be cited consistently across the code. Board members asked staff to ensure all cross-references to fences throughout the code are updated when the ordinance draft is prepared.
The board tabled a proposal to change residential noise hours after members raised enforcement and policy concerns. Staff explained the current ordinance reference (7 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time) and a police representative warned that shortening nighttime hours broadly could create enforcement challenges for the department. A local contractor told the board that many builders begin work before 8 a.m.; a member urged the board to check the 2015 ordinance history before adopting new hours.
On certificate-of-occupancy rules, staff proposed a change to allow conditional certificates for some commercial projects with security equal to an estimate (discussed as roughly "110%" of the cost to finish outstanding work) so towns can account for price fluctuation on unfinished punch-list items. Staff also noted that some items (for example, fire-suppression measures) must be resolved before occupancy; board members asked staff to supply the punch list used for a recent commercial conditional occupancy so the BZA and the board can review it.
The board asked staff to draft the culvert and fence ordinances, to reword chapter-4 penalty language for clarity, and to research the background for the noise-hours provision before returning with recommended language. The items will be set for public hearing once ordinance drafts are ready.
The board did not take final ordinance votes at this meeting; the next procedural step is for staff to return with ordinance drafts and supporting materials for public notice and hearing.
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