Variance · Planning application

Nampa couple wins approval for 2-foot privacy screen atop backyard fence

The city approved a staff-level variance allowing an 8-foot total fence height on the rear property line, where a sloping yard made the existing 6-foot fence feel shorter. Approval applies only if a building permit is issued and construction is finished within six months.

ApprovedVAR-00185-2025Filed March 25, 2025East Nampa · 58 S Norcrest Ave

Site plan for Nampa couple wins approval for 2-foot privacy screen atop backyard fence — Site plan from the application documents.

Pin at the reported location; the shaded outline is the primary parcel (Canyon County).

From the filing

The application's description as it appears in City of Nampa's record. See the official record

Matthew and Gina Galli received a staff-level variance to build a fence 8 feet tall at their home at 58 S Norcrest Avenue in Nampa, a single-family residential lot of about one-fifth of an acre. The city's six-foot fence limit for rear and side yards would otherwise apply, and the approval allows a two-foot privacy screen on top of the existing six-foot fence along the rear property line. The city found the lot's rear fence line sits well below the grade of the house, which reduced privacy.
Construct privacy screen (lattice work) not to exceed 8 feet.
Project name on file: Galli Fence Height

Timeline

July 8, 2025
12 documents added
July 8, 2025
Staff Decision
July 8, 2025
Decision: Approved
April 29, 2025
Notice to Agencies/Departments
April 7, 2025
Notice to Area Property Owners
April 1, 2025
Set Date for Review
March 26, 2025
Assess Fees (Variance)
March 25, 2025
Plan Intake Passed
March 25, 2025
Application filed
March 25, 2025
Accepted for review

Documents

Site plans

Plat drawing for a variance request on fence height, shown in six pages; the text layer is garbled, so details are limited.
March 25, 2025 · 6 pages · 1.5 MB · Plat
Download Fence height plat
Canyon County Assessor's parcel map for the subject property, showing parcel details, acreage and assessed land and improvement values.
March 25, 2025 · 1 page · 752 KB · Site Map
Download Assessor's web map site map

Project narrative

Applicant explains that a sloped backyard makes a 6-foot fence act like 4 feet, and requests a 2-foot privacy screen above it, citing the zoning code's fence and screen rules.
March 25, 2025 · 1 page · 171 KB · Narrative
Download Narrative on practical difficulty and hardship for fence height variance

Decisions

City of Nampa variance permit allowing a two-foot privacy screen above an existing six-foot residential fence, recorded with the Canyon County Recorder in July 2025.
July 8, 2025 · 3 pages · 693 KB · Recorded Permit #2025-023619
Download Recorded variance permit for an 8-foot fence

Application

Nampa master application form for a staff-level variance to fence height, filed under the Gallie fence height project.
March 28, 2025 · 2 pages · 1.3 MB · Application Revised
Download Master application for short-term variance (fence height)

Photos

Four photos documenting the existing fence on the property, submitted with the staff-level variance application for fence height.
March 25, 2025 · 4 pages · 2.5 MB · Photos
Download Fence height photos