Scrap yards and other business's using electric fences

I was going to post about this a while back but never got around to it. So, I've noticed a few local scrap yards and company's are using electric fencing to protect their properties. I would of thought the legal side to using such devices to safeguard your property would hinder you from using such methods. I'm sure they're completely legal but to what extent? Can I use them to secure my yard? I'm all for dissuading theft of property so I love the idea of possibly using them. What are your thoughts on this matter?

In the metropolitan areas, electric fences equal liability. In rural areas they keep deer and other critters out of an area. Here we can not be held liable for the stupidity of individuals, but in the city you are responsible for the safety to all individuals entering your property even if they are there to steal from you. Recommendation: Electric fence hooked up to two batteries. Enough to singe hair, but not enough to injure anyone.

These are being used in a metropolitan area, the city of Cleveland. I've done some research on them and they have passed laws in other areas allowing the use of them. Furthermore, I found a company specializing in installing such fences for mainly scrap yards. Which isn't surprising considering the amount of money lost due to the theft of metal. Most of the applications I've seen so far are behind a fence making the electric fence the second fence, or on the tops of roofs. I'm assuming this is some sort of loophole regarding the legality of them.

im not sure what the laws are in my state on using electric fences....i do know a few years ago a law was passed and we are allowed to shoot people for breaking into a car or an out building.....

It sure is a good thing that no one has thought of making things like bolt cutters with rubber handles or else it would be pretty simple for a thief to just cut the electric fence.

Yeah, an electric fence will keep out only the dumbest of the dumb crooks. Throwing a chain over it will ground it out, lean a metal bar against it, just about anything will render them useless. About the only thing they might be good for is detecting that someone is crawling over your fence when the fence is shorted out.

I'm assuming you are talking about the electric fence devices that farmers generally use to keep stock contained. They can give a heck of a kick but are not supposed to put out enough power to be lethal to anyone except maybe someone with heart problems. If you are talking about electric fences that will kill a person, I don't know anything about them....! Except that they can be shorted out just like the cattle fencers.

Liability is right! Even if you are in a jurisdiction that allows you to protect your premises in a near lethal manner you had better check with your lawyer first.

I had great fun with them in getting neighbors dogs with a cattle fencer when I lived in the 'burbs where everyone had bigger lots...in the 5 acre size. First thing that everyone seemed to do when moving out there was to get a couple of big frickin dogs and let them run free. Well, we had chickens and didn't appreciate the dogs going nuts at them outside the heavily meshed chicken run. So I bought the heaviest duty fencer I could find- it had a picture of a cartoon cow on it on its back with its feet smoking... and put alternating wires on the outside of the chicken mesh---ground, hot, ground, hot, about every 6 inches up sides of the run.

Musta zapped every dog in a 5 mile radius. Gad, it was funny! The best one was one I didn't see, but my wife did...a mutt lifted its leg on the mesh. It somersaulted its way out of the yard... trying to run and look at its dingy at the same time.

Jon.

Originally Posted by wadarbr549

im not sure what the laws are in my state on using electric fences....i do know a few years ago a law was passed and we are allowed to shoot people for breaking into a car or an out building.....

here in South Africa-where the violent crime rate is sky high
we cant shoot anyone entering our home-even a thief/burglar-until we give him sufficient warning

theres been cases where it was clear that the intruder was armed & posed a danger but the homeowner was arrested for shooting him
he claims he entered the wrong home-he thought it was someone else home

crazy stuff.

In NZ the Police must have safe access to chase criminals into and across propertys.
The police have a legal right to be on your property if doing part of their job.

After having caught a burgler on my property, the police were a bit worryied about the mass/mess of scrapmetal around my house and said why. So I tidied it up a bit, no sticky out peices of sharp metal. Clean pathway.
I read years ago about how a cop was electricuted while chasing a perp. The metal window mesh he touchedwhil jumping down off a fence was connected up to 240 AC...... Coulda killed him if he had touched to ground at the same time.

I'd suggest low voltage electric fence, not enough to shock anyone, but connect it up to a internal alarm so you know when its been touched.