First time land owner needs advice..

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OkieLandOwner

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Hello all,

I recently purchased some land in the middle of Nowhere, Oklahoma. The land owner to my east has cattle that wander onto the land that I purchased. Since it is all open farm land, there are no fences up between properties. Legally, is it my responsibility to put up a fence to keep his cattle off my land, or is it his? Any advice would be awesome!

Thanks,
Okie
 
OkieLandOwner":24v2i0rq said:
Hello all,

I recently purchased some land in the middle of Nowhere, Oklahoma. The land owner to my east has cattle that wander onto the land that I purchased. Since it is all open farm land, there are no fences up between properties. Legally, is it my responsibility to put up a fence to keep his cattle off my land, or is it his? Any advice would be awesome!

Thanks,
Okie

Check with the sheriff or the state ag department. Some states are fence out and some are fence in. Some states even vary by county as to fencing laws.
 
OkieLandOwner":1yixru4f said:
Hello all,

I recently purchased some land in the middle of Nowhere, Oklahoma. The land owner to my east has cattle that wander onto the land that I purchased. Since it is all open farm land, there are no fences up between properties. Legally, is it my responsibility to put up a fence to keep his cattle off my land, or is it his? Any advice would be awesome!

Thanks,
Okie

Have you talked to your neighbor? Your attitude "Nowhere, OK" probably isn't going to endear you to him. State law establishes "fence viewers" to come out, assess the situation and assign responsibility to the parties involved.

More here:
http://www.ok.gov/~okag/forms/ogc/aal.pdf
 
My term Nowhere, Oklahoma was not meant to be a negative term. I apologize if anyone was offended by it. I was trying to describe a place with lots of very open land with multiple owners. I haven't been able to contact my neighbor yet seeing as how he only uses the land for his cattle, he does not live on the property. I do have his name, just have not yet been contacted back.
 
OkieLandOwner":5ubqltvr said:
My term Nowhere, Oklahoma was not meant to be a negative term. I apologize if anyone was offended by it. I was trying to describe a place with lots of very open land with multiple owners. I haven't been able to contact my neighbor yet seeing as how he only uses the land for his cattle, he does not live on the property. I do have his name, just have not yet been contacted back.


I wouldn't worry about it. I'd call it that, too. Most of the people I know in Oklahome wouldn't have issues with it, either.
 
OkieLandOwner":8xmf5yny said:
Hello all,

I recently purchased some land in the middle of Nowhere, Oklahoma. The land owner to my east has cattle that wander onto the land that I purchased. Since it is all open farm land, there are no fences up between properties. Legally, is it my responsibility to put up a fence to keep his cattle off my land, or is it his? Any advice would be awesome!

Thanks,
Okie

Okie

Watch your attitude at all costs - people who move to the country from the city - or other urban areas - are most of the time a pain in the @ss - and a royal pain at that.

They want things to be like the city.

Build your fence - or run some cattle - and for sure take the time to visit and get to know the folks nearby.

Be aware you have the right to keep folks off your land but animals do not respect boundaries - so they go where they want.

But be aware - you can be the odd man out very quickly - and your Nowhere place will be a place you hate to go to.

Life is not borders, boundaries and fence lines in the country - it is a community that relies upon each other - you better get with the program or sell and move to where you are more comfortable.

Your question asked in the wrong place or with the wrong expression will be remembered for a long time - forever in fact - by your neighbours - suggest you do your research with a knowledgeable person - behind closed doors -and do it quietly.

My best

Bez+
 
My goodness, don't scare the guy. They are Okies, not headhunters.
 
You could check with your county attorney for information only, not to file a complaint. Information on if it is fence in or fence out in Oklahoma, and ifeach of you is responsible for your 1/2 of the fence, what constitutes a "legal " fence and who acts as fence viewers IF there becomes a problem. It probably is just as simple as the previous owner never said anything so your neighbor just keeps on keeping on until you visit with them.
 
I appreciate all of the responses and I now understand that I came off with entirely the wrong intent. I come from a Nowhere, Oklahoma, just not the one I've just moved to. I have a pretty good understanding of how the "country" works, I'm just young and like I said, am a first time land owner. I've never experienced fencing problems because I've always known who my neighbors were and how to contact them. This post was made with the intent of learning whether or not someone else was financially responsible for the fence, or at least part of it.

I do appreciate everyone's input and advice, and I look forward to posting in the future for whatever problems/questions/funny stories arise from my experience as a new land owner. Thanks for taking the time to read my post!
 
OkieLandOwner":2loe716d said:
Hello all,

I recently purchased some land in the middle of Nowhere, Oklahoma. The land owner to my east has cattle that wander onto the land that I purchased. Since it is all open farm land, there are no fences up between properties. Legally, is it my responsibility to put up a fence to keep his cattle off my land, or is it his? Any advice would be awesome!

Thanks,
Okie

The legalities vary from state to state - check with your sherriff for the legal details. To me this is a no-brainer - if you don't want his cattle on your land, put up good fences to keep them out. It is your land and, therefore, the responsibility of protecting it is yours. Why on earth would you depend on someone else to "help" you protect/maintain what is your's? While you're waiting on him to "chip in" his part of the cost, his cattle are decimating your land/fields/hay meadows. Not to mention the fact that if you decide to push the legality issue, you could very well end up with an enemy that will make your life a living hell. Get on with your business, and don't worry about what he will contribute.
 
I bet a fence will be a whole lot cheaper than an Attorney and guess what, he was there first. I bet his argument will be, you knew what was going on before you bought the place.
I know that probably wouldn't hold up in court but the Attorneys will bleed ya both dry trying to prove each others points. Talk is cheaper by a long shot :D Good luck, Peace and cattle rock. :cowboy:
 
OkieLandOwner":3pwn30pp said:
I appreciate all of the responses and I now understand that I came off with entirely the wrong intent. I come from a Nowhere, Oklahoma, just not the one I've just moved to. I have a pretty good understanding of how the "country" works, I'm just young and like I said, am a first time land owner. I've never experienced fencing problems because I've always known who my neighbors were and how to contact them. This post was made with the intent of learning whether or not someone else was financially responsible for the fence, or at least part of it.

I do appreciate everyone's input and advice, and I look forward to posting in the future for whatever problems/questions/funny stories arise from my experience as a new land owner. Thanks for taking the time to read my post!

Welcome to the boards. And congratulations on buying your first piece of property. I'd say first to try to contact the cattle owner. If he doesn't respond, talk to the country sheriff and see if she/he has any suggestions or recommendations.

Consider building a temporary fence and turning a Jersey bull loose. That might get the guy's attention. :lol: 'Course when the cattle owner calls you complaining because that bull is breeding his cows, you've got to catch the Jersey bull. But he might be interested in getting a fence up then.
 
I see both sides of this but I don't see were it's the property owners to fence his property.He owns the land pays taxes on the land and upkeeps the land .I don't know what the laws are around here hope I don't have to find out but I feel the cows owner should be responable to keep them on his property.I do know that if my cows get out and eat neighbors garden I have to pay for garden or get out on roadway and get hit by car i'm responable for accident and thats what insurance is for.Now for other side if you try to make cow owner put up fence you will probably make yourself a enemy and bad neighbor.Now if you are planning on putting cattle on this property go ahead and fence it in and the problem is solved.
 
I fully agree with MSSCAMP. If you feel like you need a fence then just get busy and build it. I wouldn't check with anyone, especially the law or an attorney, I would be headed down to the store to buy some fencing material. Be sure that you know exactly where the property line is and keep on your side of it. Your neighbor will notice what you are doing, and he may even volunteer to help, but I wouldn't depend on it. I certainly agree that you should get to know you neighbors and maintain good relations with them, and a good fence will make that easier.
 
I assume you were wise enough to have a legal survey of the property before you signed the papers. Given that:
Any property worth having is worth fencing to "stake your claim" to neighbors and passersby. Also, when we have added fencing to any of our places where there was an existing neighbor fence (that wouldn't be secure) we have put our new fences at least one foot INSIDE our property line so there was no question of who owned the fence.

Also, a "double" fence separated by a foot or more reduces the chance that 2 bulls will get into a fight since they can't touch noses.

Finally, if you put up YOUR fence, it is YOUR's and there is no question as to who owns the fence (or) who is responsible for repairs. Owning 50% of a joint fence is just asking for problems in terms of repairs and maintenance.

Forget about "fence laws" (those are there in case of lawsuits). Fence your property properly and don't worry about it.

JMO.
 

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