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The county owns a triangle at the mouth of your driveway, and nothing in it may stand over three feet
The county owns a triangle at the mouth of your driveway
Every driveway that meets a road has a wedge of ground on each side where a driver pulling out has to be able to see. The code calls it the clear sight triangle, and it is the one part of a cabin lot where the county tells an owner what may and may not stand there. Most owners find out after the fence is built.
“No solid fence or wall, planter, hedge, shrub, or other visual obstruction more than three feet in height above the grade of the adjoining roads shall be permitted within a clear sight triangle.”
— Fremont County Development Code, 2011 Edition (Ordinance 2011-04), Appendix B section 1.10.060. Consolidated through Ordinance 2026-03. Retrieved from the county's live PDF 1 September 2026
Three feet is a low number. A standard privacy fence is six. A snow fence, a stacked firewood rick, a lilac hedge and the entrance-monument sign a subdivision wants at its gate all clear three feet easily, and all of them are exactly the kind of thing that ends up at the corner of a drive.
The three rules, and the one that surprises people
| Rule | What the code says | What it means at a cabin |
|---|---|---|
| Height | Nothing solid over three feet above the grade of the adjoining road | Fence, wall, planter, hedge and shrub are all named. Snow banks are not, but the plow driver has the same problem |
| Parking | No on-street or off-street parking inside the triangle | The trailer and the second vehicle cannot live at the corner of the drive |
| Trees | No trees inside the triangle; overhanging branches removed to twelve feet above the centreline grade of the road | An existing lodgepole in the triangle is a conflict the day the driveway is permitted, not later |
The tree rule is the one that surprises people, because it works in both directions. A tree already standing in the triangle is a problem, and a tree outside the triangle whose limbs reach into it has to be limbed up to twelve feet. On a wooded lot the triangle is frequently the reason the driveway ends up somewhere other than where the owner first drew it.
The code does not print the triangle's dimensions in this section. It refers to the AASHTO geometric design policy, and the county's own access standard sets the sight distance an approach must have — the excavation site has written that standard up, including the figure. This page is about what may stand inside the triangle once it exists.
Why the road ends in a circle, and why it is that size
A great deal of Island Park cabin ground sits on a road that ends in a cul-de-sac, and the code specifies the circle exactly. The right-of-way for the bulb is a 65-foot radius. The road surface inside it, gravel or asphalt, is a 50-foot radius. The 15 feet between the two is reserved for drainage, signs, snow removal, maintenance and utilities.
That last clause is worth reading as an owner. Fifteen feet of ground around the bulb that is not road and is not your lot is where the plowed snow from the whole circle goes, and it is where the power pedestal and the phone box get set. A lot line that touches the bulb has a strip beside it that will be used hard every winter.
- The turnaround exists because the code prohibits dead-end streets except where a phasing plan permits one temporarily.
- A temporary dead end that serves four or more lots must be given a temporary cul-de-sac built to the same standard.
- A road ending in a cul-de-sac may not be longer than 440 feet unless the Public Works Director directs otherwise.
- Where right-of-way lines meet at an intersection or at the bulb, the corner is rounded on a curve of at least 20 feet radius, which is why corner lots lose a wedge at the road.
The 440-foot figure explains something about older plats. A long road that dead-ends deep in the trees, serving a dozen lots with no loop, is either an old plat, a private easement that was never built to this standard, or a road with a temporary designation that was never made permanent. All three are worth knowing before buying at the far end of it.
The disclaimer that matters on an existing road
Section 1.04 says plainly that nothing in the standard imposes a duty on the county to construct, reconstruct or improve an existing road to comply with it. These are rules for new roads. The road to a 1970s lot may be narrower than the standard, its turnaround may be smaller than 50 feet, and the county is under no obligation to fix either. What the standard does is tell you what a road built today would be, which is the honest comparison when a listing says the access is county-standard.
What to do with this before you build
- Stand at the mouth of the proposed driveway and look both ways from a driver's eye height. Anything solid over three feet in the wedge on either side is a conflict.
- Walk the wedge for trees before the driveway is permitted, because the trees in it have to go and the ones beside it have to be limbed to twelve feet.
- If the lot touches a cul-de-sac bulb, find the 15-foot band between the road surface and the right-of-way line, and do not plan a fence, a planting or a septic component in it.
- Ask whether the road is public right-of-way or a private easement, because the plowing question turns on it — the difference between a plowed lot and a snowmobile-in lot is the price.
- Confirm the road certification the building application requires — the Road and Bridge sign-off is part of the permit path.
The sight triangle is a small rule with a long reach. It decides where the driveway goes, which decides where the garage goes, which on a narrow lot decides where the cabin goes. The permit path starts with the site plan, and the site plan starts at the road.
Common questions
What is a clear sight triangle?
The wedge of ground on each side of a driveway or intersection that a driver must be able to see across when pulling out. Fremont County's road standards restrict what may stand inside it so that the view along the road stays open.
How tall can a fence be near my driveway?
Inside the clear sight triangle, no solid fence, wall, planter, hedge or shrub may be more than three feet above the grade of the adjoining road. Outside the triangle the road standard says nothing about fence height, though covenants often do.
Can I keep a tree in the sight triangle?
No. The code permits no trees within a clear sight triangle, and branches that overhang into it from outside must be removed to at least twelve feet above the centreline grade of the road.
Can I park a trailer at the corner of my driveway?
Not inside the sight triangle. The code bars both on-street and off-street parking within it, which in practice rules out the trailer, the boat and the second vehicle at the mouth of the drive.
How big is a cul-de-sac in Fremont County?
The right-of-way is a 65-foot radius and the road surface inside it is a 50-foot radius, leaving at least 15 feet beyond the edge of the surface for drainage, signs, snow removal, maintenance and utilities.
Why does my road end in a turnaround instead of just stopping?
Because the code prohibits dead-end streets except where a subdivision phasing plan permits one temporarily, and a temporary dead end serving four or more lots must have a temporary cul-de-sac built to standard.
How long can a dead-end road be?
The maximum length of a road ending in a cul-de-sac is 440 feet, or as directed by the Fremont County Public Works Director. A much longer dead-end road is usually an older plat or a private easement built before or outside the standard.
Does the county have to upgrade my old road to these standards?
No. Section 1.04 of the road standards states that nothing in them imposes a duty on the county to construct, reconstruct or improve existing roads to comply. The standards govern new roads.
Where do the sight triangle's dimensions come from?
The road standard refers to the AASHTO geometric design policy rather than printing a dimension, and the county's separate access standard sets the sight distance an approach needs. The excavation site has written that access standard up in full.
Why do corner lots lose ground at the road?
Because right-of-way lines at intersections and cul-de-sac bulbs are connected by a curve of at least 20 feet radius, so the corner of the lot is rounded off rather than square.