A JUDGE got involved in a dispute between neighbors over a prison-style fence that left a homeowner with hefty fines.

For more than a year, a community in San Antonio, Texas, has been caught in a significant dispute following a homeowner’s construction of a nine-foot privacy fence around their property.

Neighbors compared the fence to a “Mexican drug cartel compound,” reported My San Antonio.

Similar to numerous other historic neighborhoods in the area, the Oak Park-Northwood neighborhood has specific regulations on front-yard fences, which stipulate they cannot exceed three feet in height.

The barrier was erected without obtaining the necessary approval from the city, causing division among residents and resulting in legal battles between the city and the homeowner.

“Let this serve as a reminder that before taking on any project, it’s important to follow the process and request the proper variances. Skirting the rules only causes division, delays, and distrust,” Oak Park-Northwood Neighborhood Association President Gina Galaviz Eisenberg told the outlet.

“Now that the spite wall is finally down, our neighborhood can begin to heal. I always remind neighbors to trust the process because it works!”

Moonstar Adventures LLC, which owns the property, received a city permit to build a three-foot privacy fence along the front yard in February 2024.

However, by at least March 8, 2025, the fence had surpassed the height restriction, and a code enforcement investigation was launched.

A stop-work order was issued, and the owner received thousands of dollars’ worth of tickets, ranging between $500 and $1,000, in the following weeks.

There was an attempt to get the fence height approved by the San Antonio Zoning Board of Adjustments in June 2024; however, it failed, causing the legal battle between the city and the owner.

The city threatened to cut power to the home unless the fence was removed, according to a filing on April 23, 2024; however, Moonstar Adventures fought back with a countersuit a month later.

Both parties were gearing up to solve the issue in a trial that was set to begin on July 7, but court proceedings stopped just a week before.

“During the past year, my client has been submitting different plans and variations of plans to the city, trying to reach some sort of an agreement that would allow the fence to remain up,” Moonstar Adventure’s attorney, Javier Guerra, told the outlet.

“Unfortunately, the city didn’t see things the same way we saw them. Knowing that we had this trial setting and knowing there were not going to be any more continuances, she decided that, just emotionally and economically, it made sense to resolve things because it didn’t look very good as far as our chances in keeping the fence up.”

Many of the residents who opposed the fence saw the decision as a huge victory after publicly denouncing the wall during the zoning board meeting last year.

Several neighbors wrote letters to the board, comparing the fence to a cartel compound or a prison, saying it threatened the neighborhood’s atmosphere.

“What was formerly for decades a normal residence on a quiet, tree-lined street in Northwood has been converted to a military-style Mexican drug cartel compound-looking installation. Or a state prison,” wrote Jeffrey and Karleen Wentworth in a letter.

“Or an industrial commercial operation of some kind. With a very high masonry wall that completely surrounds the entire property off Country Lane. Not a normal residence that naturally fits in the neighborhood. Completely alters the essential character of Country Lane and Northwood.”

However, the property owner said the fence was for safety due to crime rates and strangers walking across the property before it was built.

“This is a meaningful victory for our neighborhood, all because neighbors spoke up, stood together, and stayed the course,” said Eisenberg

“We’re deeply grateful to the City Attorney’s Office for their dedication and long hours spent working to restore order and uphold the integrity of our community. 

“City codes exist to protect all of us, and this outcome reinforces that no one is above the law.”