Clovis's Fence Regulations: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles fence regulations a little differently. In Clovis, California, there are 5 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Height Limits

Clovis caps fence, wall, and hedge height by location: 3 feet in front and street-side yards for solid materials (7 feet if the material lets through half the light), 7 feet at the rear and interior sides, and just 3 feet within a 30-foot street corner cutoff.

Key details: Front/street-side, solid material: 3 ft. max. Front/street-side, see-through material: 7 ft. max. Rear and interior side yards: 7 ft. max. Street corner cutoff area (30 ft.): 3 ft. max. Alley/driveway intersection: 3 ft. solid, 4 ft. see-through.

A fence, wall, or hedge built taller than Table 3-3 allows, or that violates the 3-foot corner cutoff limit, is a Municipal Code violation subject to a correction notice under Chapter 92 of Title 9; the Director can require the owner to shorten or remove the noncompliant fence, and unpermitted security fencing installed outside an industrial district must be removed entirely.

Retaining Walls

Clovis allows retaining walls up to 6 feet tall within a required setback, but decorative landscape retaining walls are capped at 3 feet, and any wall visible from a public street must be built of decorative masonry or engineered materials.

Key details: Max height allowed within a setback: 6 ft.. Decorative landscape wall cap: 3 ft. above finished grade. Setback exemption threshold: walls under 4 ft.. Stacked block construction: requires engineering. Street-visible wall material: decorative masonry required.

A retaining wall built over 6 feet without approval, a decorative landscape wall over 3 feet, or a street-visible wall not built of decorative masonry fails plan review and the Building Division will require redesign or removal; an unengineered stacked-block wall discovered in the field can be red-tagged and is subject to code enforcement correction under Chapter 92 of Title 9 until an engineer certifies it or it is rebuilt to the required material standard.

Neighbor Fence Rules

CA Civil Code §841 (Good Neighbor Fence Act) presumes equal shared cost between adjoining owners for boundary fences. CA Civil §841.4 prohibits spite fences over 10 ft intended to annoy neighbors. Written 30-day notice before construction required for cost sharing.

Key details: Shared Cost: CA Civ §841. Notice Required: 30 days written. Spite Fence: CA Civ §841.4 (>10 ft). Forum: Civil court.

Non-payment of shared cost: civil court action. Spite fence: abatement plus damages via private nuisance suit.

The rules around neighbor fence rules in Clovis lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Material Restrictions

Clovis bans barbed wire fencing citywide except in specific zoning districts. Industrial and commercial-zoned properties may add barbed wire atop a security fence with Planning Director approval, and R-A (residential-agricultural) and P-F (public facilities) properties may do so only with City Council approval after a noticed hearing. Where allowed, strict height and strand limits still apply.

Key details: Governing section: Municipal Code § 5.8.34. Default rule: barbed wire fences prohibited citywide. Industrial/commercial: allowed atop security fence, Planning Director approval. R-A/P-F districts: allowed only with City Council approval. Height minimum: 6 feet above ground on both sides.

Maintaining an unapproved barbed wire fence, or one that violates the six-foot height, three-strand, or property-line limits, is a code violation subject to Section 1.2.01: a misdemeanor with fines up to $1,000 and up to six months in jail, or a lesser infraction, plus the City can require the fence brought into compliance or removed.

Fence Permit Requirements

Clovis exempts most residential fences and walls from land use permits: Municipal Code Section 9.04.030(B)(2) allows up to three feet in a required front yard and up to six feet elsewhere without one, while Section 9.04.030(B)(10) separately exempts walls under four feet, and shallow retaining walls, from needing a building permit at all.

Key details: Land-use permit exempt: Fences up to 3 ft front yard, 6 ft elsewhere. Building permit exempt: Walls under 4 ft; retaining walls <=30" grade change. Nonresidential fences: Require site plan review (Ch. 56) any height. Security fencing: Building permit required; industrial zones only. Pool fencing: Building Inspector approval before filling pool.

Building or maintaining a fence or wall above these exemption thresholds without first obtaining the required permit is a misdemeanor under Section 9.92.030(A)(1), punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in the Fresno County jail, or both, with the City Attorney able to reduce the charge to an infraction. Each day the unpermitted fence remains up counts as a separate offense under Section 9.92.030(B), the City can issue a stop-work order under Section 9.92.030(C) (violating that order is itself a misdemeanor), and Section 9.92.030(E) lets the City pursue an administrative citation instead of, or in addition to, criminal prosecution.

The Bottom Line

Clovis's fence regulations rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Clovis is broadly strict or permissive.

These rules come from Clovis's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.