Fence Regulations in Hawthorne, CA (2026)
5 verified fence regulations for Hawthorne, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Height Limits
Hawthorne caps residential fences at six feet, up to ten feet away from the front yard with a police-recommended crime-prevention permit. Front-yard fences face material and openness rules, and corner-lot fences must stay under 3.5 feet in the vision triangle.
Hawthorne Residential Fence Height Limits
Some RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 17.48.020
Residential Classification. A wall, fence, or hedge not more than six feet in height may be located and maintained on any part of the lot, except that a wall, fence, or hedge on any portion of the lot other than the front yard or along a street frontage may exceed six feet in height, up to a maximum of ten feet, in order to prevent criminal activity, based on the recommendation of the city of H...
Fence Permit Requirements
Hawthorne requires a building permit before any fence or wall goes up in any zoning classification. The rule sits in the general fence and wall standards of the zoning code, and it applies citywide regardless of height or material.
Hawthorne Fence and Wall Building Permit
Some RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 17.48.010(A)
No fence or wall shall be constructed in any zone classification without first obtaining a building permit therefor.
Neighbor Fence Rules
Where a commercial or industrial lot in Hawthorne shares a property line with residentially zoned land, the code requires the commercial or industrial owner to install and maintain a solid screening wall on that shared line, six to ten feet tall.
Hawthorne Common-Line Wall Rule Near Homes
Some RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 17.48.020(B)(1)
On any boundary line which is a common property line with R classified property, a solid wall or view-obscuring fence of solid brick or decorative block, not less than six feet or more than ten feet in height, shall be installed and maintained for screening purposes and controlling trespass, except where the wall of a building is on such common property line, no separate wall need be installed ...
Retaining Walls
Hawthorne treats a retaining wall's fill height separately from any fence stacked on top of it, and it lets a wall topping a cut-slope retaining wall on a shared lot line reach whatever height the zone would otherwise allow.
Hawthorne Retaining Wall Height Rules
Some RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 17.48.030(A)-(B)
Where a retaining wall protecting a cut below the natural grade is located on the line separating lots or parcels, such retaining wall may be topped by a fence, wall or hedge of the same height that would otherwise be permitted at the location if no retaining wall existed. Where a retaining wall contains a fill, the height of the retaining wall built to retain the fill shall not be considered a...
Material Restrictions
Hawthorne's zoning code bans barbed wire and electrified fencing citywide, and residential front yards face an additional list of banned materials, including chain link, wire mesh and precision block built to look industrial.
Hawthorne Bans Barbed Wire and Electric Fences
Some RestrictionsHawthorne Code § 17.48.010(D), (E) and § 17.48.020(A)(1)
No barbed wire is permitted except as specifically provided for by this chapter. No fence shall be constructed which is charged or chargeable with electricity. ... Materials such as chain link fences, wire mesh, or precision block (so as to create an "industrial look") shall not be permitted.
Looking for Los Angeles County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Hawthorne city rules.
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