7 rules for unincorporated Mendocino County, California.
Verified from official government sources
In unincorporated inland Mendocino County, the Title 20 Inland Zoning Code (Section 20.152.015) limits view-obstructing fences and hedges to 3.5 feet in front yards and in any rear or side yard having street frontage, and to 8 feet in rear or side yards without street frontage. Fences over 6 feet require a building permit. Animal-containment and non-view-obscuring fences are exempt. In the Coastal Zone (Division II), fences can be development requiring a Coastal Development Permit.
Mendocino County requires a building permit for fences over six feet tall (per Section 20.152.015 and Title 18). In the Coastal Zone, a fence may be 'development' requiring a Coastal Development Permit under the Division II Coastal Zoning Code; repair and maintenance that does not enlarge a structure can be exempt under Section 20.532.020. Building permits come from the Building Division and CDPs from the Planning Division.
Mendocino County's zoning code (Section 20.152.015) sets fence height and placement limits, but cost-sharing and maintenance of boundary fences between neighbors are governed by California's 'Good Neighbor Fence' law, Civil Code Section 841. Adjoining owners are presumed to share equally in the cost of a boundary fence, and a landowner must give 30 days' written notice before incurring shared costs. The County does not arbitrate private boundary-fence disputes.
Mendocino County, following the California Building Code, exempts retaining walls not over 4 feet in height (measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall) from a building permit, unless the wall supports a surcharge or impounds Class I, II, or III-A liquids. Taller walls or walls with a surcharge need a building permit. Significant grading associated with walls is regulated by the Excavation and Grading ordinance (Chapter 18.70), and coastal-zone walls may require a Coastal Development Permit.
Fences in unincorporated inland Mendocino County must comply with the Inland Zoning Code's yard and height rules (Section 20.152.015): 3.5 feet in front yards and street-frontage yards, 8 feet elsewhere, with a building permit required over 6 feet. Pool-enclosure fencing must meet the California Building Code. In the Coastal Zone, fences may require a Coastal Development Permit and must respect coastal view protection in highly scenic areas. Standards vary by zoning district.
Mendocino County's Inland Zoning Code (Section 20.152.015) regulates fences by height and view-obstruction rather than by listing prohibited materials. View-obstructing materials (board, picket) face the 3.5-foot and 8-foot limits, while loose-meshed animal wire (barbed, chicken, hog) and non-view-obscuring chain-link are exempt from those height limits. In the Coastal Zone's highly scenic areas, materials and colors are reviewed for visual compatibility and view protection (Section 20.504.015).
Mendocino County allows common fence materials and regulates fences mainly by height and view-obstruction under Section 20.152.015, not by an approved-materials list. Solid view-obstructing fences (board, picket) are height-capped; loose-meshed animal wire and chain-link are exempt from those limits. Any fence over 6 feet needs a building permit. In coastal highly scenic areas, fence material, color, and transparency are reviewed for coastal view protection (Section 20.504.015).
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