Fence Regulations in Mendocino County, CA (2026)
4 rules for unincorporated Mendocino County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Height Limits
Fences and hedges that block the view in unincorporated Mendocino County top out at 3½ feet in a required front yard and eight feet everywhere else on the lot, except at street and driveway intersections where the Department of Transportation sets the clear-visibility dimensions. Open-weave fencing that lets 90 percent of light through, like chicken wire or hog wire used to contain animals, faces no height or location limit at all.
Mendocino County Fence Height Limits
Some RestrictionsMendocino County Code § 20.152.020(A)
(1)View-obscuring fences, such as board and picket fences, or hedges are subject to the height limits and locations as shown in Table 20.152-A and Figure 20.152-O, below. ... Table 20.152-A—Maximum Height of View Obscuring Fences and Hedges in Required Yard Area. Required front yard: 3½ feet. All other locations on a lot or parcel except at intersections (see below): 8 feet 1. At intersections ...
Fence Permit Requirements
A fence over seven feet tall in unincorporated Mendocino County needs a building permit under the fence-height table's own footnote. Temporary security fencing around vacant land tops out at eight feet and needs the Director's approval, and razor or concertina wire is banned outright unless an Administrative Permit is issued for an industrial security need.
Mendocino County Fence Permit Requirements
Some RestrictionsMendocino County Code § 20.152.020(A) n.1, (D), (E)
1. Fences over seven (7) feet require a building permit. ... (D)Temporary Security Fencing. Temporary security fencing may be installed around the property lines of vacant property with approval from the Director. The maximum height of the fencing allowed shall be determined at the sole discretion of the Director, but it no case shall be greater than eight (8) feet in height. Temporary security...
Retaining Walls
An embankment over six feet in unincorporated Mendocino County cannot be held back by a single retaining wall. Sec. 20.152.020(B) requires the slope to be stepped into benched walls, none taller than 48 inches, with each bench at least as wide as the wall above it is tall.
Mendocino County Retaining Wall Height Rules
Some RestrictionsMendocino County Code § 20.152.020(B)
(B)Retaining Walls. An embankment to be retained that is over six (6) feet in height shall be benched so that no individual retaining wall exceeds a height of forty-eight (48) inches above the finished grade and each wall has a bench at least equal to the height of the wall. ... Retaining walls more than 6 feet high shall be stepped as shown above.
Material Restrictions
In unincorporated Mendocino County, razor and concertina wire cannot go on a residential or commercial fence or wall unless the property owner secures an Administrative Permit for a qualifying security need, such as an industrial site, or state or federal law requires it. Ordinary barbed wire, chicken wire, and hog wire stay legal for containing animals and are exempt from the County's fence height limits entirely.
Mendocino County Razor Wire Fencing Ban
Some RestrictionsMendocino County Code § 20.152.020(A)(2), (E)
(2)Non-view-obscuring fences, such as fences for containment of animals, chicken wire, hog wire, and similar loose-meshed wire fences that allow ninety (90) percent of light to pass through them are not subject to any height or location restrictions. ... (E)Razor/Concertina Wire. Razor/Concertina wire is prohibited, whether individually or in conjunction with a fence or wall, unless approved th...
All Mendocino County ordinances
See every category we cover for Mendocino County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Mendocino County Ordinance Hub →