Hawthorne, CA Fence Regulations: Fence Requirements (2026)

Hawthorne Municipal Code Chapter 17.48 imposes several requirements beyond simple height. A building permit is required for any fence or wall in any zone, and the planning department reviews fences before construction. Within the front yard and visibility triangle (Section 17.42.090), fences are limited to three and one-half feet; the first eighteen inches above the finished sidewalk elevation may be solid, but anything above eighteen inches must be more than ninety-five percent open to view, vertical elements no wider than three-quarters of an inch, and no solid interval greater than eighteen inches horizontally. No fence may be constructed that is charged or chargeable with electricity. Barbed wire is generally prohibited except above a fence at least six feet high, limited to not more than three strands at a forty-five-degree angle, with a total height not exceeding ten feet. Swimming pools, ponds, spas, or hot tubs with a depth greater than three feet must be enclosed by a structure, fence, or wall six feet in height, and any gate or door to the outside must have a self-closing device and a self-latching device located not less than four feet above the ground. These pool-barrier rules complement the California Building Code and Swimming Pool Safety Act.