Alameda, CA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

14, "Barriers and Fences," defines a barrier as anything used as a boundary or means of protection or confinement, including fences, walls, and hedges, and sets height limits by yard type in subsection (c). Front yards on residential property are capped at three feet; side and rear yards at six feet; required setback areas on commercial and industrial parcels at eight feet. Inside a "visibility zone," the sight triangle the City Engineer establishes at street intersections using sides of at least twenty feet along the travel way, no barrier may exceed three feet regardless of what the underlying yard would otherwise allow, because the code's stated purpose in subsection (a) includes protecting public health and safety by limiting fence heights where they could block sightlines.

Subsection (d) softens these caps for "see-through style" fencing, defined as material that is less than fifty percent opaque, such as pickets, lattice, or decorative wrought iron: a three-foot barrier may rise to four feet by right, or to five feet with Planning Director approval considering compatibility with the site and surroundings, and a six-foot barrier may rise to eight feet. Barriers within a permitted building envelope may reach the zone's building height limit, and arbors or decorative fence posts may exceed the caps with Planning Director approval.

Height is measured from the grade within eighteen inches of the barrier, with a special rule for barriers over the Bay measured from a City of Alameda datum point.