Santa Clara County, CA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Fence heights for the unincorporated county are set by Section 4.20.050 of the County Zoning Ordinance. In urban residential districts (R1, R1E, R2, R1S, RHS, and Al districts inside urban service areas), fences or hedges may not exceed 3 feet within any portion of a lot within 20 feet of the front lot line or edge of front right-of-way, and may not exceed 8 feet on any other portion of the lot. On corner lots, fences along the exterior side lot line may be as tall as 8 feet, except that a 3-foot limit applies within the 40-foot sight clearance triangle defined by Section B17-69 of the County Ordinance Code and within a 20-foot triangle where the rear of a corner lot abuts a key lot. In rural districts (A, AR, HS, RR, RS, and Al outside urban service areas), fences or hedges up to 6 feet may occupy any portion within 20 feet of a street right-of-way, and fences up to 8 feet may occupy any other portion. The 8-foot cap does not apply to hedges. Where architecture and site approval is required, these limits may be modified through that process, and fences that reasonably must exceed the limits (for example, tennis court enclosures) may be allowed under the design review provisions of Chapter 5.50. Fences in '-d' design review and '-sr' scenic road combining districts are subject to design review. These are county rules; the county's 15 cities set their own fence heights.