Cupertino, CA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

030 of the Cupertino Municipal Code governs fence height for properties in zones that do not require Design Review, chiefly single-family (R1), residential hillside (RHS), duplex (R2), and small (up to four unit) R3 properties. In the front yard, a 7-foot fence is allowed only outside the required front setback, corner triangle, and sidewalk sight triangle; a fence up to 3 feet may run anywhere along the property line, including inside the setback, corner triangle, or sight triangle. In the rear yard, a 7-foot fence is allowed along the property line or within the required setback, except that no fence may enter a corner triangle or sidewalk sight triangle there either.

Interior side yards follow the same 7-foot along-property-line standard. Subsection (E) creates a narrow height exception: where a 7-foot fence is already allowed, the property owner may build up to 8 feet, but only with an approved building permit and written approval from every abutting property owner, a step beyond the ordinary fence permit. 010 states the purpose behind these limits: protecting safety, privacy, and property values by keeping sightlines open at street and driveway intersections. Because corner and sidewalk sight triangles override the 7-foot allowance in every yard, a fence that would otherwise meet the height table still has to come down to 3 feet, or lower, if it falls inside a sight triangle the City has mapped for that intersection.