Fremont, CA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Fremont Municipal Code Section 18.171.010 sets the baseline: no fence or hedge may exceed 8 feet in a required rear or side yard, or 48 inches in a required front yard, unless the zoning administrator finds greater height necessary for acoustical attenuation. Hedges used for privacy screening between properties can reach 12 feet, and sound walls generally top out at 12 feet unless located along I-880 or I-680 where a noise study shows the need for more height.

Section 18.171.020 layers stricter rules onto corner lots. On any corner or reversed-corner lot, fences and hedges above 48 inches are barred within five feet of the side street lot line. Inside the sight-triangle, the triangular area formed by the two street lot lines and a line connecting them 20 feet from their intersection, nothing over 30 inches above curb elevation is allowed, protecting driver sightlines at the intersection. Private open-space enclosures around multiple-dwelling buildings facing a street are limited to six feet, dropping to four feet within five feet of the street property line. Where a retaining wall in a required yard would otherwise block a four-foot fence, an open fence up to four feet may still go in on top of or beside it.

Commercial, industrial, agricultural and institutional parcels get relief under Section 18.171.050: open fences up to 10 feet in commercial or industrial rear/side yards not facing a street, and fences between four and six feet for livestock confinement on agricultural lots. A property owner who cannot meet the standard may seek a height exception from the zoning administrator under Section 18.171.060, but must show the fence will not create a traffic hazard, will not sit in the sight-triangle, and is justified by unusual site conditions such as an undersized yard.