Huntington Beach, CA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

88(A), Permitted Fences and Walls, sets the baseline: fences or walls up to 42 inches may go anywhere on a lot, but anything taller cannot sit in the required front yard except where the section specifically allows it. In side and rear yards, fences and walls may reach 8 feet; anything taller has to meet the yard setback rules that apply to the main structure. Any fence or wall over 6 feet, or an extension to an existing wall, requires submitting engineering calculations to the Building and Safety Division before it can be built.

Through lots get a stricter rear-yard cap of 42 inches unless the lot abuts an arterial highway, and industrial districts get a special allowance of 9-foot-high fences in side and rear setbacks up to the front building line. 88(C), Visibility, layers on two separate sight-triangle rules that override the height limits above: on reverse corner lots and corner lots next to an alley, nothing over 42 inches may sit within the triangle formed by measuring 10 feet from where the rear and street-side property lines meet; on ordinary corner lots, nothing between 42 inches and 7 feet (measured from curb elevation) may block the triangle formed by measuring 25 feet from where the front and street-side lines meet, though trees trimmed clear of branches below 7 feet are allowed.

Driveway visibility triangles use a 10-foot measurement with the same 42-inch to 7-foot obstruction band. Deviations from any height limit in the section require a Conditional Use Permit approved by the Zoning Administrator, and within the coastal zone no gate, fence, or wall may restrict or obstruct public access to the shore.