Milpitas, CA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Milpitas Municipal Code Section C.2.040 sets the citywide fence, wall and dense-hedge height standards for the valley floor (areas outside the "H" Hillside Combining District). Within a required front setback, a fence, wall or continuous hedge may not exceed 42 inches. Along a street side setback, the same 42-inch cap applies within 10 feet of the property line, but the fence may rise to six feet once it sits 10 feet or more from the property line. Interior side and rear setbacks allow six feet as of right. The Section measures fence and wall height under Subsection A.6.090, and the limits reach every structural support element, including pilasters, columns and posts, not just fence panels.

Corner lots carry an added restriction: fences inside the visibility triangle shown in Figure C.2.040-1 cannot exceed three feet unless the Public Works Director signs off on a taller design. The triangle is built from lines extended from the face of the curb to their intersection, connected by a line drawn 35 feet back from that intersection point along each curb face; where no curb exists, the edge of the roadway or vehicular travel area is used instead. Exceptions to the general height caps exist for Building Code-required railings, recreation-area fencing up to 12 feet (with the portion above six feet at least 50 percent openwork), nonresidential rear/side fences up to eight feet with a Minor Site Development Permit, and residential rear/side fences up to eight feet with adjoining owners' written consent. In the Hillside Combining District, the maximum drops to 54 inches with additional openwork and material rules under Subsection D of the same Section.