Fresno County, CA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Zoning Ordinance § 822.3.050(G)/(H)
- Urban residential front yard
- 3 ft. solid, 7 ft. if 70% open
- Rural residential front yard
- 4 ft. solid, 7 ft. if 70% open
- Rear/side yard limit
- 7 feet in both residential zone types
- Corner sight triangle
- 45-degree cut-off, 30 feet from corner
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $500 fine or 180 days jail
Summary
Fresno County limits fence height by zone and yard under Zoning Ordinance Section 822.3.050. Urban residential zones cap front-yard fences at three feet and rear/side fences at seven feet, while rural residential zones allow four-foot front fences, and every corner lot must keep a 30-foot sight triangle clear.
822.3.050 G. Urban Residential Zone Fence Requirements.
3. Permitted Fences, Hedges, and Walls.
a. Fences, hedges and walls, not greater than seven feet in height, shall be permitted on or within all rear and side property lines on interior lots and on or to the rear of all front yard setback lines.
b. No fence, wall or hedge over three feet in height shall be permitted in any required front yard, or in the required side yard on the street side of a reversed corner lot.
H. Rural Residential Zone Fence Requirements. 1.b. No fence, wall or hedge over four (4) feet in height shall be permitted in any required front yard, or in the required side yard on the street side of a reversed corner lot except for the following...
2. Corner Cut-Off Areas.
a. There shall be a corner cut off area at all intersecting streets or highways. The cut offline shall be in a horizontal plane, making an angle of forty five (45) degrees with the side, front or rear property line as the case may be. It shall pass through the points located on both the side and front or (rear) property lines at a distance of thirty (30) feet from the intersection of lines at the corner of a street or highway.
Full Breakdown
050 (Fences, Walls, and Hedges) sets fence and wall height limits by zone under the Fresno County Zoning Ordinance. Table 3-2 fixes maximum height within setbacks generally at 4 feet in front and street-side setbacks and 7 feet in interior side and rear setbacks for commercial zones, 7 feet front/street-side and 10 feet interior-side/rear for industrial zones, and 4 feet front/street-side and 7 feet interior-side/rear for most other zones, while Urban and Rural Residential zones (R-1-A, R-1-AH, R-1-E, R-1-EH, R-1-B, R-1-C, R-1, R-2, R-2-A, R-3, R-3-A, and R-4, plus R-R) follow their own subsections.
Subsection G governs Urban Residential zones: fences, hedges, and walls up to 7 feet are permitted on or within rear and side property lines and behind the front setback line, but nothing over 3 feet is allowed in a required front yard or the street-side yard of a reversed corner lot, except that open fences up to 7 feet, at least 70 percent open to light, air, and vision and built of vertical steel tubing, wrought iron, or with brick/block columns, can go in the front yard outside any corner cut-off area.
Subsection H governs Rural Residential zones the same way but sets the front-yard solid-fence limit at 4 feet instead of 3. Subsection H(2) sets the corner cut-off (sight triangle) requirement: a 45-degree cut-off line passing through points 30 feet from the street corner on both the front and side property lines, and a similar cut-off at least 10 feet from each edge of a private driveway crossing a street.
Violations & Fines
Building a fence, wall, or hedge taller than the height allowed for its zone and yard location, or inside a required corner cut-off sight triangle, violates Section 822.3.050. As a Zoning Ordinance violation it is a misdemeanor under Section 878.6.030: a fine up to $500, up to 180 days in county jail, or both, charged per day the fence remains noncompliant.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can my front-yard fence be in unincorporated Fresno County?
How tall can a backyard fence be?
What is the corner cut-off rule for fences near intersections?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fresno County
How Fresno County compares: Cities That Allow the Tallest Residential Fences·California rules heatmap·Compare Fresno County to another location·View the California fence regulations overview
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