Mountain View, CA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Sec. 36.06.50(g) sets Mountain View's baseline fence heights for single-family and duplex zones by location on the lot, illustrated in Figure 36.06-1 (Fence and Wall Standards). On an interior lot, a fence can rise no higher than three feet anywhere in the required front yard, but jumps to a six-foot allowance once it moves onto the rear or side property line outside that front yard. Decorative entry features over a front yard gate, like open-latticed arbors and trellises, get their own carve-out up to eight feet tall, provided they stay within three feet of depth and five feet of width.

Corner lots add a second layer of geometry on top of the height numbers: traffic safety visibility. The code measures a 35-foot triangle from where the street-side property line meets the front property line, and within that triangle, plus the ordinary front yard, fences are limited to three feet, matching the interior-lot front yard rule. Outside that triangle, corner-lot side and rear fences can reach six feet, but the code adds a second, smaller triangle to protect the neighboring parcel: a fence over three feet along the side street property line has to step back to form a 10-foot visibility triangle for the adjacent lot's own front corner. Fences within these height and location limits need no zoning permit at all; going above six feet on the sides and rear pushes the fence into the development review process under Sec. 36.10.30(c) once it reaches the six-to-seven-foot band.