In Ontario residential zones, walls and fences within a front yard may not exceed 3 feet, while interior side, rear, street-side, and subdivision-perimeter walls or fences may not exceed 6 feet. Anything in a required front or street-side setback that affects safe sight lines is capped at 3 feet.
Ontario Development Code Division 6.02 (Walls, Fences, and Obstructions), Section 6.02.020.C governs residential heights. Height is measured on the street or exterior side of the wall, from the top of the wall to the lowest adjacent finished grade. Subdivision perimeter walls (6.02.020.C.1), street side yard walls (C.2), and interior side/rear property line walls (C.3) are each capped at 6 feet; front yard walls and fences (C.4) are capped at 3 feet. Section 6.02.015.F separately limits any wall, fence, hedge, or plant growth that adversely affects safe ingress or egress to 3 feet within a required front or street-side yard setback. Greater heights are allowed only for walls combined with retaining walls (C.5), tiered retaining walls (C.6), or acoustic sound-attenuation walls (C.7) approved by the Planning Director. Single-family subdivisions must provide 6-foot decorative masonry perimeter walls per 6.02.020.A.1. In nonresidential zones (6.02.025.C), interior side/rear limits rise to 8 ft (commercial/mixed-use), 14 ft (industrial), or 6 ft (other), per Table 6.02-1.
Walls and fences are subject to review and approval by the Planning Director regardless of whether a building permit is required (6.02.005.B). Over-height fences are enforced by Community Improvement; structures placed in the right-of-way must be removed by the owner within 7 days of notice or the City removes them at the owner's expense (6.02.015.D).
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Ontario, CA
Ontario Municipal Code section 5-29.14 prohibits operating any motor vehicle in a condition that creates excessive, impulsive or intrusive noise, including e...
Ontario, CA
Outdoor music is regulated under OMC Title 5 Chapter 29 and the special-event permit process. Venues and events with amplified sound need a city permit; resi...
Ontario, CA
No Ontario-specific ordinance directly regulates aircraft noise; the City's noise chapter exempts activities preempted by state or federal law (OMC 5-29.06(h...
Ontario, CA
Ontario permits the keeping of four or fewer household pets by right in every residential and mixed-use zone (and the AG and MHP zones) in conjunction with a...
Ontario, CA
Ontario requires dogs to be leashed off-property under OMC Title 6. Maximum leash length is 6 feet, with owner control required in all public spaces except d...
Ontario, CA
Backyard fire pits, fire rings, chimineas, and barbecues are allowed in Ontario but must follow the 2022 California Fire Code. Barbecue/BBQ pits outside of b...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in San Bernardino County.
See how other cities in San Bernardino County handle height limits.
See how Ontario's height limits rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.