Oxnard, CA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Front yard, solid fence
- 18 inches maximum
- Front yard, open-work
- 42 inches, 50%+ open
- Side/rear lot line
- 7 feet maximum
- Corner lot street side
- 6 feet maximum
- Alley trash space
- 6 ft x 30 in x 4 ft required
- Citation
- Oxnard Code §§ 16-308, 16-309
Summary
Oxnard splits fence height rules by yard location: front yards cap solid fences at 18 inches and open fences at 42 inches, while side and rear lot lines allow up to seven feet, dropping to six feet along a corner lot's street side yard, under Sections 16-308 and 16-309.
(A) Unless otherwise provided in this chapter, openwork fences, railings guarding depressed ramps, boundary hedges, and landscaping or architectural features...may be located in any required front yard, providing such structures or hedges shall not exceed 42 inches in height and are 50 percent or more open. (B) Walls and solid fences which do not exceed 18 inches in height may be located in front yard areas...A fence or wall, no portion of which exceeds seven feet in height as measured from the grade of the enclosed lot at the fence or wall, or a hedge, maintained so as not to exceed seven feet in height, also so measured, may be located along side or rear lot lines...(B) No portion of any fence, wall or hedge located in the side yard required along the side street on a corner lot...shall exceed six feet in height.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Contains Supplement current through 1-26-2026).
Full Breakdown
Section 16-308(A) allows open-work fences, railings, boundary hedges, and qualifying landscape or architectural features in any required front yard, but caps them at 42 inches and requires them to be at least 50 percent open. Subsection (B) allows solid walls and fences up to only 18 inches in front yard areas, and even a front-yard retaining wall cannot exceed 18 inches higher than the soil it retains. Section 16-309 governs side and rear lot lines: a fence, wall, or hedge there may reach seven feet, measured from the grade of the enclosed lot, except that no fence, wall, or hedge may sit in a required front or side yard beyond what Section 16-308 allows.
Subsection (B) drops that limit to six feet for any portion of a side yard required along the side street on a corner lot, or in the part of a rear yard abutting an intersecting street where accessory buildings are barred, addressing corner-lot visibility. Subsection (C) requires any rear fence along an alley to leave a trash-barrel space at least six feet wide, 30 inches deep, and four feet tall, open to the alley and easily reached from the yard, unless another part of the yard already meets that need. Subsection (D) requires gates on rear fences to swing open over the owner's property, never over the alley.
Violations & Fines
Building a front fence over 18 inches solid or 42 inches open-work, or a side or rear fence over seven feet (six feet on a corner lot's street side), violates Sections 16-308/16-309 and is enforceable under Section 1-10 as a general misdemeanor (up to $1,000 fine, six months jail) or as an infraction ($100, $200, $500 for successive violations within a year). Section 16-313 also declares an improperly built or maintained fence a public nuisance subject to abatement.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can my backyard fence be in Oxnard?
How tall can a fence be in my front yard?
Are corner lot fences shorter in Oxnard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Oxnard
How Oxnard compares: Cities That Allow the Tallest Residential Fences·California rules heatmap·Compare Oxnard to another location·View the California fence regulations overview
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