Porterville, CA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Porterville Municipal Code Section 300.03.A sets separate height ceilings for each yard. A solid fence or freestanding wall within or along the required front yard cannot exceed three and one-half feet, though open or lattice fencing that is at least fifty percent open, or a hedge, may run up to four feet. Along the exterior boundary of a required side or rear yard, fences and walls are limited to seven feet, and the Zoning Administrator can authorize an eight-foot fence or wall in a side or rear yard once a building permit is issued. The code also allows one decorative entry gateway or trellis per lot in the front or street-facing side yard up to ten feet tall, provided any solid obstruction between three and ten feet stays under two feet in diameter.

Corner lots carry an added layer: Section 300.03.D requires every fence and wall to comply with the sight-distance standards of Section 300.16. At a controlled or uncontrolled intersection, nothing over three feet of vegetation or three and one-half feet of fencing may sit inside the corner cut-off area measured from points twelve feet off the curb face, so a taller side-yard fence permitted elsewhere on the lot still has to step down near the corner. Fencing visible from the street must also read as part of the building's architecture in materials, colors and detailing under Section 300.03.B.