Santa Clara, CA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Front/corner street-side height
- 3 feet maximum
- Interior yard height
- 6 feet plus 1 ft lattice
- Retaining wall + fence
- 3 ft wall, 6 ft fence above
- Sight-distance triangle cap
- 3 feet (Section 18.30.030)
- Corner fence over 3 ft
- 10-ft front setback required
- Governing law
- SCCC Title 18, Chapter 18.34
Summary
Santa Clara caps fences, walls and hedges at 3 feet in the required front setback and in the street-side setback along a corner lot, and at 6 feet everywhere else on the parcel, with up to one additional foot of open lattice on top. Corner lots also carry a 3-foot cap inside the visibility triangle.
A. Maximum Height Standards. Except as otherwise provided by this Chapter, the maximum height of fences, walls, and screening in yard areas shall be consistent with Table 3-1 (Maximum Height of Fences, Screens, Walls, Hedges and Shrubbery in Setback Areas) and Section 18.30.030 (Sight-Distance Triangle). For maximum allowable fence height see Figure 3-4 (Allowable Fence Height). Required front setback area 3 feet. Required street side setback area (along corner side property lines) 3 feet. All other areas of a parcel 6 feet with up to an additional one foot of lattice.
Full Breakdown
34 sets the height table for every fence, wall, hedge and screen in the city. 040(A) caps a fence at 3 feet in a required front setback and in a required street-side setback along a corner lot; everywhere else on the parcel the limit rises to 6 feet, plus up to one additional foot of open lattice on top. 030 fixes how that height is measured: from the finished grade of the ground to the top edge of the fence, wall or hedge, and the code specifically bars artificially raising the adjacent grade to gain extra fence height.
040(B): a retaining wall is capped at 3 feet with a 6-foot fence (plus the 1-foot lattice allowance) built on top of it, and where the grade differential exceeds 4 feet a taller retaining wall is possible only with Director approval. 030: no fence, wall, hedge or shrubbery over 3 feet may stand within the sight-distance triangles at street intersections or private driveways, with the Director of Public Works fixing the exact triangle dimensions. 050(D) applies where a single-family or two-family home's front door faces the street-side line: no fence over 3 feet may sit closer to that side corner line than the house itself, and any fence taller than 3 feet must sit back at least 10 feet from the front property line.
050(E): they can stand in a setback area up to 4 feet high and 18 inches wide if they sit at least 15 feet from an intersection and outside the driveway visibility-clearance area.
Violations & Fines
Fences that exceed the Table 3-1 height limits, block a required visibility triangle, or violate the corner-lot setback exception are Title 18 violations enforceable under Chapter 18.152. The City Attorney or District Attorney can seek a Superior Court injunction or an abatement order forcing removal, and under SCCC Section 1.05.070 a violator owes a civil penalty for every day the noncompliant fence stays up, plus the City's abatement costs and attorney fees. These zoning remedies are cumulative with the City's separate nuisance and dangerous-building authority.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can a front-yard fence be in Santa Clara?
Can I put up a 6-foot fence in my side or rear yard?
What is the corner-lot visibility triangle rule?
Does a taller retaining wall let me build a taller fence on top?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Clara
How Santa Clara compares: Cities That Allow the Tallest Residential Fences·California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Clara to another location·View the California fence regulations overview
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Height Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle height limits.