Santa Clarita, CA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Interior side/rear yard max
- 6 ft (up to 15 ft via adjustment)
- Street-facing yard max
- 42 in (48 in for pipe/rail)
- Over 15 ft outside required yard
- Requires Section 17.24.100 adjustment
- Rear-yard tall fence setback
- 5 ft from interior side/rear line
- Height measurement point
- Grade within 3 ft of fence
- Governing section
- UDC § 17.57.070(A)-(C), (H)
Summary
Santa Clarita limits residential fences and garden walls to six feet along interior side and rear lot lines under UDC Section 17.57.070(A), and to 42 inches, or 48 inches for open pipe or rail fencing, in any yard facing a street or a shared driveway. Taller fences up to 15 feet in a rear yard need an adjustment permit, and anything higher requires the same review.
A garden wall or fence not more than six (6) feet in height may be maintained along the interior side or rear lot lines; provided, that such wall or fence does not extend into a required front yard or side yard adjacent to a street except as herein provided. ... In any required yard adjacent to a street or a driveway providing vehicular access to an abutting lot, a wall, fence, or view-obscuring vegetation shall not exceed forty-two (42) inches in height, except as herein provided. The height may be increased to forty-eight (48) inches for non-view-obscuring pipe or rail fencing.
Full Breakdown
57-5, and the numbers change with location on the lot. 100, and that taller fence or wall has to sit at least five feet off the interior side or rear lot line. Subsection (B) covers any required yard next to a street or a driveway serving another lot: walls, fences, and view-obscuring vegetation there cannot exceed forty-two inches, though a non-view-obscuring pipe or rail fence can go up to forty-eight inches. Outside any required yard, subsection (C) lets fences and walls between six and fifteen feet go up with the Director's approval, while anything taller than fifteen feet, up to the maximum accessory-structure height for the zone, needs an adjustment.
Where a fence tops a retaining wall on a sloped lot, subsection (G) allows the combined height to match whatever would be permitted at that spot without the retaining wall, on the lower side of the slope, while a retaining wall holding fill can still carry a non-view-obscuring safety fence up to three and a half feet at the top. Subsection (H) fixes how height is measured: from the highest average ground level within three feet of either side of the fence, with up to a six-inch allowance for uneven topography, provided the fence's average height still does not exceed what is permitted at that location.
Violations & Fines
A fence over six feet in an interior side or rear yard, or over 42 inches (48 inches for pipe/rail) facing a street, built without the required adjustment or Director sign-off under Section 17.57.070(A)-(C), is a code violation the City can pursue as a public nuisance under Section 1.01.210, forcing removal or a reduction to the permitted height regardless of when the fence went up.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can my backyard fence be in Santa Clarita?
How tall can a front yard fence be?
How does the City measure fence height on a sloped yard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Clarita
How Santa Clarita compares: Cities That Allow the Tallest Residential Fences·California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Clarita to another location·View the California fence regulations overview
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Height Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle height limits.