Ventura, CA Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Front yard fence height
- 3.5 feet or less
- Rear or side yard fence height
- 6 feet or less
- Reverse corner lot street side
- 3.5 feet for 35 feet back from curb
- Intersection visibility zone
- 20 feet from right-of-way intersection
- Height measured from
- highest adjacent finished grade
Summary
In the City of Ventura, a fence, wall, or dense landscaping serving as one is capped at three and one-half feet in a required front yard, and six feet in a required rear or side yard, under Municipal Code Section 24.410.030(H). Section 24.410.020(C) separately bars any fence, wall, or landscaping within 20 feet of a street intersection that blocks traffic visibility.
C. No fence, wall, structure, or landscaping shall be erected, planted or maintained within 20 feet of an intersection of public rights-of-way in a manner that is determined by the director to interfere with pedestrian or vehicular traffic visibility. ... H. ... Unless otherwise provided in this zoning ordinance, no fence or wall, or dense landscaping that serves as a fence or wall, shall be located or maintained: 1. On a front property line or anywhere within a required front yard, unless such fence, wall, or dense landscaping is three and one-half feet or less in height; or 2. On the rear property line or anywhere within the required rear yard, unless such fence, wall, or dense landscaping is six feet or less in height; or 3. On a side property line or anywhere within a required side yard, unless such fence, wall, or dense landscaping is six feet or less in height.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-008, passed May 12, 2026).
Full Breakdown
410, treats fence height as a citywide default that applies unless a specific zone chapter says otherwise. 030(H)(3) tightens the side-yard rule further: the fence, wall, or dense landscaping on the street side cannot exceed three and one-half feet for at least 35 feet back from the curb radius, protecting sightlines for drivers turning onto the side street. 060, from the highest finished grade next to the fence or wall to its highest point; a retaining portion of a wall is excluded from that measurement.
020(C) gives the Community Development director discretion to require a lower fence, or none at all, within 20 feet of any public right-of-way intersection if it interferes with pedestrian or vehicular visibility, which functions as the city's corner visibility triangle rule even though the code does not use that phrase. 050. 030(I) once it passes 10 feet in height.
Violations & Fines
Code Enforcement responds to complaints about oversized fences and can require an owner to cut a fence down to the applicable three and one-half or six-foot limit, or to remove any fence, wall, or landscaping that a director determines blocks visibility within 20 feet of an intersection under Section 24.410.020(C). Continued noncompliance after a correction notice can lead to a misdemeanor or infraction citation and, in persistent cases, a lien for abatement costs the city incurs removing the obstruction.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can my front yard fence be in Ventura?
Can my backyard fence be six feet tall?
Does Ventura have a corner visibility rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ventura
How Ventura compares: Cities That Allow the Tallest Residential Fences·California rules heatmap·Compare Ventura to another location·View the California fence regulations overview
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Height Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Ventura County handle height limits.