Napa County, CA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Section 18.08.297 defines a fence as 'a continuous structural barrier at least ten feet in length generally parallel to the perimeter of a property boundary or use area. Fences may be solid, transparent, or both (e.g., slatted) and of wood, wire, stone, concrete, glass block, or other construction.' That breadth means most common residential fence materials are allowed by right, but transparency matters in setbacks: under section 18.104.270(A)(1) any portion of a fence above 6 ft in a side or rear yard setback must be see-through unless a fence permit modifies the rule. In the CN, CL, MC and IP (commercial/industrial-park) districts, section 18.104.270(C) requires that 'all fencing must be specified by use permit or site plan approval, except fences associated with agricultural uses.' In the GI and I (general industrial and industrial) districts, subsection (D) allows fencing in required yards 'as necessary to provide effective screening and security for permitted uses,' again subject to use permit or site plan approval. Barbed-wire and electrified fencing are not separately addressed in 18.104.270 and would be reviewed under the use-permit / site-plan process and the California Building Code for permitted construction.