Arcadia, CA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Section 9103.05.040 has two parts. Part A bars spears of any kind from a fence, wall or gate, naming apache and aristocrat with crushed spears and any spear-like features. Part B bars chain link, corrugated fiberglass, bamboo fencing and wire type fencing, with one carve-out: chain link is allowed as a fencing material enclosing sports courts and as temporary construction fencing. The section text does not use the words barbed or electric, so those terms do not appear in this prohibited list.

The carve-out for construction fencing is repeated in § 9103.05.030.A.4, which allows temporary construction fencing of chain link or wire type within the front and street side setback areas as long as it does not exceed six feet in height. For tennis courts, § 9103.05.030.C.6 requires a six-foot high solid masonry wall on the property lines between the court and adjacent properties, and in the R-M, R-0 and R-1 zones the wall is not required along a property line where the entire side of the court is a minimum of 25 feet from it.

Material choices also run through the design review that every new fence needs under § 9103.05.020. In R-M, R-0 and R-1 the front-setback fences must be of open work design with a minimum of four inches between vertical and horizontal members, and an R-1 fence can have a solid decorative masonry base up to eight inches high. Commercial fences along the front property line must be open in design and no higher than three (3) feet. The Director reviews these details through Site Plan and Design Review under § 9107.19.