Bakersfield, CA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

180 draws a hard line on fence materials by zone. Subsection D bans barbed or electrified wire outright in the R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5, R-6, MX-1 and MX-2 zones, no such wire may be used or maintained in or about a fence, wall or hedge along any front, side or rear lot line, or within 3 feet of those lines, and no sharp wire or points may project atop any fence or wall under 6 feet in height. Subsection E treats the C-O, C-C, C-1, C-2, M-1 and M-2 commercial and industrial zones differently: barbed or electrified wire may be erected only if the lowest strand sits at least 6 feet 3 inches above the highest adjoining grade on either side of the fence, and the wire can never extend over or into an abutting property or public right-of-way, it must angle inward toward the owner's side or run straight vertical, subject to the building director's approval.

020, again subject to building director approval. Subsection G grandfathers fences built before September 1, 1983 that act as protective enclosures making canals inaccessible to small children, exempting them from the barbed/electrified restrictions in D, E and F. These material rules were most recently amended by Ord. 5153 in 2024, layering onto a framework that traces back to a 1982 prior-code section.