Downey, CA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

08(c)(1) prohibits barbed wire, razor wire, electrified fencing, or similar fencing in any zone in Downey. The only carve-out is for barbed wire used on a limited basis for security or safety purposes in the M-1 and M-2 manufacturing zones, and even there it is allowed only if it is not visible from any public right-of-way and only after Site Plan Review approval. That means a homeowner or business in a residential, commercial, or standard manufacturing zone cannot install barbed wire, razor wire, or an electrified fence anywhere on the property, front, side, or rear.

08(c)(2) adds a separate, material-specific ban on chain-link fencing: it cannot be used in any front yard, street side yard, or any required landscape planter in a Residential, Commercial, or Mixed-Use Zone, though chain-link remains allowed in interior side and rear yards in those zones. Subsection (d) lists what is approved instead: wood, metal, vinyl, stone, masonry, stucco, and concrete, with metal limited to wrought iron or a similar decorative type; any other material needs the City Planner's discretionary approval. Where a wall or fence faces the public right-of-way, subsection (h) separately requires anti-graffiti paint or coating on that face, and subsection (f) exempts any wall, fence, or hedge that is required by law for public safety from these material restrictions.