Fountain Valley, CA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Fence materials in the City of Fountain Valley are restricted by two paragraphs of § 21.18.070 of the Development Code, the section that also caps fence heights.

Paragraph (5), Barbed Wire/Razor Wire Prohibited, says the use of barbed wire, razor wire or similar security wire, including broken glass, is prohibited in all residential and commercial zoning districts. The words "similar security wire" and the reference to broken glass widen the ban past two named products to any wire or embedded hazard installed to deter climbing. The ban applies in both residential and commercial districts, so a shopping center or an office property has no more room for razor wire than a homeowner does. The text does not name industrial districts or electric fencing.

Paragraph (6), Chain Link Fence, prohibits the use of chain link fence within the front yard setback area in all residential zoning districts. That is a location-specific ban: the code text does not bar chain link in side and rear yards, where the six-foot height limit in paragraph (2) governs, but the front setback area is off limits across every residential district. Front yard fences and hedges are also held to three feet under paragraph (1), so a front fence must satisfy both the material rule and the height rule.

The section was adopted by the City Council as Ordinance 1308 in 2000. Chapter 21.18 states that where a zoning district's own standards conflict with these general standards, the district standards control. Fences and walls built within the height limits of the title are exempt from setback requirements under § 21.18.090(2)(A), which is why a lawful fence can stand at the property line, provided it is not chain link within the front yard setback. Landscaping counted toward front yard requirements is a separate matter under § 21.20.040(b).