Fremont, CA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Fremont Municipal Code Section 18.171.030(d) directly prohibits barbed wire and electrically charged fencing in residentially zoned districts, with no exception for height or placement; a homeowner cannot legally install either material anywhere on a residential fence line under this section. Outside residential zones, the code takes a height-based approach instead: no barbed wire, other sharp-pointed material, or electrically charged material may be used in constructing a fence unless it sits at least eight feet above ground level, except where used to contain livestock, which is exempt from the height rule entirely.

Industrial zoning districts get a further carve-out. Electrically charged fence materials are permitted below the eight-foot threshold in industrial zones, but only if the charged fencing sits at least three and a half feet behind a separate, non-energized perimeter fence at least six feet tall that separates the charged fencing from the property's lot lines, so the public cannot make direct contact with it from outside the property. This structure lets industrial users deploy security fencing with an energized inner barrier while keeping a conventional, safe fence facing the street or neighboring parcels. The rule was most recently amended by Ordinance 02-2026, adopted May 5, 2026, and traces back to Ordinance 16-2015 and Ordinance 27-2016.