Gilroy, CA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

City Code § 30.34.40(a) bans barbed wire, razor wire or similar fencing throughout Gilroy, with a narrow carve-out for security fences in commercial and industrial zones; even that exception does not apply inside the downtown specific plan area, where barbed and razor wire are barred outright. Subsection (b) bans electrified fences citywide except for the monitored perimeter security fence systems permitted under § 30.34.35, which must run behind a nonelectrified fence or wall, use a battery-powered energizer under 12 volts DC, post bilingual warning signs at least every 30 feet, and be permitted through the police department under Chapter 3B (Alarm Systems).

Subsection (c) prohibits wire mesh fencing in any required front, side or rear yard setback that is adjacent to a street in a residential or commercial zone; inside the downtown specific plan, wire mesh is barred within the front 30 feet or the side and rear 20 feet when adjacent to a street or alley, and along any water district channel or railroad corridor unless coated in dark vinyl or similar material. Together the three subsections make Gilroy's material ban broader in the downtown core and along waterways than in ordinary residential yards.