Glendale, CA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

010(A)(1) applies its material ban across the city's ROS, R1, R1R, R-3050, R-2250, R-1650, R-1250, DSP, IMU, IMU-R, SFMU, and TOD zones, which together cover essentially every residential and mixed-use district. No fence or wall in those zones may be electrically charged or built from sharp-edged materials, barbed wire, razor wire, chicken wire, or fiberglass, regardless of height or location on the lot. 010(A)(2) then layers on affirmative material standards for any fence or wall taller than three feet in the ROS, R1R, and R1 single-family zones: it must be built of wood, masonry, or decorative metal such as wrought iron, or another decorative material the director of community development approves.

Chain-link is treated as a limited exception rather than a default option: it may be used only if screened from the view of adjacent parcels by vegetation, and it is barred outright if visible from the public street fronting the property, though unscreened chain-link remains permitted around tennis courts and other recreational facilities. 47, so a homeowner planning a fence near a property line must clear both the height rules there and the material rules here. 010, independently bars any fence within five feet of a public sidewalk, parkway, or street from including barbed wire unless the wire is kept at least six feet above the walking surface, a narrower rule aimed at pedestrian safety rather than zoning-district aesthetics.