Hercules, CA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

610(8) of the Hercules Municipal Code lists specific fence types as prohibited fences, declaring them to be a nuisance constituting an unsafe and unlawful condition subject to abatement. The first prohibited category is barbed wire fences located within 4 feet of any sidewalk. The second is wire fences less than 3 feet in height that sit within 3 feet of any public sidewalk. 610, including the requirement that fences over 6 feet secure design review approval under Chapter 13-42 and that security fencing over 6 feet around industrial uses use corrosion-resistant open wire construction rather than barbed wire.

The nuisance declaration gives the City a direct abatement remedy distinct from a standard zoning violation: rather than only requiring a permit correction, the Community Development Department can proceed against a qualifying barbed-wire or low wire fence as an unsafe and unlawful nuisance condition, which supports faster enforcement action against fencing installed close to pedestrian walkways where it poses an injury risk to people passing by.