Del Norte County, CA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Del Norte County does not publish a list of prohibited or required fence materials - such as bans on chain link, barbed wire, or particular finishes - for ordinary residential fences in the unincorporated area. The zoning code in Section 20.48.70 controls fences, walls, and hedges by height rather than by material (four feet in a required front yard, eight feet in side/rear yards on interior lots, taller with a use permit). The practical material distinction comes from the building code: under California Building Code Section 105.2 a fence is permit-exempt up to seven feet regardless of material, but a masonry or concrete retaining wall is exempt only up to four feet (bottom of footing to top), so block and concrete walls above that need a permit and engineering. Materials or design can also be conditioned through a use permit or, in the certified coastal zone, through a Coastal Development Permit under Title 21 - for example to protect coastal views or resources, or to address wind and salt-air exposure along the coast. Agricultural parcels commonly use wire-and-post fencing without material restriction. Because the county imposes no blanket material bans, owners have broad latitude inland, but should verify any coastal-permit conditions and confirm permit needs for masonry walls.