Mendocino County, CA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Razor/concertina wire
- Prohibited unless Admin Permit issued
- Barbed/chicken/hog wire
- Allowed for animal containment, no height cap
- Front-yard fence max
- 3.5 feet
- Other-yard fence max
- 8 feet
- Building permit trigger
- Fences over 7 feet
- Temporary security fence cap
- 8 feet, Director-approved
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 4538 §39, Sept. 10, 2024
Summary
In unincorporated Mendocino County, razor and concertina wire cannot go on a residential or commercial fence or wall unless the property owner secures an Administrative Permit for a qualifying security need, such as an industrial site, or state or federal law requires it. Ordinary barbed wire, chicken wire, and hog wire stay legal for containing animals and are exempt from the County's fence height limits entirely.
(2)Non-view-obscuring fences, such as fences for containment of animals, chicken wire, hog wire, and similar loose-meshed wire fences that allow ninety (90) percent of light to pass through them are not subject to any height or location restrictions. ... (E)Razor/Concertina Wire. Razor/Concertina wire is prohibited, whether individually or in conjunction with a fence or wall, unless approved through an Administrative Permit pursuant to Chapter 20.192 for security needs (i.e., an industrial user) or where required by County, State, or Federal Law or Regulation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 75).
Full Breakdown
020 of the Mendocino County Code, General Provisions and Exceptions Districts, sets the fence and screening rules that apply across the unincorporated county's zoning districts, adopted by Ordinance No. 4538, Section 39, effective September 10, 2024. 152-A; a fence over seven feet needs a building permit, and fences at street or driveway intersections must clear the Department of Transportation's visibility standards. Subsection (A)(2) exempts non-view-obscuring fences built for animal containment, including barbed wire, chicken wire, hog wire, and similar loose-meshed wire that lets ninety percent of light through, from any height or location restriction whatsoever.
192 for a security need such as an industrial user, or unless county, state, or federal law requires it. The same chapter also caps retaining walls over six feet at 48-inch stepped benches, allows temporary construction fencing around sensitive features that must come down within 90 days, and lets the Director of Planning and Building Services approve temporary security fencing on vacant property up to eight feet, to be removed once a development permit issues.
Violations & Fines
Installing razor or concertina wire without a qualifying Administrative Permit violates Section 20.152.020(E) outright and the material must come down; there is no self-certification path around it. A view-obscuring fence built past the Table 20.152-A limits, including anything over seven feet without a building permit, is a zoning violation the Planning and Building Services Department can require the owner to modify or remove. Temporary security fencing left standing after a development permit is issued, or built taller than the Director approved, is likewise noncompliant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is barbed wire fencing legal in unincorporated Mendocino County?
Can I put razor wire on top of my fence for security?
How tall can I build a fence on my property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mendocino County
California rules heatmap·Compare Mendocino County to another location·View the California fence regulations overview
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