Milpitas, CA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Milpitas Municipal Code Section XIII-C.2.040.B.2 (Fences, Walls, and Hedges) lists five categories of fencing barred citywide, in every zoning district, before any height or setback rule even applies. Barbed wire is prohibited within four feet of a public sidewalk. Electrically charged or other hazardous fencing is barred unless a city, state, or federal law or another public agency requires it. Chain link fencing is prohibited outright except around recreational sports courts such as tennis courts, or, in a commercial or industrial zone, as an expansion of an existing approved chain link enclosure that is not visible from the public right-of-way.

Fences that encroach into a public utility or other easement without the Public Works Director's written approval, or into any public easement without the affected public agency's written approval, are also prohibited. Subsection B.3 adds a design rule for masonry fencing: concrete block must be finished with stucco or decorative split-face block and capped with a decorative cap, since plain concrete block is not allowed for any wall or fence. On corner lots, Subsection B.4 further limits any fence inside the visibility triangle, measured 35 feet from the curb-face intersection, to three feet unless the Public Works Director approves a taller design.

Inside the 'H' Hillside Combining District, Subsection D.4 goes further and bars chain link and cyclone fencing entirely, requiring wood posts and framing to preserve the rural hillside character, though a barbed wire fence on wood posts is allowed without Planning Commission review on any parcel of two acres or more.