Monterey, CA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Section 32-2 does not regulate fence materials on private interior lot lines generally; it specifically targets barbed wire that runs along streets, lanes, alleys or public places, treating it as a public-safety hazard to pedestrians and vehicles rather than a private nuisance between neighbors. If the City Manager or a designated representative finds barbed wire fastened or stretched along a public right-of-way, the code requires written notice served on the person owning or maintaining it, giving 30 days to take it down. Anyone who keeps the barbed wire up after that 30-day window is violating subsection (c) directly, and the code puts an independent duty on the Street Superintendent: after the 30 days runs, the Superintendent must remove the barbed wire regardless of whether the owner has been prosecuted.

All notices served, together with a certificate showing who was served, where, and when, are filed under the City's record retention schedule so the City can document compliance in any later enforcement action. The rule dates to at least Ordinance 3424 (2009) and was carried forward by Ordinance 3472 § 18 in 2012, so it predates the code's most recent 2025-2026 amendment wave but remains in force. Because the prohibition is framed around the street-facing property line rather than interior residential fencing, a resident whose backyard fence with a neighbor happens to include barbed wire away from any street, lane, alley or public place is outside this specific section; anyone fencing a yard that abuts a public right-of-way, however, is squarely covered and should assume any barbed wire there will draw a removal notice.