National City, CA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Section 18.43.060 of the Land Use Code (Title 18) sets three material rules for every fence, wall, and hedge in National City. First, barbed wire, an electrified fence, concertina wire, or a razor wire fence is prohibited whether it is attached to a fence, wall, or hedge or stands by itself. The ban applies in residential and commercial zones, and the only carve-out is wire required by a law or regulation of the city, the state, or the federal government. Second, barbed wire above six feet in height is allowed only in industrial zones. Third, inside the Westside Specific Plan area the code prohibits chain link, barbed wire, and razor wire fencing outright.

The material rules sit inside a wider chapter on fences and walls (Chapter 18.43). Section 18.43.040 requires all fences and walls to be built of new or good used material and kept in good repair, and it orders any dilapidated, dangerous, or unsightly fence or wall removed or repaired. Wood fencing must use pressure-treated wood posts set in concrete footings, vinyl fencing is permitted, and every masonry wall must meet the California Building Code and needs a building permit. Chain link of minimum nine-gauge wire and three and one-half inch by five-inch mesh with two and one-half inch by five-sixteenths inch redwood slats is the printed standard for screening residential or industrial areas.

Section 18.43.090 adds a second layer for chain link in residential areas: it is permitted in side and rear yards only with vinyl-coating and landscape screening, it cannot exceed six feet in height, and it is not permitted in residential front yards. Security fences near industrial, institutional, or research uses are capped at eight feet in height under the same section. Height limits for ordinary fences are separate: § 18.43.050 allows fences and walls up to eight feet in setback areas, but four feet in a front setback or in the exterior side setback of a corner lot, with a six-foot exception for a residentially developed property in a residential zone.