Novato, CA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

The City of Novato, in Marin County, California, does not list approved or banned fence materials in its zoning fence section. Section 19.20.040 (Fences, Walls, and Hedges) sets heights in Table 3-1, measurement rules, and setback rules for fences next to a right-of-way. The material restriction sits in Chapter I, in the public nuisance article. Section 1-6.3 declares a list of conditions to be public nuisances adversely affecting the public peace and safety, and item (e) is "Any barbed wire or electrified fence within a plane of four horizontal feet from any public street, way, sidewalk or pedestrian way." The test is distance, not ownership: a fence on private land counts when the wire or electrified element falls inside that four-foot plane measured from the street, way, sidewalk or pedestrian way.

Barbed wire set back farther than four horizontal feet is not named in § 1-6.3(e). Item (l) of the same section separately makes a nuisance of "Fences, hedges, or growths of like nature that violate the restrictions imposed by Chapter 19," so a fence that also breaks the height or setback limits in § 19.20.040 is a second ground for abatement. Section 1-6.2 adds that any condition in violation of the Novato Municipal Code is a public nuisance, and that every day a public nuisance continues is a new and separate offense.

Under § 1-6.5 the city manager or a designee who suspects a nuisance on private property can inspect after obtaining an inspection warrant under Code of Civil Procedure Section 1822.5 if the owner refuses entry. The community development director can refer the matter to the housing and building codes appeals board under § 1-6.6, or the city manager can send it straight to the City Council under § 1-6.12.