Redwood City, CA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential zones
- Barbed/razor wire, electric fencing banned
- Mixed Use zones (MUC/MUN/MUT)
- Chain link, corrugated metal, wire banned
- Chain link elsewhere
- Capped at 3 ft in front/street-side yards
- Grandfathering
- None stated in § 36.3
- Enforcement
- Zoning Administrator, Article 50 infraction
Summary
Redwood City bans electrically charged fences, barbed wire, razor wire and other wire fencing in every residential zoning district, and separately bans chain link, barbed/razor wire and corrugated metal fencing in its Mixed Use Corridor, Neighborhood and Transitional districts. Chain link is also barred above three feet in residential front yards and street-side corner yards.
A.Definitions.1.Fence. An artificially constructed barrier or wall of any material or combination of materials erected to physically separate properties, provide privacy, or provide security or confinement. Walls are included in the definition of a fence.2.Open Fence. A fence, including any gates in such fence, that permits direct vision through at least eighty percent (80%) of any one (1) square foot segment of vertical fence surface area...3.Solid Fence. Any fence that does not qualify as an open fence....3.Prohibited Materials.a.Residential Zoning Districts. Electrically charged fences, barbed wire, razor wire or other types of wire fences are prohibited in residential zones.b.Mixed Use Zoning Districts. Chain link fencing, barbed-wire, razor-wire, and corrugated metal fencing are prohibited in Mixed Use Corridor (MUC), Mixed Use Neighborhood (MUN) and Mixed Use Transitional (MUT) Zoning Districts.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Zoning Code: Supplement 29 | City Code: Supplement 61 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
3(A) first defines what counts as regulated fencing: a "Fence" is "an artificially constructed barrier or wall of any material or combination of materials erected to physically separate properties, provide privacy, or provide security or confinement," and walls are expressly included. Fences are split into "Open Fence," one that "permits direct vision through at least eighty percent (80%) of any one (1) square foot segment of vertical fence surface area," with no single post or pilaster wider than 12 inches, and "Solid Fence," meaning any fence that does not qualify as open.
3(B)(3) bans specific materials by zoning category. " In the Mixed Use Corridor (MUC), Mixed Use Neighborhood (MUN) and Mixed Use Transitional (MUT) districts, the ban widens to include chain link and corrugated metal along with barbed and razor wire. 3(C)(3)(a). 3, and the article's only appeal path is the common procedures set out in Article 41 for any Architectural Permit decision tied to fence height.
Violations & Fines
A prohibited fence material is enforceable the same way as any other Zoning Ordinance violation: the Zoning Administrator can declare it a public nuisance under § 50.2 and cite it as an infraction under § 50.5, with fines up to $100 for a first offense, up to $200 for a repeat within a year, and up to $500 for each violation after that, with every day of noncompliance a separate offense under § 50.6.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is barbed wire legal on a Redwood City residential fence?
Can I put up a chain link fence in a Redwood City mixed-use district?
Is chain link fencing allowed anywhere in Redwood City?
What happens if I install a banned fence material?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redwood City
California rules heatmap·Compare Redwood City to another location·View the California fence regulations overview
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