Santa Clara, CA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

Section 18.34.060(D) of Chapter 18.34 (Fences, Walls, Hedges, and Screens) lists prohibited fence, wall, and screen materials that apply across the city, not just in residential zones: barbed wire, razor wire, electrified fences, the use of grease, and broken glass or other sharp materials. The section carves out one narrow exception for electrified fencing: a 'monitored perimeter security fence system' as defined and regulated in § 18.34.060(E).

That exception is tightly bounded. A monitored perimeter security fence system needs a conditional use permit under Chapter 18.114, must be built to IEC Standard No. 60335-2-76, and can only be powered by a commercial storage battery not exceeding twelve volts DC, charged primarily by a solar panel. It must be installed behind a nonelectrified fence or wall that itself meets § 18.34.060(B) material standards, set back four to twelve inches from that inner fence, built of 12.5-gauge galvanized steel wire strung horizontally up to a maximum of ten feet, and posted with bilingual 'Warning - Electric Fence' signs at intervals of no more than thirty feet, consistent with Civil Code § 835(b)(3). Before the system can be energized, the Fire Department must approve a Knox device at the main entry gate. Most importantly for the barbed/electric residential question, § 18.34.060(E)(8) restricts these monitored systems to property zoned LI Light Industrial and HI Heavy Industrial only, so no residential, commercial, or office parcel in Santa Clara may use electrified, barbed, or razor wire fencing under any circumstance. Section 18.34.060(A) separately requires graffiti-resistant surface treatment on fences and walls next to a public right-of-way, and § 18.34.060(C) requires all fences, walls, and screens to be kept free of graffiti and in orderly, good condition.