Sonoma, CA Fence Regulations: Material Restrictions (2026)

46 Fences, Hedges and Walls, prohibits barbed wire, electrified, or razor wire fences, and other similar security fencing, in every residential zoning district in the City of Sonoma, and also on commercial parcels that adjoin a residential district. 040, meaning the property owner must show a specific security need before installing them. A separate limit applies to chain-link fencing: except for temporary construction fencing, chain-link cannot be used on a residentially zoned or residentially developed property within a required setback that adjoins a public right-of-way, so a chain-link fence facing the street in a front or street-side setback is not allowed even though chain-link elsewhere on the same lot may be fine.

080 restrictions for nonresidential projects, but only where the applicant demonstrates that a higher degree of security is required and that only barbed wire or similar fencing can achieve it. 030), so a security fence must also satisfy those height caps unless a use permit modifies them. The restriction applies only inside the City of Sonoma; Sonoma County's separate code governs fencing on rural and agricultural parcels in the unincorporated Sonoma Valley.