Shasta County, CA Fence Regulations: Neighbor Fence Rules (2026)

There is no Shasta County ordinance that allocates the cost of a shared boundary fence between neighbors; this is governed by California state law - Civil Code Section 841, the Good Neighbor Fence Law. Under Section 841, adjoining landowners are presumed to share equally in the benefit of a fence dividing their properties and, absent a written agreement otherwise, are presumed equally responsible for the reasonable costs of construction, maintenance, or necessary replacement of that fence. A landowner who intends to incur costs for a shared fence must give each affected adjoining landowner 30 days' prior written notice describing the problem, the proposed solution, the estimated cost, and how the cost will be shared, plus the proposed timeline. The presumption of equal cost-sharing can be rebutted by a preponderance of the evidence - for example, where the burden would be unfair given the relative benefit - and a court may then order a lesser share or no contribution. Within the unincorporated county, the Zoning Plan still independently governs how tall and where a fence may be built (Section 17.84.030), so neighbors must comply with the zoning height and yard rules even when they agree privately on cost. Boundary-line disputes about exactly where a fence sits are private civil matters; a survey is the reliable way to confirm the true property line.