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

Disputes over shared boundary fences in unincorporated Mono County are governed by California Civil Code Section 841, the Good Neighbor Fence Law, because the county's General Plan zoning standards address height and placement but not cost-sharing between neighbors. Under Section 841(a), adjoining landowners shall share equally in the responsibility for maintaining the boundaries and monuments between them. Section 841(b)(1) states that adjoining landowners are presumed to share an equal benefit from any fence dividing their properties and, unless otherwise agreed in a written agreement, are presumed equally responsible for the reasonable costs of construction, maintenance, or necessary replacement of the fence. Before incurring costs, Section 841(b)(2) requires that the landowner give 30 days' prior written notice to each affected adjoining landowner, describing the problem, the proposed solution, estimated costs, the proposed cost-sharing approach, and a timeline. The equal-share presumption can be rebutted by a preponderance of evidence that equal responsibility would be unjust, in which case a court may order a lesser contribution or none. Note that the county's separate Section 04.160 still governs fence height (7 feet, 4 feet in front yards) and placement regardless of who pays.