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

The Placer County Zoning Ordinance (Section 17.54.030) sets fence height and setback standards but does not establish who pays for a shared boundary fence or how neighbor disputes over cost are resolved. Cost-sharing and notice obligations between adjoining landowners come from California state law, the Good Neighbor Fence Act of 2013, codified at Civil Code Section 841. Under that law, adjoining landowners are presumed to share an equal benefit from a fence dividing their properties and, unless they agree otherwise in writing, are presumed equally responsible for the reasonable costs of construction, maintenance, or necessary replacement. A landowner who intends to incur costs for a fence must give 30 days' prior written notice to each affected adjoining landowner, including notice of the presumption of equal responsibility, a description of the problem, the proposed solution, the estimated cost, and how the cost will be shared. The equal-responsibility presumption can be rebutted by a preponderance of the evidence showing that equal cost-sharing would be unjust, considering factors such as whether the fence exceeds what is necessary. Boundary disputes and trespass remain civil matters between neighbors. For height and placement near the shared line, the county zoning standards still apply.