Del Norte County, CA Fence Regulations: Neighbor Fence Rules (2026)

Cost-sharing and disputes over fences on a shared property line in unincorporated Del Norte County are governed by California state law rather than a county ordinance. Under Civil Code Section 841, the Good Neighbor Fence Act, adjoining landowners 'are presumed to share an equal benefit from any fence dividing their properties' and, absent a written agreement otherwise, are 'presumed to be equally responsible for the reasonable costs of construction, maintenance, or necessary replacement of the fence.' A landowner who intends to incur such costs must give 30 days' prior written notice to each affected adjoining landowner, describing the problem, the proposed solution and cost, and the proposed cost-sharing. The equal-responsibility presumption is rebuttable by a preponderance of evidence that imposing equal costs would be unjust - for example, where the burden is substantially disproportionate to the benefit, or where the work reflects one owner's personal preferences. Del Norte County does not mediate these private disputes; they are resolved in Del Norte County Superior Court. Any boundary fence still has to meet the county's zoning height limits (Sec. 20.48.70), corner-lot sight rules, and - in the coastal zone - Title 21 coastal-permit requirements. Where the property line itself is uncertain, a survey is advisable before building.