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

Amador County's Title 19 does not contain a boundary or 'spite fence' ordinance, so shared-fence disputes between neighbors in the unincorporated area are governed by California state law - specifically Civil Code Sec. 841, the Good Neighbor Fence Act. Section 841(a) provides that adjoining landowners 'shall share equally in the responsibility for maintaining the boundaries and monuments between them.' Section 841(b)(1) presumes that adjoining landowners share an equal benefit from any dividing fence and, absent a written agreement otherwise, are 'equally responsible for the reasonable costs of construction, maintenance, or necessary replacement of the fence.' Under Sec. 841(b)(2), a landowner who intends to incur such costs must give 30 days' prior written notice to each affected adjoining landowner, including notice of the equal-responsibility presumption, a description of the problem, the proposed solution, estimated cost, the cost-sharing proposal, and a timeline. The presumption can be rebutted by a preponderance of evidence that equal sharing would be unjust. The county does not mediate private boundary disputes; they are resolved in Amador County Superior Court. Any fence built must still meet county building-permit thresholds and zoning sight-distance and setback rules.