Long Beach Neighbor Fence Rules Rules (2026): What You Need to Know

California Civil Code Section 841 — the Good Neighbor Fence Law — governs shared boundary fences throughout California, including all properties in Long Beach. The statute presumes that adjoining landowners share equal benefit from a fence that divides their properties and are therefore equally responsible for the reasonable costs of construction, maintenance, and replacement, unless a written agreement between the parties specifies a different arrangement. This presumption applies only to a fence sitting directly on or along the property boundary, not to a fence a property owner builds entirely within their own land set back from the line.

Before a landowner may incur shared costs for a boundary fence, they must provide each affected adjoining landowner with at least 30 days' prior written notice. The required notice must include: notification of the statutory presumption of equal responsibility; a description of the specific problem with the existing fence; the proposed solution; an estimate of the total cost; the proposed cost-sharing approach; and the proposed timeline for completion. This notice period allows the neighbor to participate in contractor selection, discuss alternatives, or formally contest their obligation. The presumption of equal responsibility may be rebutted if equal cost-sharing would be unjust given the circumstances — such as when the proposed fence is a luxury upgrade beyond what is necessary, or when one property derives little or no benefit from the fence. In Long Beach, all boundary fences must still comply with LBMC Chapter 21.43 regardless of any neighbor agreement: the 6-foot-6-inch maximum height in side and rear yards, the 3-foot maximum in front yards, and the prohibition on barbed wire, razor wire, and sharp protrusions in residential zones apply irrespective of what the neighbors privately arrange. California Civil Code Section 841.4 prohibits any fence erected maliciously solely to annoy or injure an adjoining landowner.