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

The Madera County Code's Zoning Ordinance (Title 18) regulates the physical placement of fences-vision clearance and street setbacks under Chapter 18.98-but contains no provision allocating the cost of a shared boundary fence between neighbors. That subject is controlled by California state law. Under California Civil Code Section 841 (the Good Neighbor Fence Act of 2013), adjoining landowners are presumed to share equally in the reasonable costs of constructing, maintaining, or replacing a fence dividing their properties, and to share equally in the responsibility for maintaining boundaries and monuments. A landowner who wants a neighbor to contribute must give at least 30 days' prior written notice describing the problem with the existing fence, the proposed work, the estimated cost, the proposed cost allocation, and a timeline. The equal-share presumption is rebuttable: a court may reduce or eliminate a neighbor's contribution where equal cost-sharing would be unjust (for example, disproportionate benefit or undue financial hardship). Madera County does not mediate these private disputes-they are civil matters resolved in the Madera County Superior Court. The County's role is limited to enforcing the zoning location standards in Title 18.