Santa Paula Neighbor Fence Rules Rules (2026): What You Need to Know

California Civil Code Section 841 is the primary legal framework governing shared boundary fences in Santa Paula and throughout the state. The statute creates a presumption that adjoining landowners share equally in the reasonable costs of constructing, maintaining, and replacing a fence that sits on their common boundary. This default equal-share rule applies in the absence of a private agreement to the contrary.

Before beginning any fence work on a shared boundary, the owner initiating the project must provide the neighboring owner with at least 30 days' advance written notice. The notice must include a description of the work to be performed, an estimate of the cost, the proposed allocation of costs between the parties (typically 50/50), and the proposed start date. The notice may be delivered in person, by first-class mail, or by any other method reasonably calculated to provide actual notice. A neighbor who receives compliant notice and fails to object within the notice period is legally presumed to have agreed to the proposed cost-sharing arrangement. If a neighbor refuses to pay their share after proper notice has been given and the work completed, the initiating owner may file a claim in Ventura County Small Claims Court to recover the unpaid portion, up to the Small Claims jurisdictional limit.

Santa Paula's own municipal code provisions on fences address height limits, setbacks, and design standards by zone. Front yard fences in residential zones are capped at 3.5 feet, and rear or side yard fences are generally limited to 6 feet. These local height rules operate independently of Section 841: even if both neighbors agree to share costs, they cannot build a fence that violates the city's height or setback standards without obtaining appropriate permits or variances. When a fence is damaged by one neighbor's negligence or intentional act, the responsible party bears the full cost of repair rather than the default equal-share allocation.