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

Unincorporated Sierra County has no local ordinance allocating responsibility for fences on a shared property line. That issue is controlled by state law, specifically California Civil Code Section 841, commonly known as the Good Neighbor Fence Act of 2013. Under that statute, adjoining landowners are presumed to share an equal benefit from any fence dividing their properties and, unless they agree otherwise in writing, are presumed 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. The notice must describe the problem with the shared fence, the proposed solution, the estimated cost, the proposed cost-sharing approach, and the proposed timeline, and it must explain the presumption of equal responsibility. The equal-cost presumption is rebuttable: a court may shift the allocation if a preponderance of the evidence shows that equal responsibility would be unjust, considering whether the financial burden is substantially disproportionate to the benefit or imposes undue hardship. Because Sierra County adds no local layer, neighbors there rely directly on Section 841 and are encouraged to reach a written agreement before building. The county Planning Department handles zoning placement questions but not cost disputes.