Santa Barbara County, CA Fence Regulations: Neighbor Fence Rules (2026)

The County of Santa Barbara controls fence height, placement and permits in the unincorporated area through LUDC Section 35.30.070, including corner-lot vision-clearance limits under Section 35.30.090. The LUDC itself does not set cost-sharing rules between neighbors; that is governed by California Civil Code Section 841 (the Good Neighbor Fence Law). Under that statute, adjoining landowners are presumed to share an equal benefit from any fence dividing their properties and 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 owner; the notice must describe the problem with the shared fence, the proposed solution, the estimated cost, the proposed cost-sharing approach, and a timeline. A neighbor can rebut the equal-responsibility presumption by showing, by a preponderance of the evidence, that equal shares would be unjust (for example, a disproportionate burden). Because boundary lines drive fence rights, the County recommends confirming your true property line by survey before building, and keeping fences and any retaining wall clear of vision-clearance areas and easements. Disputes over an exact boundary are civil matters, not handled by County code enforcement.