Walnut Creek, CA Fence Regulations: Neighbor Fence Rules (2026)

Walnut Creek's zoning code treats hedges, dense shrubs, and bamboo screens as functional equivalents of fences when used for boundary definition, privacy, or screening. The same height limits apply: hedges up to six feet tall are allowed in interior side and rear yards, while front-yard and street-side setbacks are limited to about three and a half feet for solid/dense vegetation. Corner visibility triangles require maintained clear sight lines and no vegetation above 30 inches, which includes landscaping as well as fences. Existing mature trees are generally exempt — the hedge rule targets ornamental shrubs, bamboo, hedge-form conifers (such as Leyland cypress, Italian cypress, and privet), and similar dense plantings. Enforcement is complaint-based through Code Enforcement. Common disputes involve bamboo spreading across property lines (owners are responsible for containment under California nuisance law) and tall hedges shading neighbors' solar panels, which can trigger conflicts with the California Solar Shade Control Act. Heritage trees and protected native oaks have separate protections and can exceed hedge-height limits where they are native canopy trees rather than trimmed hedges.