The City of Hemet's Building & Safety Division lists fences and walls among activities that require a permit, so building or replacing a fence or wall in Hemet calls for city review. Separately, the statewide California Building Code exempts fences up to seven feet and retaining walls up to four feet.
Within Hemet city limits, building and zoning are administered by the city's Community Development Department (Building & Safety Division and Planning), not by Riverside County. The City of Hemet's published list of 'Activities That Require Permits' includes the 'New construction and/or replacement of... Fences and Walls,' so a permit is the default expectation for fence and wall work; the city notes the list is not all-inclusive and directs questions to Code Compliance at 951-765-2300. The statewide baseline that Hemet's Building & Safety Division enforces is the California Building Code: under Section 105.2 (work exempt from permit), fences not over seven feet high and retaining walls not over four feet (measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, unless supporting a surcharge) are exempt from a building permit. Even when a structure is exempt from a building permit, it must still satisfy Hemet's zoning fence-height rules (six feet in side/rear yards, 42 inches in front yards per Section 90-315) and corner sight-distance requirements, and a swimming-pool barrier always requires inspection before the pool is filled. Because the city explicitly lists fences and walls as permit activities, the safest course is to verify scope with the Building & Safety Division before starting. Plans should show property lines and the fence's distance from them.
Building a fence or wall that requires a permit without obtaining one can lead to a stop-work order, after-the-fact permit fees, and Code Compliance enforcement (951-765-2300). A fence that also violates the zoning height or corner sight-distance rules can be cited separately and may have to be lowered or removed. Pool barriers must be in place and approved before filling.
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