Highland, CA Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Highland Municipal Code § 15.04.030 amends Section 105.2 of the California Building Code, the list of work exempt from permit. Item 2 as rewritten by the City of Highland exempts wood, chain-link, plastic, vinyl, metal or similar fences not over 6 feet in height. Masonry or concrete fences are exempt only up to 3 feet. Both heights are measured from the lowest adjacent grade to the top of the wall, so a fence on a retaining wall or a cut pad is measured from the low side. The exemption also ends where the fence serves as a swimming pool enclosure, which means a pool barrier in the City of Highland always goes through the building official.

The same section sets other exemptions that homeowners often bundle with a fence job. Decks not over 200 square feet, not more than 30 inches above grade at any point, not attached to a dwelling and not serving a required exit door are exempt. A flagpole not more than 20 feet tall on a residentially zoned lot is exempt. Prefabricated above-ground pools less than 18 inches deep and not over 5,000 gallons are exempt.

When a permit is required, Section 105.5 as amended by Highland says a residential permit becomes invalid unless work starts within 365 days of issuance, or if work is suspended or abandoned for 180 days between required inspections. A commercial permit becomes invalid unless work starts within 180 days. The building official can grant only one written extension of 180 days, and the request must be in writing with justifiable cause shown.

The exemption from permit is not an exemption from zoning. Fence height, setback and material standards in Title 16, the Highland Development Code, apply on their own terms, and fences inside fuel modification zones or wildland-urban interface areas must be noncombustible.