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

Section 17.03.300(C) sets a bright-line permitting trigger inside the City's fence-height rule: no wall or fence in excess of six feet in height shall be erected or constructed unless a building permit therefor has been obtained. Because subsection A already caps ordinary fences at six feet everywhere except the front setback and corner cut-off areas, the permit requirement in practice applies to the taller walls and fences the Director of Community Development authorizes under subsection B, where an open fence may exceed the front-setback or corner limits, or a solid wall, fence or hedge may exceed six feet elsewhere on the lot, if the Director finds it will not adversely affect public health, safety or general welfare.

In other words, getting the Director's administrative approval to build above the ordinary height ceiling does not substitute for the building permit itself; both steps apply to a fence over six feet. A resident who builds a wall or fence taller than six feet without first obtaining the building permit is out of compliance with subsection C regardless of whether the height itself would otherwise have been allowed under a Director exception. Fences six feet and under, including the lower 42-inch and 30-inch limits that apply in front setbacks and corner cut-off areas under subsection A, do not trigger this permit requirement, though they must still meet the height limits themselves and any other applicable zoning standard.