Palm Springs, CA Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Fences and freestanding walls fall under Palm Springs Building Code Chapter 8.04, Article I, which adopts the California Building Code by reference and then layers on local amendments in § 8.04.015. Subsection 105.2 of the amended code lists work exempt from a building permit, and item 2 draws the line for fences at two different heights depending on how solid the fence is. A solid fence or wall, meaning one without significant gaps, can go up to 42 inches without a permit. An open fence, defined in the ordinance as having an open surface area of at least 90 percent or more, can reach 48 inches before triggering the permit requirement.

Cross a threshold and the project needs a full building permit application through the Department of Building and Safety, subject to the same application and expiration rules that apply to any other permit under § 8.04.015: an application idle for 180 days without action is deemed abandoned, and an issued permit lapses if work does not start within 12 months. Because this exemption sits in the building code, it only relieves the applicant of the building permit; it does not address separate zoning standards that may still govern where a fence can sit on the lot or how a corner or street-facing fence is measured, which are found elsewhere in the Zoning Code rather than in Chapter 8.04.