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

Chapter 20.04 adopts the 2025 California Building Code as the Placentia Building Code, and § 20.04.050 amends item 105.2, Work Exempt from Permit. Exception 2 reads "Fences under 6 feet high." The test is height alone: a fence under 6 feet is exempt, and a fence at exactly 6 feet is not under 6 feet.

The exemption speaks only to the building permit. The height and location limits of Zoning Code § 23.81.100 apply in every district whether or not a permit is needed. In a required front yard, a solid fence or wall tops out at three (3) feet above the ground, although a wrought iron fence can be erected to a maximum of six (6) feet. In required side and rear yards, including the street sides of corner lots, the minimum height is six (6) feet and the maximum is eight (8) feet, provided sight clearance is maintained for any vehicular access adjacent to the fence or wall. Where a grade differential exists between building sites in a rear or side yard, the six-foot minimum and eight-foot maximum are measured above the highest finished grade, except as required for sight clearance. In the manufacturing district, a chain-link security fence can reach a maximum of ten (10) feet if all provisions of § 23.47.090 are complied with.

Because § 23.81.100 sets a six-foot minimum for side and rear yard fences and Exception 2 covers only fences under 6 feet, a side or rear fence built to that minimum falls outside the exemption. Materials for a replacement fence, or for a new fence on a developed site where none existed, follow the city fences and walls policy on file with the development services department (§ 23.81.105). The city building official enforces the Building Code (§ 20.04.060).