Redwood City, CA Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Zoning Code Article 36 (Exterior Site Improvements) exists to encourage quality design and reduce potential impacts of exterior improvements on adjoining properties, and it applies in every zoning district unless a section says otherwise. Section 36.3 defines a fence as an artificially constructed barrier or wall of any material built to separate properties, provide privacy, or provide security or confinement, so walls count. An open fence permits direct vision through at least 80% of any one square foot of surface, with no single component wider than 12 inches; every other fence is a solid fence. Height is measured from the nearest adjoining grade, or from the lowest adjoining grade where grades differ, and lattice or decorative elements count toward the total.

Front yard: a solid fence in the required front yard tops out at 3 feet, a combination solid/open fence at 5 feet, and chain link above 3 feet is prohibited in residential front yards. Privately constructed fences are prohibited in the public right-of-way.

Side and rear yards: all fences, regardless of type, are limited to 7 feet. The one route higher is an Architectural Permit, which raises the limit to 10 feet in any district except the Professional Office (PO) District and the Residential (R) districts. In an R zone, 7 feet is the ceiling.

Corner lots: a fence in the street-side yard is capped at 7 feet, must be set back 18 inches from the sidewalk, and must meet the vision triangle rules. The privately owned strip between fence and sidewalk must be landscaped and maintained in a healthy, weed-free condition, and chain link above 3 feet is prohibited there in residential districts.

Vision triangles and materials: no solid fence or hedge over 3 feet can stand within 10 feet of a driveway giving access to required on-site parking in the R districts, or within 15 feet of a street corner, a nonresidential driveway, or a driveway on any of 23 listed high volume streets, including El Camino Real, Middlefield Road, Woodside Road and Whipple Avenue between Alameda de las Pulgas and East Bayshore Road. Residential zones ban electrically charged, barbed wire and razor wire fences; the MUC, MUN and MUT mixed-use districts ban chain link, barbed wire, razor wire and corrugated metal.