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

Sec. 8101(f) amends Section 105.2, Work Exempt from Permit, of the adopted 2025 California Building Code, and Item 2 of that list is Tustin's fence rule: fences, other than swimming pool barriers, not over six feet high. Read against the rest of Section 105.2 as amended, that puts fence work in the same no-permit category as small detached accessory structures like tool sheds and playhouses under 120 square feet with no utilities, and above-ground prefabricated swimming pools under 18 inches deep and 5,000 gallons. The exemption is narrow in two ways.

First, it is a height cutoff: a fence taller than six feet still needs a permit under the general Building Code permit requirement, since the exemption only reaches fences at or under that line. Second, it carves out any fence that functions as a swimming pool barrier, meaning the safety fencing required around a residential pool needs a permit no matter how short it is, because pool barriers are excluded from the exemption by name. The exemption covers only the building permit itself; it does not excuse a fence from zoning setback rules, corner-lot visibility requirements, or any electrical or other permit that a gate opener or lighting might otherwise require, since exemption from a building permit under Sec. 8101 does not exempt other applicable permits where they apply.