Escondido, CA Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

Section 33-1083(b) governs how Escondido measures fence and retaining wall height together. As a baseline, fence and wall height is measured vertically from the finished grade, shown on the approved grading plan, to the highest point of the structure; where a retaining wall does not require a grading plan, the city engineer determines the finished grade. When a fence or wall is built on top of a freestanding wall, the freestanding wall's height is added to the fence for purposes of the overall height limit.

The same combined-height rule applies to a fence placed atop a retaining or landscaping wall used to increase usable lot area. Within a required front or street side setback, the code lets a builder avoid the combined-height calculation only by providing at least a two-foot horizontal separation between the retaining wall and the fence, planted with screening vegetation to the satisfaction of the director of community development; the offset is measured from the back face of the lower wall to the front face of the higher wall.

In an interior side or rear setback, the rule flips: the retaining wall is excluded from the fence height measurement outright, with the top of the retaining wall treated as the finished grade, so only the portion of the fence above that point counts toward the height limit under Section 33-1080. Any combined retaining wall and fence taller than eight feet must vary its design or materials between the two elements, and landscaping must soften the fence above the retaining wall. A fence placed over a retaining wall beyond any setback line is measured separately from the retaining wall under Section 33-1080.