San Francisco allows privacy fences up to 6 feet in rear yards and 3 feet in front yards. Fences over 6 feet require a building permit from DBI. Section 311 neighborhood notification may apply to fence permits in some cases.
San Francisco's Planning Code and Building Code regulate fence construction. Residential fences in rear yards may be up to 6 feet without a permit. Front yard fences are limited to 3 feet (3.5 feet in some districts). Side yard fences between the front setback and the rear can be up to 6 feet. Fences over 6 feet require a building permit from the Department of Building Inspection (DBI). Some fence permits may trigger Section 311 neighborhood notification, which requires mailing notices to neighbors within 150 feet. Neighbors have 30 days to request a Discretionary Review hearing before the Planning Commission. Pool fences must be at least 5 feet high per California Building Code §3109. Materials must be appropriate for the neighborhood character, especially in historic districts or Residential Design Guidelines areas.
Building without permit: penalties up to 9x the permit fee. Non-compliant fences may receive a Notice of Violation.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Police Code Section 2909 sets specific dBA limits at the property line: 55 daytime and 50 nighttime in residential zones, scaling up to 70/65 i...
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco restricts gas-powered leaf blowers under Police Code Article 29 and state AB 1346, which bans the sale of new gas-powered small off-road engine...
San Francisco, CA
Industrial noise in San Francisco is capped at 65-70 dBA at the property line under Police Code Article 29 and must not exceed ambient by more than 5 dBA. Fi...
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Police Code Article 29 governs amplified music, setting fixed decibel limits at property lines and requiring Entertainment Commission permits f...
San Francisco, CA
Outdoor amplified music in San Francisco requires an Entertainment Commission Outdoor Amplified Sound Permit and must comply with Police Code Article 29 deci...
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Environment Code Chapter 22 and Building Code require EV-ready infrastructure in new construction. CA Civil Code 4745 protects condo EV-charger...
See how San Francisco's privacy screening rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.