Fence Rules in East Palo Alto

The limits are written for fences, walls and hedges alike (Development Code § 18.26.020(A)):

• Front setback: up to 4 feet.
• Side and rear setbacks: up to 7 feet, provided the fence does not extend into any required front setback.

The 7-foot figure is the section as amended on March 18, 2025; before that amendment it was 6 feet.

In one case. The code says: "Rear yard fences between single-family dwellings and non-residential uses may go up to eight feet in height subject to approval of an Adjustment Permit by the Director" (§ 18.26.020(E)). The conditions are in the same subsection:

• The visual impact of the fence on the single-family dwelling has to be softened by architectural ornamentation or articulation, or by soft landscaping.
• The application may be initiated by either the owner of the single-family dwelling or the owner of the non-residential property, with the other concurring.
• The application has to come with a written statement acknowledging that requirement and assigning responsibility for carrying it out.

On a corner parcel, the 7-foot allowance holds only where the fence, wall or hedge does not extend "into the side setback area required along a side street or into that portion of the rear setback area abutting a side street that is equal to the width of the side setback required on the side street, except where the side frontage is more than 100 feet from the corner of the parcel as determined by the intersection of the front and side property lines" (§ 18.26.020(A)(2)). The width of the side-street setback depends on the zoning district (Development Code Table 2-2).

Within the corner vision triangle — 25 feet from the intersection of two public or private street rights-of-way — the code prohibits fences, walls and other visual obstructions over 48 inches and hedges and vegetation over 48 inches, and tree canopies have to be kept at least 7 feet above ground level, as measured from adjacent street curb elevation (§ 18.22.020). Where trees stand within 25 feet on the intersected street lines, their main trunks have to be trimmed free of branches to 7 feet above the grade of the nearest street curb (§ 18.26.020(C)).

Fence height is measured "as the vertical distance between the highest finished grade of the ground abutting the fence and the top edge of the fence material," and the same subsection adds: "Adjacent grades shall not be artificially elevated in order to allow for a fence or wall that is higher than the allowable maximum height" (§ 18.26.030(A)).

Where there is an abrupt shift in the height of the land at the boundary between two owners, "the lower owner may erect a fence, wall or hedge on the boundary to the height limit, but in no event shall it be more than eight feet in height" (§ 18.26.030(B)). That is a measurement rule, not a separate allowance for an 8-foot fence.

Barbed wire, electric fence, razor wire and other similar materials are prohibited in all zones (§ 18.26.020(D)).

No. The installation of fences, hedges or walls "for the expressed purpose of creating a gated community is expressly prohibited by the City" (§ 18.26.020(A)(3)).

The city's Planning FAQs say that a fence over the regulated height requires a building permit with planning oversight. Fences have to comply with the zoning limits whether or not a building permit is required.

Under the California Residential Code, fences not over 7 feet are generally exempt from a building permit, subject to local amendments. An 8-foot rear-yard fence under § 18.26.020(E) needs an Adjustment Permit; confirm building permit requirements with Planning and Building before construction. See when a fence or deck needs a permit.

The city's planning staff confirm what applies at a specific address. For fence work in East Palo Alto, photos of the fence are enough for the independent contractor assigned to your area to say what the repair involves. Rules for neighbouring towns are in the fence rules and permits guide.