Fence Repair in Mountain View

The 6-foot breakpoint. For single-family homes, the city states that "all wood fences 6 feet or less in height do not require a permit to install." Up to 7 feet, wood or non-wood, needs a planning permit with written consent from adjacent neighbors. For the building permit, the city's fence page lists one for a wood fence over 6 feet, while its exemptions page and the adopted building code exempt fences not over 7 feet; confirm with the Building Division. The city's fence page lists $1,780–2,480 for a fence up to 7 feet: a $1,580 planning permit plus a $200–900 building permit based on construction cost. Adding a foot of lattice to a 6-foot fence takes it over 6 feet and into the planning-permit process, because the city measures height from the adjacent grade to the top, including lattice and posts.

Non-wood fences need a permit at any height. Metal, stucco and masonry fences, and any retaining wall, need a building permit even under 6 feet. Swapping a wood section for metal is a permit question, not just a material choice.

Front yards and corners. Fences are limited to 3 feet within the first 20 feet from the front property line. On a corner lot, the street side can be 6 feet if it sits 5 feet back from the side property line, and nothing over 3 feet is allowed inside the 35-foot traffic visibility triangle.

Trees are part of the permit. The city's fence submittal asks for existing tree locations along the fence line. Mountain View protects oak, redwood and cedar trees as heritage trees from 12 inches of trunk circumference, measured 54 inches above grade, and other trees from 48 inches. Removing one needs a permit. A new post near a heritage tree is worth checking first.

Full height and setback details are on the Mountain View fence rules page. A gate in that fence line that sags, drags or misses its latch is a repair of its own: see gate repair.

• Measure the current height at a few points; whether the fence is at or over 6 feet decides the permit path.
• Note whether any part is metal, masonry or a retaining wall.
• Photograph trees within a few feet of the fence and note the species if known.
• If the fence is shared, read who pays for a shared fence in California. A 7-foot fence needs the neighbor's written consent anyway.

Do I need a permit to repair a wood fence in Mountain View?
Not if it is a wood fence on a single-family lot and stays at 6 feet or less. Going over 6 feet, or replacing wood with metal or masonry, needs permits.

Can I add lattice on top of my 6-foot fence?
Only through the permit process for a fence up to 7 feet. The city measures height to the top, including lattice.

Does my neighbor have to agree to a taller fence?
For a fence over 6 feet, yes: the city requires written consent from adjacent neighbors as part of the planning permit.

• City of Mountain View, Fences or Walls (residential).
• City of Mountain View, Projects that Don't Require Permits.
• Mountain View City Code § 8.36.05 (Ord. No. 9.2025, September 9, 2025) and California Building Code (2025) § 105.2, Building, item 2.
• City of Mountain View, Trees (residential).