For a wood fence 6 feet or less at a single-family home, Mountain View says no permit is needed. Other fences do need one. The Community Development Department handles both Planning permits and building permits. Each nearby town has its own rules, and a few require a permit for every fence.
Do I need a permit to build or replace a fence?
In Mountain View, the city's fence page lists three cases that need a building permit: a non-wood fence such as metal, stucco or masonry, any wood fence over 6 feet, and any retaining wall. A Planning permit is needed for any fence over 6 feet and for fences on multi-family, commercial and industrial properties. A like-for-like replacement of a wood fence at 6 feet or under at a house falls under the no-permit rule. Atherton, Los Altos Hills, Portola Valley and Woodside are stricter and have their own town fence permits. Our town pages name the office for each.
How tall can my fence be? Is 6 feet allowed?
Yes, in side and rear yards. Mountain View's limit there is 6 feet, or 7 feet with a Planning permit and written consent from the adjacent neighbors. In the first 20 feet back from the front property line the limit is 3 feet. On a corner lot the limit is also 3 feet inside the 35-foot traffic visibility triangle, and a 6-foot fence along the street side must sit 5 feet in from the side property line. Separately, California Civil Code section 841.4 treats a fence that unnecessarily exceeds 10 feet and was built out of malice to annoy a neighbor as a private nuisance.
How close to the property line can I build? Do I need a survey?
An interior fence usually goes on the line or just inside it. The street side is different: the city's corner lot rule sets a 6-foot fence back 5 feet, and no fence belongs in the public right-of-way. When the boundary is not marked, or the old fence is the only evidence of it, get a plot plan or a survey before posts go in. That is a licensed land surveyor's job.
Do Heritage tree rules affect where posts go?
They can. Mountain View's code defines a Heritage tree as any tree with a trunk circumference of 48 inches or more measured 54 inches above the ground, and any oak, redwood or cedar of 12 inches or more. Palo Alto protects native oaks from 11.5 inches in diameter, coast redwoods from 18 inches and most other mature trees from 15 inches. Cutting large roots can harm a protected tree, so we dig by hand near trunks and move a post location before we cut a main root. Ask the city's forestry staff or an arborist when a post has to go close to a big tree.
I live in a historic district. What can I build?
Check with the city's Planning staff before choosing a material. A house that is a listed historic resource, or sits in a historic district such as Professorville in Palo Alto, can face added review for changes seen from the street. We do not guess at this. We ask about the address.
Can my condo association or HOA restrict my fence?
Yes. Associations can limit height, style, material and color beyond what the city requires. Townhome and planned developments in Mountain View, Redwood Shores and Portola Valley Ranch commonly do. Get the approval in writing before anything is ordered.
We are adding a pool. What fence does code require?
California's Swimming Pool Safety Act sets out the enclosure in Health and Safety Code section 115923. It must be at least 60 inches high, with no more than 2 inches of clearance at the bottom, no gap that passes a 4-inch sphere, and an outside surface free of handholds and footholds a young child could climb. Gates must open away from the pool, close and latch by themselves, and have the latch at least 60 inches above the ground. Your city's building department inspects the barrier and may add requirements.
The inspector failed my existing fence for the pool. Who brings it up to code?
A fence contractor does. Typical corrections are self-closing hinges, a latch moved up to the required height, a gate turned around to swing away from the water, gaps under the fence closed, and short or climbable stretches replaced. Give us the inspector's correction notice and we price each item on it.
My association only allows a 4-foot open fence, but I want privacy. What are my options?
Work inside the rule first. Planting a hedge behind the 4-foot open fence is one way. A taller screen beside the patio, well inside the lot, is another if the rules treat it apart from the boundary fence. Failing that, apply to the board in writing for a variance. Look at your plot plan for utility or drainage easements too, since a fence may be barred from one or may need to be removable.
Do wildfire rules in the hill towns affect my fence?
They can, mainly in Los Altos Hills, Woodside and Portola Valley. California's State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection adopted emergency Zone 0 rules on August 19, 2026 for the first 5 feet around buildings in state responsibility areas and in locally designated Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. As adopted, they bar new combustible fencing inside that zone and call for a non-combustible section where a fence meets the building. When we last checked in October 2026 we could not confirm that the rules had taken effect. Ask your fire district, such as the Woodside Fire Protection District, what applies to your parcel before you build.
Who calls 811 before digging, me or the contractor?
Whoever does the digging. Here the notice goes to USA North 811. California Government Code section 4216.2 requires it at least 2 working days before digging, not counting the day of the notice, and no more than 14 calendar days ahead. The dig area has to be marked out first, normally in white. A ticket is good for 28 days. When we install your fence, we place the ticket. Utilities mark only their own lines, so show us any sprinkler pipe, low-voltage lighting or power run to a shed or pool.
My contractor wants to skip the permit and reuse the old holes. What is the risk?
You carry it, as the property owner. Where a permit was required and not pulled, the city can halt the work or order changes, and unpermitted work can surface again at sale. The Contractors State License Board also says any project that needs a permit must be done by a licensed contractor, whatever it costs.
The city says my existing fence breaks the current rules. Can I just repair it?
Put that question to the Community Development Department before paying for work. Cities often allow repair of an older fence where a full rebuild would have to meet current limits. The decision belongs to the city, not to the fence company.
We can only give a real price after seeing the yard. The on-site estimate is free. Call (408) 539-2396 or text us a photo of the fence line.