Fence Companyin Barstow, CA
In Barstow a fence can reach 6 feet in the back and along interior side lines but only 3.5 feet in a required front or street-side yard, or 4 feet if it is open chain link. Block walls over 3 feet and any retaining wall need a permit. Whether a wood fence under 6 feet does is unconfirmed.
Barstow's fence lines follow lots laid out in a railroad, Route 66 and military town. Census Bureau ACS 2024 five-year estimates (2020 to 2024) count 10,017 housing units, 61.6 percent of them single-family detached, with 790 mobile homes and a median year built of 1970. The City's single-family standard today sets a 4,500 square foot minimum lot, 45 percent maximum coverage and 10 foot front and 5 foot side and rear setbacks, so a typical backyard run is a few dozen feet of fence with a side-yard gate. Block walls and slabs on desert soil are common in the older neighborhoods.
On a fence job, MDG Builders (CSLB #1040337) acts as general contractor: we settle the line and the height with the City, then schedule a licensed fence subcontractor, plus a licensed masonry subcontractor when the wall is block. Our fencing page holds the sourced prices and the Barstow overview lists the other trades we manage here. The closest finished fence guides are for High Desert cities 25 to 36 miles away, so read Apple Valley and Victorville as loose comparisons, not as Barstow rules. Permits come from the City's Building & Safety Division. barstowca.org answered 403 Access Denied, so City pages were read from Wayback Machine copies, and the Zoning and Municipal Code text comes from GoCodebook, a third-party mirror updated October 4, 2026. Confirm each rule with the City.
What Barstow's zoning heights, wall permit line and pool rules say about fences
Where fencing permits come from in Barstow: City of Barstow Community Development Department, Building & Safety Division.
- Fences, hedges and walls (Sec. 19.06.030, mirror): up to 6 feet are allowed in rear yards, along interior-lot side lines and behind the front setback line; nothing over 3.5 feet in a required front yard or street-side yard except an open chain-link fence up to 4 feet; on corner lots a 6-foot fence is allowed in the street side yard if it is at least 40 feet from the front property line; height is measured from the highest adjacent surface. Walls for public parking areas next to residential districts must be 6-foot masonry (42 inches in the front setback).
- Sight triangle (Sec. 19.06.040, mirror): a clear sight triangle formed by points 30 feet from the intersection of right-of-way lines (10 feet at driveways) must be kept clear: trees trimmed to 6 feet above the street and shrubs or groundcover no more than 3 feet high.
- Permit line for walls: block or garden walls over 3 feet (top of footing to top of wall) and retaining walls of any height need a building permit (Sec. 15.08.020, mirror) and a block wall is a check box on the Building Permit Application; whether an ordinary wood or wire fence under 6 feet needs a permit is not stated on the pages read: unverified.
How tall can a Barstow fence be in the front yard, the side yard and the back?
Section 19.06.030 of the Zoning Code, read on the mirror, lets a fence, hedge or wall reach 6 feet in rear yards, along interior side lot lines and behind the front setback line. In a required front yard or a street-side yard nothing may exceed 3.5 feet, except an open chain-link fence up to 4 feet. Height is measured from the highest adjacent surface, so a fence beside a raised neighbor's lot counts from the higher ground. The City's housing page lists a 10 foot front setback for single-family lots and 15 feet for medium density, which shows how deep the low-height zone runs.
Corner lots carry an exception: a 6 foot fence may stand in the street-side yard if it is at least 40 feet from the front property line. Walls for public parking areas next to residential districts must be 6 foot masonry, or 42 inches inside the front setback. Zoning questions go to Planning with the parcel number, and the mirror is third-party text, so check a height there before you order panels.
Send Planning a sketch with the parcel number before any front yard fence is priced.
Does a Barstow fence need a permit, and where does the 3 foot block wall line sit?
For masonry the line is clear. Section 15.08.020 on the mirror exempts block or garden walls not over 3 feet, measured from the top of the footing to the top of the wall, and requires a building permit above that. Retaining walls of any height need a permit, and Block Wall is a check box on the Building Permit Application. The City's forms page posts Retaining Wall Specifications and Non-Retaining Block Wall Specifications handouts, but those PDFs were not in the Wayback Machine, so we have not read them. Ask whether the City counts from the top of a buried footing, because a wall standing 2.5 feet above grade can measure over 3 feet that way.
For an ordinary wood, vinyl or wire fence under 6 feet, we found nothing stating whether a permit is needed, so call the Building Division at (760) 255-5179. If one is needed, plan for paper: hard copy with wet signatures, an original notarized owner letter of authorization and business license verification for the general contractor and subcontractors. The office is open Monday to Thursday and closed Fridays.
Ask the fence company to mark each run as exempt or permitted in the written proposal.
What is the sight triangle, and how does it change a fence at a corner or driveway?
Section 19.06.040 on the mirror defines a clear sight triangle formed by points 30 feet from the intersection of two right-of-way lines, and 10 feet at a driveway. Inside it, trees must be trimmed to 6 feet above the street and shrubs or groundcover held to 3 feet. The sentence names plants, not fences, so ask Planning whether a solid fence counts as an obstruction; the safe assumption is that anything above 3 feet in that triangle will draw a question.
Two related duties turn up on corner lots. The City's Did You Know list says owners must trim trees and shrubs that reach into the right-of-way (Municipal Code 12.12.020). If any footing, post or gate swing would touch the public right-of-way, the plan checklist sends the Encroachment Permit Application to Engineering at (760) 255-5156. Driveway gates add an opener and wiring, and we found no City rule on them, so ask about both the gate and the electrical work.
What do desert wind, blowing sand and flash floods mean for fence posts and panels?
The air district's Rule 403 defines High Winds as gusts above 25 mph or a 15 minute average above 15 mph, and the City's Housing Element says the areas most prone to blow sand are zoned industrial. NOAA's Barstow normals add about 67.6 days a year above 100 F, a summer day-to-night swing near 30 F and only 4.96 inches of rain. A solid panel catches more wind than an open one, yet we found no Barstow post depth, spacing or wind load table, and the two wall handouts were unreadable. Post depth and wind assumptions therefore come from the fence subcontractor and belong in the proposal.
Storms are short and sharp. News reports say storms flooded streets, roads and washes in Barstow on the evening of Thursday, September 18, 2025 (a date we inferred from a September 19 article). The floodplain chapter adopts a FEMA study dated January 17, 1997, makes the City Engineer the floodplain administrator and has that office review every development permit. A long solid wall across a wash is the kind of job we would raise with the Engineer first, though we read no rule that says so.
Ask the fence company which wind speed sized the posts and footings.
Who signs for a fence on a rental, and what do Barstow's older lots and mobile homes change?
Renters hold 56.3 percent of occupied homes here (5,145 of 9,145), so many fence orders start with a tenant and end with a landlord's signature. The City's forms page lists letters of authorization for the contractor and for the landowner, and the plan checklist asks for an original, wet-signed, notarized owner letter. Every rental is also registered and inspected under Municipal Code Chapter 5.91, which is another reason for the owner to approve the line in writing.
Older lots add their own questions. The 1950s are the largest building decade at 2,501 units, and 7.9 percent of homes are mobile homes, so property lines, setbacks and park rules vary from one street to the next. We would not trust a 1950s lot line without a survey or recorded corner markers, because every height rule above counts from that line. Downtown and the Route 66 corridor sit under the Downtown Specific Plan, and the forms page lists Downtown Facade Renovation and Sign Guidelines, so ask Planning before fencing a storefront.
Get the owner's written approval before the contract is signed on a rental.
What does Barstow require around a pool or spa?
Section 15.08.040 on the mirror requires any pool to sit at least 5 feet from the main building and from every lot line, unless it is specially designed, and sets the top of the pool barrier at 60 inches above grade through a local amendment to AG105.2.1. The Building Official may approve alternate safeguards. Swimming Pool/Spa is its own category on the Building Permit Application, so the barrier is normally reviewed with the pool rather than as a stand-alone fence.
State law adds a second layer. Health and Safety Code section 115922, on leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, says that when a permit is issued for a new or remodeled pool, the pool must have at least two of seven drowning-prevention features, and the barrier option must meet section 115923. We did not read 115923 itself. Check the barrier requirements with the inspector before ordering any pool fence.
How much does fence installation cost in Barstow, and who pays for a shared fence?
We found no Barstow fence price survey. Angi's Los Angeles guide, updated August 4, 2026, shows a $3,051 average inside a band of $1,734 to $4,422, about $29 a linear foot, and 100 feet at $2,100 to $2,350. HomeGuide's February 3, 2026 page says $20 to $60 a foot, and Thumbtack's July 1, 2026 national page says $23 to $57. For an installed 6 foot fence we plan on about $25 to $55 a foot in wood or vinyl, $12 to $30 in chain link and $35 to $85 in aluminum or ornamental iron, or about $2,500 to $5,500 for a 100 foot backyard run. We print no block wall price because we found no independent source.
Neighbors are a separate question. California Civil Code section 841 presumes adjoining owners share the cost of a boundary fence equally, and it asks for 30 days' written notice before one owner incurs costs. The presumption can be rebutted. Fence work is CSLB class C-13, which excludes masonry, and block walls are class C-29, so a block wall means a second licensed trade.
Fence photos from Barstow and nearby communities
Fence scenes tied to Barstow places such as Route 66 Main Street, Barstow Mall, the Desert Discovery Center and Lenwood Road along the Mojave River, and to nearby communities such as Daggett, Yermo and Hodge, from post footings and block walls to gates and pool barriers.
Where these Barstow fence figures come from
The table on the fencing page puts each fence price beside its publisher and date, and the sources differ enough that the page shows where. Fence work usually travels with other outdoor jobs, and Barstow's rules for them are on the roofing page, the painting page and the kitchen remodeling page. Our license guide shows how to check a fence or masonry subcontractor's card. For a fence guide from a very different place, a Los Angeles County city with its own height table, read the one for Glendale.
| What it covers | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Wood or vinyl privacy fence, 6 feet | $25 to $55 per linear foot |
| Chain-link | $12 to $30 per linear foot |
| Aluminum or ornamental iron | $35 to $85 per linear foot |
| Typical 100-foot backyard run | $2,500 to $5,500 total |
| Block walls, horizontal slat fences, gates and openers, hillside lots | Set by the written proposal |
Barstow fence questions, answered
Do I need a permit to build a fence in Barstow?
It depends on the type. A block or garden wall over 3 feet, measured from the top of the footing, and any retaining wall need a building permit under Section 15.08.020 on the code mirror. Whether an ordinary wood or wire fence under 6 feet needs one is not stated on the pages we read, so call (760) 255-5179.
How tall can my front fence be in Barstow?
Up to 3.5 feet in a required front yard or street-side yard, or 4 feet if it is open chain link. Behind the front setback line, rear yards and interior side lines allow 6 feet. These are Section 19.06.030 limits as read on the GoCodebook mirror, so confirm the number for your parcel with Planning.
Can I put up a 7 foot fence in Barstow?
Nothing we read allows it. Section 19.06.030 on the code mirror caps fences, hedges and walls at 6 feet in rear yards, along interior side lot lines and behind the front setback line, measured from the highest adjacent surface. Ask Planning in writing whether any exception exists before a contractor quotes a taller line.
Is chain link allowed in a Barstow front yard?
Yes, in one form. The mirror of Section 19.06.030 allows an open chain-link fence up to 4 feet in a required front or street-side yard, while any other fence or wall there is capped at 3.5 feet. Solid chain link with slats is not addressed in the text we read, so ask Planning before ordering.
Do you need a permit to build a block wall in Barstow?
Over 3 feet, yes. The code mirror exempts block or garden walls not over 3 feet from top of footing to top of wall and requires a building permit above that, and retaining walls of any height need one. The City posts block wall handouts on its forms page, but we could not read them.
How much does it cost to have 100 feet of fence installed?
Angi's Los Angeles guide puts 100 feet at $2,100 to $2,350, while our planning range for an installed 6 foot wood or vinyl fence is about $2,500 to $5,500 for a 100 foot backyard run. Block walls cost more, and we found no independent block price. We found no Barstow survey, so get a written bid.
Does your neighbor have to pay for half the fence in California?
Usually the law presumes they do. Civil Code section 841 presumes adjoining owners share the cost of a boundary fence equally, and it asks for 30 days' written notice before one owner incurs costs. The presumption can be rebutted, for example when one owner wants a much costlier fence than the other needs.
What happens if I build a fence without a permit in Barstow?
We read no Barstow penalty schedule for fences, so we cannot quote a fine or a deadline. A block wall over 3 feet and any retaining wall do need a permit under Section 15.08.020, and a contractor who offers to skip it is a warning sign. Ask the Building Division what a corrective filing would involve.
What are the pool fence requirements in Barstow?
The mirror of Section 15.08.040 sets the barrier top at 60 inches above grade and puts a pool at least 5 feet from the main building and every lot line unless specially designed. The Building Official can approve alternate safeguards. State law also requires two of seven drowning-prevention features on a new or remodeled pool.
Ask for a fence estimate in Barstow
Send the part of town, how many feet you want fenced, the material you prefer and whether a corner, a driveway, a wash or a pool is involved. We look up the height rule and the permit line for that lot before we phone you.