Fence Companyin Compton, CA
A fence company working in Compton builds to Table 30-44.A of the Zoning Code: front yard fences on a residential street stop at 3 1/2 feet and must be open, and a solid fence is required across residential rear yards. Fence installation in wood under six feet needs no building permit, but design review can still apply, so ask Planning.
The City's Housing Element says half of all Compton homes date from 1940 to 1959, and 69.7 percent of the roughly 23,647 housing units are detached houses, according to the Census Bureau's 2024 estimates. That is a great many front and back yards, each with a fence that has been patched, shared or rebuilt more than once. The land has an agricultural past as well. Griffith Compton required farm acreage when he laid out the settlement, and Wikipedia lists Richland Farms among the neighborhoods that carry it on.
MDG Builders (CSLB #1040337) is a general contractor, which on a fence job means we draw the layout, check the rules with Building and Safety and Planning and manage the schedule, while a licensed fencing subcontractor sets the posts. Our fencing page has the sourced price table. Roofs, paint and kitchens in Compton have their own rules, laid out for roof repair, house painting and kitchen remodeling, and the Compton overview lists everything. Neighbors can compare Long Beach and Downey.
What Compton's Zoning Code and Chapter 15 say about fences
Where fencing permits come from in Compton: City of Compton Building and Safety Department.
- Table 30-44.A sets fence heights by use. In residential zones a fence in a front yard on a residential street is optional at 0 to 3 1/2 feet and must be open or combination, a front yard on a non-residential street or major or secondary highway may be up to 5 feet, a rear or side yard abutting residential zones needs a solid fence of 5 to 6 feet, and a rear or side yard abutting a public right-of-way, school, commercial or manufacturing zone needs a solid fence of 5 to 8 feet. A solid fence is required on all residential rear yards.
- Section 30-44.4 allows white picket fences and wrought iron (with masonry pilasters and a masonry base up to half the fence height) around front yards, requires masonry on lines between commercial or manufacturing and residential zones, between multifamily and single-family zones, on rear and side lines next to major or secondary highways, and in new subdivisions, and allows painted or treated wood panels on interior rear and side lines elsewhere. Corrugated or sheet metal, chicken wire, fiberglass and plywood not made for fencing are prohibited.
- Under Section 30-44.2 a fence along a major or secondary highway needs Architectural Review Board approval, while rear yard fences for single-family homes are exempt unless the Planning Commission or a corridor plan requires review. Preexisting fences must be replaced to the current standard when 25 percent of the fence needs repair or replacement, when rehabilitation costs exceed 25 percent of fair market value, or when buildings grow by 25 percent of floor area. Gates may not swing over public right-of-way, a pool needs a 6 to 8 foot fence with a self-closing, locking gate, and the Board can approve height changes of up to 1 1/2 feet along residential lines to match neighbors within 150 feet.
- Section 30-45.2 lists fences, landscaping, parking lots and trash enclosures among exterior yard improvements subject to design review, and the Planning Fee Schedule lists administrative design approval for fencing at $104. The Chapter 15 exemption list separately excludes masonry fences under five feet and wood fences under six feet from a building permit.
Sources for these rules
Does fence installation in Compton need a building permit or design review?
Two separate questions hide in that one. On the building side, the amended exemption list in Chapter 15 of the Municipal Code exempts masonry fences under five feet and wood or similar fences under six feet. The wording is 'under', so a fence built to exactly six feet sits on the line, and a retaining wall is exempt only up to four feet measured from the bottom of the footing. The list also says exemptions never authorize work that breaks another code.
On the planning side, Section 30-45.2 lists fences among exterior yard improvements that can need design review. The Planning Fee Schedule that took effect in June 2023 lists administrative design approval for fencing at $104, and that sheet may have changed. Rear yard fences for single-family homes are exempt from review under Section 30-44.2 unless the Planning Commission or a corridor plan requires it. We found no building permit fee schedule, so we print no building fee.
Fences along a major or secondary highway are the exception: they need Architectural Review Board approval.
Ask Planning at (310) 605-5532 whether your frontage is on a street that triggers review before the fence company orders materials.
How tall can a front yard fence be in Compton?
On a residential street, a front yard fence is optional and may run from 0 to 3 1/2 feet. It has to be open or a combination design, which rules out a solid panel at the sidewalk. If the front yard faces a non-residential street or a major or secondary highway, the table allows up to 5 feet.
Section 30-44.4 allows white picket fences and wrought iron around front yards, with masonry pilasters and a masonry base up to half the fence height. A corner house is where owners get tripped up, because one lot can present a residential street on one side and a busier street on the other, and the two sides follow different rows of the table.
Gates may not swing over the public right-of-way, so a driveway gate needs enough setback to open inside the property. The Zoning Code's front yard is 20 feet deep in the R-A, R-L and R-M zones and 15 in R-H, which is the space a gate swing and a parked car have to share.
Why does Compton require a solid fence in every residential rear yard?
Table 30-44.A says a solid fence is required on all residential rear yards. Where a rear or side yard abuts residential zones, the fence is solid and 5 to 6 feet tall. Where it abuts a public right-of-way, a school, or a commercial or manufacturing zone, the solid fence runs 5 to 8 feet. Whatever sits behind your lot, whether an alley, a school or a business, decides which row applies.
Wood panels are allowed on interior rear and side lines, painted or treated. Masonry is required on lines between commercial or manufacturing and residential zones, between multifamily and single-family zones, along rear and side lines next to major or secondary highways, and in new subdivisions.
The Zoning Code still keeps an R-A Residential Agriculture zone, and R-A is one of the residential zones the table covers. We could not confirm which streets, including those in Richland Farms, carry that zoning, so ask Planning for your parcel before choosing a height.
When does replacing a Compton fence trigger the current standard?
Section 30-44.2 treats a repair that grows too large as a replacement. A preexisting fence must be brought to the current standard when 25 percent of it needs repair or replacement, when rehabilitation costs exceed 25 percent of fair market value, or when the buildings grow by 25 percent of floor area. A neighbor's 1950s chain-link line that needs three new sections is not automatically a rebuild, but a fence that is mostly gone is.
Two softeners exist. The Architectural Review Board can approve height changes of up to 1 1/2 feet along residential lines to match neighbors within 150 feet. And anything built from corrugated or sheet metal, chicken wire, fiberglass or plywood not made for fencing is prohibited, so a patch with those materials is a code problem even when it holds.
- Count the share of the fence being replaced, in linear feet
- Photograph the old fence before demolition
- Ask whether any adjacent building addition changes the 25 percent math
Which materials and block wall rules apply to a Compton fence?
Wood, vinyl, wrought iron, aluminum and block all show up on Compton streets, and the code names what is not allowed more clearly than what is. Masonry walls above the exemption heights fall outside it and need a building permit, and the City's plan check form lists a 110 mph basic wind speed with Exposure C, which is a design input for tall solid walls. We did not find a City standard detail for a residential block wall, so ask the counter what the inspector will want to see.
Licenses split the work. CSLB class C-13 covers fencing and excludes masonry walls, which belong to class C-29. A wood fence set on a block base can therefore involve two subcontractors.
UC Integrated Pest Management notes that drywood termites are most common in Southern California and infest fences, so keep wood off bare soil or set it on concrete.
Who pays for a shared fence in Compton, and where exactly is the property line?
California Civil Code Section 841 presumes that adjoining owners share the cost of a boundary fence equally, and a neighbor who plans to spend money is expected to give 30 days' written notice first. The presumption can be rebutted, so a dispute is not settled by the statute alone.
Before posts go in, find the line. On houses 60 and 70 years old, fences drift. A recorded survey, or at least the corner monuments, avoids rebuilding a fence that sits eight inches into the next yard. A pool changes the picture: Compton's Zoning Code asks for a 6 to 8 foot fence with a self-closing, locking gate around a pool, and state law separately lists drowning-prevention features when a pool permit issues.
How much does fence installation in Compton cost, and how do you hire a fence company?
No Compton price survey turned up, so this page prints no Compton price. Angi's August 2026 Los Angeles page shows a wide range of $15 to $60 per linear foot, and its 100-foot row runs $2,100 to $2,350. HomeGuide, Thumbtack and Fixr overlap enough that we use $25 to $55 per foot for wood or vinyl privacy fence, $12 to $30 for chain-link and $35 to $85 for aluminum or ornamental iron, roughly $2,500 to $5,500 for a 100-foot backyard run. We found no independent Los Angeles per-foot source for block walls, so we print none. Federal data puts fence erectors in the Los Angeles area at a mean $28.00 an hour for May 2025, a check on labor and not a billing rate.
Ask each fence company for its C-13 or C-29 license number, a signed contract that follows Business and Professions Code 7159, and a written scope that names linear feet, height, post depth and gate hardware. On our jobs you can request the subcontractor's license and certificate of insurance, and the license-check guide walks through the CSLB record.
Fence photos from Compton and nearby communities
Six fence and gate scenes tied to Compton streets and to nearby Lynwood, Paramount and Willowbrook, showing wood, iron and block work at the heights the Zoning Code allows.
Where the fence numbers come from
The ranges above come from the five-source table on our fencing price page, with every method and date stated there. A fence often follows a new roof or fresh paint, and the Compton rules for those are on the roofing page and the painting page. Our note on how general contractors use subcontractors explains who answers for each part of the job.
| 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 |
Compton fence questions, answered
How tall can a front yard fence be in Compton?
Up to 3 1/2 feet on a residential street, and it must be open or a combination design. A front yard facing a non-residential street or a major or secondary highway may reach 5 feet. Table 30-44.A of the Zoning Code sets those limits, and corner lots can touch both rows.
What is the maximum height for a backyard fence in Compton?
Six feet where the yard abuts residential zones, and up to 8 feet where it abuts a public right-of-way, a school or a commercial or manufacturing zone. Table 30-44.A calls for a solid fence of 5 to 6 or 5 to 8 feet, and it requires a solid fence on every residential rear yard.
Do I need a permit to build a fence in Compton?
Not a building permit for wood fences under six feet or masonry fences under five feet, according to the amended exemption list in Chapter 15, but design review can still apply. Planning lists administrative design approval for fencing at $104 on its June 2023 schedule. Confirm with Planning at (310) 605-5532.
Can I put up a 7 foot fence in Compton?
Only in the 5 to 8 foot rear or side yard row, where the line abuts a public right-of-way, school or commercial or manufacturing zone. Between neighbors the table stops at 6 feet, with Board approval for up to 1 1/2 feet more along residential lines to match neighbors within 150 feet.
Who pays for a shared fence in Compton?
Usually both owners equally. California Civil Code 841 presumes that neighbors share the cost of a boundary fence, and it expects 30 days' written notice before one owner spends money. The presumption can be rebutted, so keep the notice, the quotes and the photographs together.
Is it cheaper to install a wood or vinyl fence?
In the sources we read, wood and vinyl overlap: roughly $25 to $55 per linear foot for either as a privacy fence in Los Angeles-area data. The ranges disagree at the edges, with vinyl topping out higher in some surveys. Compton's code allows painted or treated wood panels on interior rear and side lines.
When do I have to replace a fence to the current standard in Compton?
When 25 percent of the fence needs repair or replacement, when rehabilitation costs exceed 25 percent of fair market value, or when the buildings grow by 25 percent of floor area. Section 30-44.2 sets that trigger, so count the linear feet before ordering a patch.
What fence does a Compton pool need?
The Zoning Code asks for a 6 to 8 foot fence with a self-closing, locking gate around a pool. State Health and Safety Code 115922 separately requires drowning-prevention features when a pool permit is issued. Ask Building and Safety which barrier the inspector will accept.
How much does fence installation cost for 100 feet in Compton?
We found no Compton survey, so use Los Angeles data. Angi's August 2026 page lists 100 feet at $2,100 to $2,350, and our blended range for a wood or vinyl privacy fence is roughly $2,500 to $5,500. Gates, post depth and old fence removal change it, and the written proposal is the real price.
Which licensed fence company should build a block wall in Compton?
A masonry contractor, because CSLB class C-13 covers fencing but excludes masonry walls, which are class C-29. A fence company may subcontract the block portion. Ask for each license number and certificate of insurance, and ask Building and Safety what inspections the wall will need.
Plan your Compton fence
Send the street, the lot type and the height you have in mind. We check the front yard limit, the rear row of the table and any design review before we call back.