Fence Companyin El Segundo, CA
A fence company in El Segundo works to two numbers: 42 inches almost anywhere, and 6 feet on an interior or corner lot behind the required front yard, with 8 feet only by adjustment. Whether a fence needs a building permit is unsettled, because the local 3 ft 6 in block wall exemption and the state 7 foot exemption conflict.
Most El Segundo fences mark a lot in a grid of postwar blocks. The Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 estimates count 3,029 detached houses among 7,889 housing units, and the 1950s and 1960s are the biggest building decades at 18.3 and 21.4 percent. The city's own Housing Element says less than 25 percent of its land has ever been used for housing, while heavy manufacturing covers about 30 percent. Residential lots are scarce and tight, and a fence here often marks the line against an alley or a neighboring building.
On a fence job MDG Builders (CSLB #1040337) is the general contractor: we confirm the line and the height rules with the City, draw the layout and keep the schedule, and a licensed C-13 fencing subcontractor builds it, with a licensed mason for any block. Our fencing page holds the sourced prices, the El Segundo overview lists every trade we manage here, and the neighbors differ, as the fence guides for Manhattan Beach and Hawthorne show.
What El Segundo's zoning and building codes say about fences
Where fencing permits come from in El Segundo: City of El Segundo Community Development Department, Building and Safety Division.
- In El Segundo's residential zones a wall or fence up to 42 inches high may stand on any part of a lot, and on an interior or corner lot a wall or fence up to six feet high may stand anywhere behind the required front yard (Municipal Code 15-2-4(A)). The Director can approve an adjustment up to eight feet, and anything above eight feet in a residential zone needs a variance.
- In El Segundo's residential zones a retaining wall protecting a cut slope in a required front or street-side setback is limited to three feet, and a retaining wall in any required setback may hold back at most three feet of fill. In the front setback only a six-inch wall or fence may sit on a wall retaining three feet, and no open work fence may take the total above 42 inches.
- Corner lots must keep a triangle with 15-foot sides along the front and street-side property lines clear of fences, walls, shrubs and structures taller than 30 inches (Municipal Code 15-2-6), and alley intersections keep a five-foot triangle. Section 15-2-11 adds a visibility triangle along each side of a driveway.
- El Segundo adds an item to its permit-exempt list (Residential Code R105.2 item 11 and Building Code 105.2 item 14) for block wall and concrete fences not over 3 feet 6 inches high. Zoning review under 15-2-4 still applies, and any other fence or wall should be checked with the building division.
- The state list of permit-exempt work (Residential Code R105.2, Albany's copy of the 2025 text) exempts fences not over 7 feet high and retaining walls not over 4 feet measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall unless they support a surcharge. El Segundo's local zoning limits (42 inches, six feet) are lower than that building-permit threshold.
- Construction sites in El Segundo that stay open for more than 30 days and are reachable from a street or neighboring property must have temporary construction fencing, put up no sooner than 15 days before work starts and removed within 30 days of the final permit approval or certificate of occupancy (Municipal Code 15-2-4(C)).
- El Segundo's Swimming Pool and Spa Code chapter (13-8) adopts the 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code and states in 102.9 that it does not nullify the California Swimming Pool Safety Act, which the city's Residential Code carries as Appendix CI.
- CSLB defines the C-13 Fencing classification as constructing, erecting, altering or repairing all types of fences, corrals, runs, railings and gates, and it excludes masonry walls.
How tall can a fence be in El Segundo?
Municipal Code 15-2-4(A) sets the limits for residential zones, and they run from low to tall as the fence moves back from the street:
The Director can approve an adjustment up to eight feet, and anything above eight feet in a residential zone needs a variance. We read the code on the GoCodebook mirror, because the City's own site blocked our tools, so confirm the numbers with Planning before a fence company orders posts.
- 42 inches: a wall or fence may stand on any part of a lot
- 6 feet: an interior or corner lot may have a wall or fence this tall anywhere behind the required front yard
- 8 feet: the most the Director can approve by adjustment
- Above 8 feet: a variance is needed in a residential zone
Put the height and the yard it sits in on the proposal, not just the word 'privacy'.
Do I need a permit to build a fence or a block wall in El Segundo?
Two published exemptions disagree, so confirm before you build. El Segundo adds block wall and concrete fences not over 3 feet 6 inches high to its permit-exempt list (Residential Code R105.2 item 11 and Building Code 105.2 item 14). The state's own list, in Residential Code R105.2 as the City of Albany reprints the 2025 text, exempts fences not over 7 feet high and retaining walls not over 4 feet from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, unless they hold a surcharge.
We could not see why the City added its item, and we found no text that removes the 7 foot state item, so we state it as a conflict. Zoning review under 15-2-4 applies either way. Ask the Building and Safety Division, whose page came from search results and returned an error to our tools, what height of wood fence and what height of block wall needs a permit. Work in the public right of way, such as an encroaching footing, needs a permit under Municipal Code 9-2-1. A fence is cheapest to fix on paper, so sketch the height, the material and the yard it sits in on one page, send it to the building division and keep the reply with your contract.
What is the corner lot rule, and what about fences beside driveways and alleys?
A corner lot keeps a clear triangle. Municipal Code 15-2-6 requires a triangle with 15 foot sides along the front and street-side property lines to stay free of fences, walls, shrubs and structures taller than 30 inches, and an alley intersection keeps a five foot triangle. Section 15-2-11 adds a visibility triangle along each side of a driveway, so a solid gate or a tall post beside the drive can be a problem even when the fence itself is legal.
Alleys shape the layout. When an R-1 lot abuts an alley, vehicle access has to come from the alley (15-4B-7), which puts the gates on the rear line. We did not read how the City measures the driveway triangles, so ask Planning to mark them on your plan before the fence company sets a gate post.
How high can a retaining wall be, and can I put a fence on top?
Not very high near the street. In a residential zone, a retaining wall protecting a cut slope in a required front or street-side setback is limited to three feet, and a retaining wall in any required setback may hold back at most three feet of fill. In the front setback only a six inch wall or fence may sit on a wall retaining three feet, and no open work fence may take the total above 42 inches.
The state exemption for retaining walls up to 4 feet carries the surcharge exception, so ask whether a tall fence on top of a wall, or a wall beside a driveway, counts as one. Slopes steeper than 1 vertical to 3 horizontal bring seismic design rules for new buildings and additions, and decks and non-habitable accessory buildings that do not bear on the house are exempt from them. We found no rule that names a fence on such a slope, so ask the building division.
Add the wall height and the fence height together before you compare them with the limits.
Where is my property line, and how much room is there beside the house?
An R-1 lot wider than 25 feet needs at least 5,000 square feet and 50 feet of width, with a 22 foot front yard, a side yard of 10 percent of the lot width (never under 3 feet, and never required to be more than 6 feet) and a 5 foot rear yard for the main building. A fence beside the house may therefore sit in a strip as narrow as three feet, and a gate there has to clear meters, air conditioners and the visibility rules.
Residential Code R109.1.7 asks for a licensed surveyor's certificate of setbacks on new construction before the first foundation inspection, which does not reach a fence. Where a neighbor may dispute the line, a survey is still the only record that settles it. We left California's shared-fence cost statute out, because we could not open its text, so ask us or a lawyer before you cite one to a neighbor.
What fence does an El Segundo swimming pool need?
A permitted pool brings a barrier that follows state law. El Segundo's Swimming Pool and Spa Code, Chapter 13-8, adopts the 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code and says in section 102.9 that it does not nullify the California Swimming Pool Safety Act, which the City's Residential Code carries as Appendix CI. California Health and Safety Code 115922 asks for at least two of seven drowning-prevention features when a permit is issued for a new or remodeled pool, and the enclosure must meet section 115923.
We did not read 115923 or Appendix CI, so we print no barrier height, opening size or gate rule. Plan the barrier, the gate hardware and the 42 inch and 6 foot limits together, because a pool fence is a permit item. Glass, black steel and aluminum all fit the same layout questions, and a licensed fence subcontractor can build the metal ones.
How much does fence installation cost in El Segundo, and who builds it?
We found no El Segundo fence survey, so these are Los Angeles figures. Angi's August 4, 2026 page for the city shows a $15 to $60 range per foot, and HomeGuide, Thumbtack and Fixr overlap it. The federal wage survey for the Los Angeles area puts a fence erector's mean at $28.00 an hour for May 2025. Our planning ranges are about $25 to $55 per linear foot installed for a 6 foot wood or vinyl privacy fence, $35 to $85 for aluminum or ornamental iron and roughly $2,500 to $5,500 for a 100 foot backyard run. We print no block wall price, because no independent Los Angeles source we trust gives one.
CSLB class C-13 covers fences, gates and railings but excludes masonry walls, which belong to a masonry contractor. UC's integrated pest management program says drywood termites are most common in Southern California and infest fences, so ask about termite-resistant wood or concrete footings. Our license checking guide shows how to verify each trade.
Fence photos from El Segundo and nearby communities
Seven fencing scenes tied to El Segundo blocks and to nearby places such as Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Westchester, from open iron fronts to solid backyard runs and pool barriers.
Where these El Segundo fence figures come from
Each price and its source sits in the table on our fencing price page, and how general contractors use subcontractors explains who builds what. A fence often goes up with other work, and the El Segundo rules for it are on the roofing page, the painting page and the kitchen remodeling page. For more South Bay fence guides, read Redondo Beach and Inglewood.
| 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 |
Other work we manage in El Segundo
El Segundo fence questions, answered
How much does it cost to have 100 feet of fence installed?
Plan on roughly $2,500 to $5,500 for a 100 foot run of 6 foot wood or vinyl privacy fence, a range we built from Angi, HomeGuide, Thumbtack and Fixr for Los Angeles. Angi's city page shows $2,100 to $2,350 for the same length. Gates, tear-out of an old fence, slopes and block change that, so the written proposal is the real price.
Do I need a permit to build a fence in El Segundo?
It depends on the fence, and the published rules conflict. El Segundo exempts block wall and concrete fences up to 3 feet 6 inches, while the state list exempts fences up to 7 feet. Zoning review under Municipal Code 15-2-4 applies either way. Ask the building division what height of wood fence and block wall needs a permit.
What are the new fence rules in California in 2026?
We could not confirm any statewide fence change for 2026, so we name none. The rules that govern an El Segundo fence are local: 42 inches in front, 6 feet behind the required front yard on an interior or corner lot, corner visibility triangles and the permit question. The City's 2025 codes took effect with Ordinance 1680.
What is the maximum height for a backyard fence in El Segundo?
Six feet on an interior or corner lot, anywhere behind the required front yard, under Municipal Code 15-2-4(A). The Director can approve an adjustment up to eight feet, and anything higher in a residential zone needs a variance. We read the code on a mirror site, so confirm the heights with Planning before ordering.
Can I put up a 7 ft fence in El Segundo?
Not as of right. The zoning limit we found is 6 feet behind the required front yard, though the state building permit exemption reaches 7 feet, and those are different rules. A fence above 6 feet needs the Director's adjustment, which can go to 8 feet. Ask Planning before you design for 7 feet.
Can I put a privacy fence in my front yard?
Not a tall one. In an El Segundo residential zone, a wall or fence in the front yard is limited to 42 inches, and a corner lot also keeps a clear triangle with 15 foot sides free of anything taller than 30 inches. Behind the required front yard an interior or corner lot may go to 6 feet.
What happens if you don't get a permit for a fence?
Under Municipal Code 13-1-2 and 13-2-2, anyone who starts work before the permit is issued pays an extra fee equal to 100 percent of the normal permit fee, or another amount the building official decides. Whether your fence needs a permit at all is the open question, so ask first and keep the answer in writing.
Is it cheaper to install a wood or vinyl fence?
Usually wood costs a little less per foot, but the ranges overlap. The sources behind our planning figure put wood and vinyl privacy fences at about $25 to $55 per linear foot installed in Los Angeles. Termites matter for wood, since UC's pest management program says drywood termites are most common in Southern California, so ask about footings.
What is the maximum height of a retaining wall without a permit?
The state exempt list covers retaining walls up to 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, unless they support a surcharge. El Segundo's zoning code is tighter in setbacks: three feet in a front or street-side setback. Confirm with the building division before pouring a footing.
Get a fence plan for your El Segundo lot
Tell us the street, whether the fence is front, side or back, whether you are on a corner or beside an alley and whether you want wood, iron or block. We check the height limits and the permit question before we call back.