Fence Companyin Fountain Valley, CA
A fence company in Fountain Valley works to a 3 foot cap in the 20 foot front yard and 6 feet in side and rear yards, with 8 feet allowed beside an arterial road. Wood fences up to 6 feet need no building permit, but a block wall over 3 feet does, and Planning approves block walls first.
Fountain Valley's fences are a product of how the city was laid out. A master plan came before any tract was allowed, the first tract broke ground in 1962 and the population reached nearly 32,000 by 1970, so block walls and wood fences went up along lot lines that were drawn in one stretch of years. The Census Bureau's ACS 2024 5-year estimates count 13,040 single-family detached homes, 67.8 percent of the city's 19,227 units, with another 2,008 attached, and 35.2 percent of occupied homes are rented, which means the person ordering a fence is sometimes a tenant and not the owner.
On a fence job, MDG Builders (CSLB #1040337) is the general contractor: we confirm the height rule and any permit with the City, coordinate the neighbor paperwork and run the schedule, and a licensed C-13 fencing subcontractor builds the fence while a masonry subcontractor handles block. The fencing page lists sourced prices and the Fountain Valley overview lists every trade here. For other height systems, see the guides for Glendale and Pasadena, and for the next cities over see Garden Grove and Costa Mesa.
What Fountain Valley's zoning code and permit list say about fences
Where fencing permits come from in Fountain Valley: City of Fountain Valley Community Development Department, Building Division (Permit Center).
- The City's Work Exempt from Permits handout and Building Permits page exempt fences not over 6 feet high and block walls not over 3 feet high from a building permit, and Municipal Code 18.12.020 (GoCodebook mirror) repeats the same thresholds, so a 6-foot wood fence needs no building permit while a taller fence or a block wall over 3 feet does.
- Zoning Code 21.18.070 (GoCodebook mirror) says fences, walls, lattice, hedges and dense shrubs or trees over 3 feet high are not allowed in a required front yard and that side and rear yards are limited to 6 feet, except where a governmental agency requires otherwise or the walls along arterial highways described below apply. The City's Single-Family Development Standards sheet (updated 1/19/2022) gives the same numbers: 3 feet within the 20 foot front setback and 6 feet in side and rear yards.
- The City's Single-Family Development Standards sheet says rear and side yard fences may extend to 8 feet high when adjacent to an arterial road, and Zoning Code 21.18.070 says walls built along arterial highways as part of a subdivision must be maintained in original condition and may be extended to 8 feet in like materials with the director's approval.
- Zoning Code 21.18.070 (GoCodebook mirror) prohibits barbed wire, razor wire and similar security wire, including broken glass, in all residential and commercial districts, and prohibits chain link fence within the front yard setback in all residential districts.
- The City's block garden wall diagram (a scanned plan read with local OCR) says Planning must approve the wall's height, location and design before any permit is issued, no wall or fence is allowed within 36 inches of a fire hydrant, no wall, fence or foundation within 12 inches of a water meter, and the standard wall is not designed to be a retaining wall. The City lists the City Standard block wall as an expedited permit that needs the common property line wall agreement.
- Retaining walls not over 4 feet high, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, are exempt from a building permit unless they carry a surcharge or impound Class I, II or III-A liquids.
- The City provides a Common Property Line Wall Agreement form (2013 code cycle) for owners who build a wall on a shared boundary, with signature lines for the subject property and up to three adjoining owners and a sketch of the wall location.
- California Civil Code 841 presumes that neighbors on either side of a boundary fence split the reasonable cost of building, upkeep or replacement evenly unless they sign a different deal, and an owner planning the work owes every affected neighbor written notice at least 30 days ahead that sets out the problem, the proposed fix, estimated costs, the cost-sharing proposal and the timeline.
How tall can a fence be in a Fountain Valley front yard, side yard or backyard?
Three feet in the front, six feet beside and behind the house. Zoning Code 21.18.070 says fences, walls, lattice, hedges and dense shrubs or trees over 3 feet are not allowed in a required front yard and limits side and rear yards to 6 feet, and the City's Single-Family Development Standards sheet, updated January 19, 2022, repeats those numbers with the front setback given as 20 feet. We read the code on GoCodebook, a third-party mirror, because the City's official code host blocked our tools, so confirm the section with Planning at 714-593-4425.
The hedge rule catches people who build a legal fence and then plant behind it. A row of tall shrubs in the front setback is treated like a wall, so a tidy low fence and a tall privacy hedge cannot sit side by side there. Ask the fence company to measure from finished grade, and to say whether a retaining wall or raised planter under the fence adds to its height.
Write the height and the yard it applies to on the proposal, so the contract matches the zoning line.
Do I need a building permit for a fence or block wall in Fountain Valley?
A wood fence up to 6 feet needs no building permit, and a block wall up to 3 feet needs none either. The City's exempt list and Building Permits page set both thresholds, and Municipal Code 18.12.020 repeats them, so a taller fence or a block wall over 3 feet needs a permit. Exempt does not mean unregulated: the zoning heights still apply, and the City says an exempt item does not authorize work that breaks another law.
The City's block garden wall diagram, a scanned plan read with local OCR, says Planning must approve the wall's height, location and design before any permit issues. The City Standard block wall is an expedited permit that needs the common property line wall agreement. The diagram also bars walls within 36 inches of a fire hydrant and walls or foundations within 12 inches of a water meter, though our OCR reading of those two figures deserves a second look. Starting before the permit doubles the permit fee under Municipal Code 18.12.050, so get the permit first.
Is chain link or razor wire allowed on a Fountain Valley fence?
Chain link is allowed on a side or rear line but not in a front yard. Zoning Code 21.18.070 prohibits chain link fence within the front yard setback in every residential district, and it prohibits barbed wire, razor wire and similar security wire, broken glass included, in all residential and commercial districts. A fence that arrives with a strand of wire on top is a code problem even in a backyard.
That leaves wood, vinyl, aluminum and block for the street side. When the lot line and the neighbor's old fence are the issue, a call to Planning before you order saves a return trip. We found no Fountain Valley homeowners association rules, and the City's plan check page only says to upload HOA approval where one applies, so ask your own association whether it has a style list.
Who pays for a shared fence in Fountain Valley, and what is the common wall agreement?
Neighbors are presumed to split the cost equally. California Civil Code 841 says adjoining owners are presumed to share the reasonable cost of building, maintaining or replacing a boundary fence unless they agree otherwise in writing, and an owner who plans the work must give each affected neighbor at least 30 days' written notice. The notice should describe the problem, the proposed fix, the estimated cost, the cost-sharing proposal and the timeline.
The City adds a form for walls. Its Common Property Line Wall Agreement, from the 2013 code cycle, has signature lines for the subject owner and up to three adjoining owners, with a sketch of the wall's location, and the expedited block wall permit asks for it. Because the form is old, ask the Building Division at 714-593-4429 whether the current version is the same. If a survey is needed to find the line, order it before the contractor digs, not after.
Hand the neighbor the notice with the estimate attached, and keep a dated copy.
Can I build an 8 foot fence or wall next to an arterial street in Fountain Valley?
Sometimes. The City's development standards sheet lets a rear or side fence reach 8 feet where it is next to an arterial road. Zoning Code 21.18.070 treats walls built along arterial highways as part of a subdivision differently: they must be kept in their original condition and may be extended to 8 feet in like materials with the director's approval. An 8 foot panel at a rear lot line is a wall by any practical measure, and above 6 feet it also crosses the building permit line.
The two sources are worded differently, and we did not read the official text of the related zoning sections, so do not assume one answer covers both a subdivision wall and a private fence. Ask Planning which of the two applies to your lot, and whether a block wall's permit and its Planning approval can run at the same time.
Do high groundwater and soft soil change how posts and block walls are built in Fountain Valley?
They may, and the City's own documents are why we raise it. The 2023 Vulnerability Assessment says groundwater sits less than ten feet below the surface and that the whole city except an isolated area along Newland Street is liquefaction-susceptible. A Seismic Hazard overlay in the Zoning Code lets the building official require special design and a site-specific soils report case by case. We found no rule for fence posts specifically, so ask the fence builder how deep the holes go, what happens if a hole fills with water and who designs a footing for a tall block wall.
Retaining walls are the other trap. A retaining wall not over 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, is exempt from a building permit unless it carries a surcharge, and the City's standard block wall is not designed to hold back soil. Projects with block or retaining walls over 20 linear feet also draw the construction site inspection fee, and waste concrete and mortar must stay on the property instead of washing into the street.
How much does fence installation cost in Fountain Valley, and what should a quote say?
We found no Fountain Valley fence price survey, so these are Los Angeles figures. Angi's Los Angeles page, updated August 4, 2026, shows a $29 average per linear foot inside a $15 to $60 range and prices 100 feet at $2,100 to $2,350. HomeGuide, Thumbtack and Fixr overlap on wood and vinyl, and from the four we plan about $25 to $55 per foot for a wood or vinyl privacy fence and $35 to $85 for aluminum or ornamental iron, roughly $2,500 to $5,500 for a 100 foot backyard run. Block walls have no independent Los Angeles per-foot source, so we print no number for them.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics put fence erectors at a mean $28.00 an hour in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area in May 2025, a wage check and not a billing rate. A quote should name the height, the yard, the posts and footings, the gate hardware and who hauls the old fence. Under Business and Professions Code 7159 a deposit is capped at $1,000 or 10 percent, so see our contractor license guide and how general contractors use subcontractors before you sign.
Fence photos from Fountain Valley and nearby communities
Fence scenes tied to Heritage Park, Talbert and the streets near Coastline Community College, and to nearby places such as Westminster, Santa Ana and Garden Grove, from front-yard pickets to slatted privacy runs and block walls.
Where these Fountain Valley fence figures come from
Our fencing price page has a table with the source, date and per-foot range for every material. A new fence often goes in with other exterior work, and the Fountain Valley rules for it are on the roofing page, the painting page and the kitchen remodeling page. For another Orange County wall rule, read the fencing guides for Westminster and Huntington Beach.
| 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 Fountain Valley
Fountain Valley fence questions, answered
Do I need a permit to build a fence in Fountain Valley?
Not for a fence up to 6 feet high, which the City exempts from a building permit. A fence over 6 feet needs one, and so does a block wall over 3 feet. Zoning heights still apply to exempt fences, and Planning approves a block wall's height, location and design before the permit issues.
How tall can my front yard fence be in Fountain Valley?
Three feet. Zoning Code 21.18.070 does not allow fences, walls, lattice, hedges or dense shrubs over 3 feet in a required front yard, and the City's standards sheet gives the front setback as 20 feet. We read the code on a third-party mirror, so confirm with Planning at 714-593-4425.
How tall can a fence be in a backyard or side yard in Fountain Valley?
Six feet in side and rear yards, which is also the line where a building permit begins. Next to an arterial road the City's standards sheet lets a rear or side fence reach 8 feet, though that taller panel needs a permit. Measure from finished grade and ask Planning how it counts a raised planter.
Is chain link fencing allowed in Fountain Valley?
In side and rear yards yes, in front yards no. The Zoning Code bans chain link inside the front yard setback in every residential district. Barbed wire, razor wire and similar security wire, including broken glass, are banned in all residential and commercial districts, so a chain link fence cannot carry wire along its top.
Does your neighbor have to pay for half the fence in California?
Presumably, yes. Under Civil Code 841 each side is presumed to carry half the reasonable cost of a boundary fence unless a written agreement says otherwise. Before spending anything, the owner has to send every affected neighbor a notice at least 30 days ahead covering the problem, the fix, the estimate and the timeline.
Do I need a permit for a block wall or retaining wall in Fountain Valley?
A block wall over 3 feet needs a permit, and Planning approves the design first. A retaining wall up to 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing, is exempt unless it carries a surcharge. The City's standard block wall is not designed to hold back soil, so a wall that retains needs its own design.
Can I put up an 8 foot fence in Fountain Valley?
Only where the City allows it. Rear and side fences may reach 8 feet next to an arterial road, and subdivision walls along arterial highways may be extended to 8 feet in like materials with the director's approval. Either way a fence over 6 feet needs a building permit, so ask Planning which rule governs your lot.
How much does it cost to have a 100 foot fence installed?
Our working range is about $2,500 to $5,500 for 100 feet of wood or vinyl privacy fence, drawn from Los Angeles data. Angi's Los Angeles page prices 100 feet at $2,100 to $2,350, and its range runs $15 to $60 a linear foot. We found no Fountain Valley survey, so only a written, measured proposal is the actual price.
Do high groundwater and liquefaction rules affect a fence in Fountain Valley?
They can affect tall block walls and deep footings more than ordinary wood fences. The City reports groundwater under ten feet and liquefaction potential across nearly the whole city, and a Seismic Hazard overlay lets the building official require a soils report. We found no fence post rule, so ask the builder how footings are designed.
Tell us about your Fountain Valley fence
Give us your street, whether the fence faces the road, the alley or a neighbor and what it is made of now. We confirm the height line, the wall approval and the shared-fence notice before we visit.