Fence Companyin Lakewood, CA
A fence company in Lakewood must work to 42 inches inside the front setback and 7 feet 6 inches in rear and side yards behind it. Fences up to 6 feet are exempt from a building permit, but walls and fences still start with Planning review, and masonry over 42 inches needs a permit.
Lakewood's lots were laid out as a flat grid in 1950, and the City says the land between the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers is so level that the whole 9.5 square miles drops less than four feet from high to low. On a lot like that, a fence line is a long straight run next to a sidewalk, a driveway and a neighbor four feet away. The Census Bureau's 2024 five-year estimates put single-family detached homes at 79.6 percent of the city's 26,867 units, while the City's About page says 85 percent, so most addresses here have a yard to fence.
MDG Builders (CSLB #1040337) does not swing the post-hole auger. We design the layout, handle the Planning and permit steps and manage the job, and a licensed fence subcontractor builds it, with a separate masonry subcontractor when the wall is block. Our fencing page holds the sourced price table, the City's rules start on its Building Permits page, and nearby cities differ, as the pages for Long Beach, Norwalk and Downey show.
What Lakewood's Municipal Code says about fences and walls
Where fencing permits come from in Lakewood: City of Lakewood Community Development Department, Building and Safety Division.
- Lakewood's building code exempts wire fences not over 12 feet and other fences not over 6 feet from a permit, but masonry walls over 42 inches are subject to the code (LMC 8102.b, replacing Item 2 of CBC Section 105.2). A 6-foot wood fence is therefore exempt from a building permit, while a block wall over 42 inches needs one.
- The City lists walls and fences among the residential projects that start with Planning review, so a fence that needs no building permit still goes to Planning first.
- The Homeowner Project Guide says to check with the Planning Division of Community Development for fence setback and height limits, and it lists swimming pools, fences and block walls among permit projects, though LMC 8102.b exempts fences up to 6 feet, so confirm which applies to a given fence.
- Plan check lists block walls and fences among the typical residential projects it reviews, and the Building Plan Check page tells applicants to submit through the OpenGov portal after Planning approval.
- Residential walls, fences and hedges in the rear yard and in side yards behind the front yard may be 7 feet 6 inches tall. Inside the required front yard setback and in a side yard adjoining it, the limit is 42 inches overall, unless the Development Review Board approves more (LMC 9384.A and B).
- Fence height is measured from finished grade on either side at each point. A fence on a retaining wall or berm must be set back at least 6 inches from the edge of the raised grade, and a wall or fence extension of a different material added to reach the allowed height may be approved by the Community Development Director for color, style and compatibility (LMC 9384.C and D).
- Taller fences, walls and hedges may be authorized by the Development Review Board on a finding of need for lot safety, light, air, open space, street view or aesthetics without harm to neighbors, and the Director can refer a proposal to a public hearing before the Board or the Planning and Environment Commission (LMC 9384.E and K).
- A hedge used in place of a fence counts as a fence if it blocks 50 percent or more of air, light or view in the setback area, and trunks, stems, branches and leaves all count as foliage (LMC 9384.H).
How tall can a fence be in a Lakewood front yard or backyard?
Inside the required front yard setback, and in a side yard that adjoins it, a Lakewood wall, fence or hedge may stand 42 inches overall unless the Development Review Board approves more (LMC 9384.A and B). The R-1 front setback is 20 feet, 10 feet on a cul-de-sac and 14 feet in Lakewood Gardens. Behind that line, in the rear yard and in side yards behind the front yard, the limit is 7 feet 6 inches. A hedge counts as a fence when it blocks 50 percent or more of air, light or view in the setback, and trunks, stems, branches and leaves all count as foliage.
Height is measured from finished grade on either side at each point, so a yard a few inches higher than the neighbor's can cost you those inches. A fence on a retaining wall or berm must sit at least 6 inches back from the edge of the raised grade. If you add a different material to reach the allowed height, the Community Development Director can approve it for color, style and compatibility.
Draw the 42 inch line on the plot plan before you pick a style.
Does fence installation in Lakewood need a building permit, and why does Planning come first?
Lakewood's building code exempts wire fences up to 12 feet and other fences up to 6 feet from a permit, while masonry walls over 42 inches fall under the code (LMC 8102.b). The City's pages then pull the other way: the Homeowner Project Guide lists fences and block walls among permit projects, and the Planning Review page lists walls and fences among the jobs that start with Planning. The safe reading is that a 6 foot wood fence needs no building permit but still goes through Planning first, so ask which rule your fence falls under.
The City links footing spec sheets for block walls and fences, revised in August 2019, but we could not read those PDFs, so what you read here rests on the Municipal Code and the City's web pages. Walls that need plan check go through the OpenGov online permit center after Planning signs off. The Contact page says TRB+ Associates provides inspection support, while the About page says Los Angeles County inspects by contract, and office hours differ between pages. Call 562-866-9771, extension 2350 and ask who inspects and when.
What does a block wall in Lakewood need, and which contractor builds it?
Any masonry wall over 42 inches is subject to the code, and the Homeowner Project Guide adds that retaining walls over 3 feet high need a building permit. Where a non-residential lot sides or rears on an R-1 or R-A lot, LMC 9375 requires a reinforced 6 foot block or masonry wall on that line, though nothing taller than 42 inches may stand in a required front setback.
Who builds it matters. CSLB's C-13 fencing class excludes masonry walls, and block walls fall under C-29 masonry, so a company that quotes both a wood fence and a block wall should name the licensed mason. Lakewood also sits on a flat plain, and the County's copy of the State seismic layer puts 218 of 256 sample points inside the city (85.2 percent) in a liquefaction zone. Only a soils report speaks for a given lot, so ask whether a tall wall needs an engineer's footing detail.
What are Lakewood's pool fence rules for height, gates and latches?
A pool, pond or other water 18 inches or deeper needs a fence or solid structure at least 5 feet high, with openings no larger than 50 square inches, or a rectangular opening no wider than 4 inches (LMC 8010 and 8012). Gates must self-close and self-latch, with the latch at least 4.5 feet above the ground, and neither double gates nor garage doors can form part of the barrier. The pool or its surrounding fence needs a Building Department permit.
For wood barriers the code names redwood or pressure-treated posts at least 3 by 3 inches, no more than 10 feet apart and 18 inches in the ground, with boards at least 1/2 inch thick on two rails of at least 2 by 3 inches. A masonry barrier needs a footing at least 12 inches wide and 6 inches thick, 12 inches below grade. The City also links a Swimming Pool Fencing Requirements sheet that we could not read, so an iron or glass barrier is a question for plan check.
What is different about fences along the San Gabriel River, driveways and sharp wire in Lakewood?
Rear lot line fences along the West San Gabriel River Open Space Area, between Shadeway Road on the north and Carson Street on the south, may reach 8 feet without Board review if they follow the City's color, material and construction standards on file (LMC 9384.I). Elsewhere, taller fences, walls or hedges need the Board to find a need for safety, light, air, open space, street view or aesthetics without harm to neighbors, and the Director can send a proposal to a public hearing.
Fences, walls and hedges may not narrow a driveway, yours or a neighbor's, below 8 feet 6 inches without a Conditional Use Permit. Barbed wire, other sharp pointed fences and electrically charged wire are barred citywide without a Planning Commission permit (LMC 8014). Inside the front yard safety zone of LMC 9320.K, nothing over 42 inches may stand in the two 15 foot driveway visibility triangles, within 10 feet of a sidewalk within half a mile of a school, library or park, or within 4 feet of the front property line.
Who pays for a shared fence in Lakewood, and what about drainage and utilities?
California Civil Code 841 presumes that neighbors share the cost of a boundary fence equally, and it asks the owner who wants to build to give written notice 30 days before incurring costs. The presumption can be rebutted. R-1 side yards are only 4 feet wide, so a few inches of misplaced fence show up fast, and a survey beats a guess about where the line runs.
The Homeowner Project Guide says Lakewood lots were graded to drain to the street or a drainage course, and that new fences, walls or walkways can change that drainage. LMC 9387 bars grade changes that divert runoff onto a neighbor, so ask whether a solid wall or footing will block the old runoff path. Anyone digging post holes must call 811 (DigAlert) at least two working days ahead, which the City describes as required by law. Work hours are 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
How much does fence installation cost in Lakewood, and how do I hire a fence company?
We found no Lakewood fence price survey, so this page prints no Lakewood figure. Our planning range comes from Angi, HomeGuide, Thumbtack and Fixr for Los Angeles and is checked against federal wage data: $25 to $55 per linear foot installed for a 6 foot wood or vinyl privacy fence, $12 to $30 for chain-link and $35 to $85 for aluminum or ornamental iron. That puts a 100 foot backyard run at roughly $2,500 to $5,500. The Bureau of Labor Statistics put the mean wage of fence erectors in the Los Angeles area at $28.00 an hour in May 2025. Confidence is medium, and block walls and gate operators have no independent source, so expect a quote, not a number.
Check the license before the price. Ask the fence company for its CSLB number and for the license number and certificate of insurance of any subcontractor, and read our guide to checking a contractor's license for what the record shows. Business and Professions Code 7159 requires a written contract and limits a deposit to $1,000 or 10 percent, whichever is less.
Fence photos from Lakewood and nearby communities
Six fence and gate scenes tied to Lakewood's flat tract streets and to nearby communities such as Hawaiian Gardens, Cerritos and Bellflower, from footings and block to wood, iron and pool barriers.
Where the Lakewood fence numbers come from
The per-foot ranges come from Los Angeles sources, and the table on our fencing price page names each publisher and date. To see how a general contractor splits a fence job among licensed trades, read the note on how general contractors use subcontractors. Fences often follow other exterior work, and Lakewood's rules for those are on the roofing page, the painting page and the Lakewood overview.
| 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 |
Lakewood fence questions, answered
Do I need a permit to build a fence in Lakewood?
Usually not a building permit for a fence up to 6 feet, but always check Planning first. LMC 8102.b exempts wood fences up to 6 feet and wire fences up to 12 feet, yet the City lists walls and fences among the projects that start with Planning, and masonry over 42 inches needs a permit.
What is the maximum height for a backyard fence in Lakewood?
7 feet 6 inches in the rear yard and in side yards behind the front yard, under LMC 9384. Fence height is measured from finished grade on either side at each point. The Development Review Board can approve taller fences on a finding of need, and rear lots on the San Gabriel River open space may reach 8 feet.
Can I put up a 7ft fence?
In a rear or side yard behind the front setback, yes, since the height limit there is 7 feet 6 inches. The catch is permits: the building code exempts fences only up to 6 feet, so a 7 foot fence may need plan check. The City's pages are not clear, so ask Building and Safety first.
How tall can a front yard fence be in Lakewood?
42 inches overall inside the required front yard setback and in a side yard that adjoins it, unless the Development Review Board approves more. The front yard safety rules also keep anything over 42 inches out of the driveway visibility triangles and out of a 4 foot strip along the front property line.
How much does 200 ft of fencing cost?
At our planning range of $25 to $55 per foot, 200 feet of 6 foot wood or vinyl privacy fence works out to about $5,000 to $11,000, and chain-link at $12 to $30 per foot to about $2,400 to $6,000. Those are Los Angeles ranges. Lakewood has no published survey, so get a measured quote.
Can I install my own backyard fence?
Yes, with care. The City's owner-builder rules let an owner act on their own property, and a fence up to 6 feet needs no building permit, but Planning review still applies. Call 811 two working days before digging, check the 7 feet 6 inch limit and keep the footings off the neighbor's side.
Who pays for a fence between neighbors?
California Civil Code 841 presumes both owners share the cost of a boundary fence equally, and the owner who wants to build should give written notice at least 30 days before incurring costs. The presumption can be rebutted, for example when one neighbor asks for a taller or fancier fence than needed.
How much do fencing contractors cost?
Installed prices for Los Angeles run about $25 to $55 per linear foot for wood or vinyl privacy fence, $12 to $30 for chain-link and $35 to $85 for aluminum or iron. Labor is a large share, since the federal mean wage for fence erectors there is $28.00 an hour. A written line-item quote is the real price.
What are the new fence rules in California in 2026?
We found no new statewide fence height rule. A Board of Forestry ember-resistant zone for the first 5 feet around homes was reported in 2026, but sources conflict on whether it took effect, so we do not rely on it. In Lakewood, the County's CAL FIRE layer lists the sampled city as Non-Wildland.
What does a pool fence need in Lakewood?
At least 5 feet of height with no opening larger than 50 square inches for water 18 inches or deeper, and a gate that self-closes and self-latches with the latch at least 4.5 feet up. A double gate or a garage door cannot serve as the barrier, and a Building Department permit is required.
Plan your fence project in Lakewood
Tell us which yard the fence faces, how long the run is and whether a pool or a driveway is nearby. We sketch the 42 inch and 7 foot 6 inch lines before anything is quoted.