Fence Companyin Pomona, CA
A fence company in Pomona builds to a stricter limit than the state: 4.5 feet in most single-unit front yards, half open above 3 feet, 6 feet on side and rear lines, and no chain-link in front or side yards. A 7 foot fence needs no state building permit but would fail Pomona zoning.
A fence in Pomona is a zoning question before it is a carpentry one. The City replaced its conventional zones with a module system on July 1, 2024, so the height of a fence now depends on which Form, Frontage and Use modules the lot carries. About 58.5 percent of the city's 44,805 housing units are detached houses, according to the Census Bureau's 2024 estimates, and about 39.8 percent of all units were built before 1960, long before the current rules existed.
Pomona's limits are tighter than the state's, so a quote that ignores them can cost you a rebuild. On a fence job MDG Builders (CSLB #1040337) does the zoning research, the permit question and the neighbor paperwork as general contractor, and a licensed fencing subcontractor builds the fence. Our fencing page holds the sourced price table. The rest of the exterior is covered by Pomona roofing and Pomona painting, the Pomona overview lists every trade here, and nearby fence guides exist for Glendale, Pasadena and Los Angeles.
What Pomona's zoning and building codes say about fences
Where fencing permits come from in Pomona: City of Pomona Development Services Department, Building and Safety Division.
- In Pomona's single-unit residential districts (RND1 to RND5) the Frontage modules N1 and N2 allow front-yard fences, walls and hedges up to Frontage Yard Fence Type A3: 4.5 feet maximum height, set back at least 3 feet from the street lot line for utility access, with up to 100 percent opacity below 3 feet and at most 50 percent opacity from 3 feet up. Types A4 and A5 (taller) are not allowed in those front yards.
- Side and rear yard fences and walls follow Fence Type VI in the house Form modules: 6 feet maximum height and at least 0.5 foot from the lot line (Type VII, up to 10 feet, is meant for industrial side and rear yards). Where the grade difference across a fence is under 2 feet, height is measured at the base on the higher side, and a fence within 3 feet of a retaining wall 2 feet or taller is measured to the midpoint of that wall.
- Pomona's fence design rules (Sec. 620.E.3.c) require standard materials such as brick, stone, concrete masonry, stucco, concrete or wood, ban scrap or recycled material (tires, junk, recycled garage doors, sheet metal, plywood), ban chain-link in front and side yards, ban barbed and concertina wire, require the finished side to face outward, bar fences from drainage and utility easements, require all footings on the owner's lot, and require fences to be kept vertical and structurally sound.
- A Pomona retaining wall may not exceed 10 feet. Multiple walls on one lot must be at least 3 feet apart horizontally, a retaining wall in a front yard cannot exceed the front-yard fence type's maximum height, walls over 8 feet must be landscaped, and height is measured from the top of the wall to the lowest adjacent ground. This zoning limit is separate from the state rule that exempts walls up to 4 feet (footing to top) from a building permit unless they hold a surcharge.
- The state permit-exempt list covers fences not over 7 feet, but Pomona's zoning cap for side and rear yard fences is 6 feet and for front yards in RND zones is 4.5 feet, so a 7 foot fence needs no building permit yet would not meet the zoning limit.
- Pomona's pool rules (Sec. 550.C.5) keep a pool and its mechanical equipment at least 5 feet from a rear, side or street side lot line, out of utility easements, and at least 5 feet from any wall of the house if the water surface is over 150 square feet. Municipal Code section 74-293 also requires every pool or spa to be designed by a registered civil or structural engineer (aboveground pools and spas need no site-specific design), and section 74-291 requires a three-foot walkway between a pool and any building.
- On a Pomona historic landmark or in a historic district, building, removing or altering a fence that is not visible from the public right-of-way can be Minor Work; a visible fence is an alteration that needs a Minor Certificate of Appropriateness from the Planning Division, reviewed against the adopted design standards.
- Under California Civil Code 841, neighbors are presumed to share equally the reasonable cost of building, maintaining or replacing a fence that divides their lots unless they agreed otherwise in writing. The owner must give each affected neighbor at least 30 days' written notice describing the problem, the fix, estimated costs, the cost-sharing proposal and the timeline, and a neighbor can rebut the presumption by showing an equal split would be unjust.
Which Pomona zoning rules apply to my fence?
The ones attached to your lot's bracket. Since July 1, 2024, Pomona's Zoning and Development Code has used 32 districts, including five Residential Neighborhood Districts, RND1 to RND5. Each lot on the zoning map carries a bracket naming a Form module, a Frontage module and a Use module, and the fence rules hang off the first two.
Six specific plans can override that: Downtown Pomona, Pomona Corridors, Phillips Ranch, Mountain Meadows, Mission 71 Business Park and the Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center plan. Inside one, the plan sets the standards and the base code only fills gaps, and a Fairplex overlay district covers property tied to the fairgrounds. Ask Planning which bracket and plan your parcel sits in before a fence is drawn.
We read the code on a mirror site because the City's own pages refused our requests, and several of its tables there are text read from images. We cross-checked the numbers below against each other, but treat them as a guide and confirm them with the City.
How tall can a fence be in Pomona, and can I build a 7 foot fence?
In the single-unit districts RND1 to RND5, a front yard fence, wall or hedge under Frontage modules N1 and N2 is limited to Fence Type A3. That means 4.5 feet high, set back at least 3 feet from the street lot line, with up to 100 percent opacity below 3 feet and no more than 50 percent from 3 feet up. The taller Types A4 and A5 are not allowed in those front yards, so a solid front privacy fence is out.
Side and rear yards follow Fence Type VI: 6 feet maximum and at least half a foot from the lot line. Where the ground differs by less than 2 feet across the fence, height is measured at the base on the higher side, and a fence within 3 feet of a retaining wall 2 feet or taller is measured to the midpoint of that wall.
That makes the 7 foot question easy to answer. The state's permit-exempt list covers fences not over 7 feet, but Pomona's zoning cap is 6 feet at the side and rear and 4.5 in the front, so a 7 foot fence needs no building permit and still would not comply.
What materials does Pomona allow for a fence?
Standard ones. The design rules in Section 620.E.3.c call for materials such as brick, stone, concrete masonry, stucco, concrete or wood, and they ban scrap or recycled material like tires, junk, recycled garage doors, sheet metal and plywood. Chain-link is banned in front and side yards, and barbed and concertina wire are banned outright. Chain-link remains possible at the rear, which matters for the cheapest line in our price table.
Because the rule says 'such as', vinyl and ornamental iron are not excluded by name, but ask Planning to confirm how your bracket treats them. Construction details are regulated too: the finished side must face outward, footings must sit entirely on the owner's lot, a fence may not block a drainage or utility easement, and it must be kept vertical and structurally sound. Raise the easement question early, since a rear line is where one is most likely to run.
Block walls and retaining walls: what does Pomona allow?
A Pomona retaining wall may not exceed 10 feet. Multiple walls on one lot must sit at least 3 feet apart horizontally, a retaining wall in a front yard cannot exceed the front-yard fence type's maximum height, walls over 8 feet must be landscaped, and height is measured from the top of the wall to the lowest adjacent ground.
That zoning cap is separate from the state's building permit line, which exempts retaining walls up to 4 feet from the bottom of the footing to the top, unless they hold a surcharge such as a driveway or a slope. A taller wall, or one carrying a load, goes through building review. We found no separate Pomona rule for masonry fences, so a block wall meets the same height caps as any fence, wall or hedge, and the building department decides the structure.
Masonry is also a different license. CSLB's C-13 Fencing class excludes masonry walls, so a block wall is a C-29 Masonry subcontract, which MDG arranges the same way as the fence work.
Fence installation around a Pomona pool
Start with where the pool may go. Section 550.C.5 of the zoning code keeps a pool and its mechanical equipment at least 5 feet from a rear, side or street side lot line, out of utility easements, and at least 5 feet from any wall of the house if the water surface is over 150 square feet. Municipal Code section 74-291 adds a three-foot walkway between a pool and any building.
Section 74-293 requires every pool or spa to be designed by a registered civil or structural engineer, though aboveground pools and spas need no site-specific design. The barrier itself is a state matter. Health and Safety Code 115922 requires two of seven drowning-prevention features when a permit issues for a new or remodeled pool, and the enclosure must meet section 115923. We did not read 115923, so we print no barrier height here; the plan reviewer will give you the number for your pool.
Who pays for a shared fence in Pomona, and what changes in a historic district?
California Civil Code 841 presumes that neighbors share equally the reasonable cost of building, maintaining or replacing a fence that divides their lots, unless they agreed otherwise in writing. The owner who wants the work gives each affected neighbor at least 30 days' written notice of the problem, the fix, estimated costs, the cost-sharing proposal and the timeline. A neighbor can rebut the presumption by showing an equal split would be unjust.
In a Pomona historic district or on a landmark, a fence that cannot be seen from the public right-of-way can be Minor Work, while a visible fence is an alteration that needs a Minor Certificate of Appropriateness from the Planning Division, judged against adopted design standards. That matters most at the front of a house in Lincoln Park, Wilton Heights or Hacienda Park, where the street face is what the district protects. We could not read the standards, so ask what picket style and height Planning expects.
How much does fence installation cost in Pomona, and how do I hire a fence company?
We found no Pomona price survey, so these are Los Angeles planning ranges: about $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. A typical 100 foot backyard run lands around $2,500 to $5,500. They come from the overlap of Angi, HomeGuide, Thumbtack and Fixr, listed with dates on our fencing page, and permit fees are not included.
Block walls, horizontal slat fences, gates with openers and sloped lots have no independent price source, so the written proposal sets them. Fencing is CSLB class C-13, and the CSLB record shows whether a license is active; see our guide to checking a contractor's license.
On an MDG job the contract is with us and a licensed subcontractor builds the fence, with the license number and certificate of insurance available before you sign. The deposit is capped at $1,000 or 10 percent, whichever is less, and the $1,000 unlicensed-work limit set by AB 2622 does not apply when a permit is needed. Our article on how general contractors use subcontractors explains the split.
Fence and gate photos from Pomona and nearby communities
Six fence scenes tied to Pomona streets such as Lincoln Park and Phillips Ranch and to nearby communities like Claremont and Montclair, from wood privacy runs to block walls and gates.
Where the fence numbers come from
Every per-foot figure on this page is a Los Angeles planning range, and the table with each source and date is on the fencing cost page. Because the sources disagree at the low end, ask for a measured written proposal that separates removal of the old fence, gates and any permit fee.
| 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 |
Pomona fence questions, answered
How much does a new fence cost in Pomona?
We found no Pomona price survey. In Los Angeles, planning ranges are about $25 to $55 per linear foot installed for wood or vinyl privacy fencing, which puts a 100 foot backyard run near $2,500 to $5,500. Block walls, slat fences and gates have no independent price source, so the written proposal sets them.
How tall can a fence be in the front yard in Pomona?
In the single-unit districts, 4.5 feet, set back at least 3 feet from the street lot line, with no more than 50 percent opacity above 3 feet. That is Fence Type A3 under the Frontage modules N1 and N2. Lots in a specific plan area or a historic district can carry different rules, so confirm the bracket with Planning.
Can I put up a 7 foot fence in Pomona?
Not under Pomona zoning. The state's permit-exempt list covers fences up to 7 feet, but the City caps side and rear fences at 6 feet and single-unit front yard fences at 4.5 feet. Avoiding a building permit does not avoid the height limit, so a 7 foot fence would still need to come down or be cut back.
Do I need a permit to build a fence in Pomona?
Usually not a building permit for a standard wood or vinyl fence up to 7 feet, but zoning still applies, and a retaining wall over 4 feet, a pool barrier or a fence in a historic district brings in review. The City's own pages refused our requests, so ask Building and Safety before you sign.
Is chain-link allowed in a Pomona front yard?
No. Pomona's design rules ban chain-link in front and side yards, and barbed and concertina wire are banned everywhere. Chain-link is still possible at the rear. Because the cheapest fence type is excluded from the yards people see, the practical low-cost options for front and side lines are wood or masonry.
Does my neighbor have to pay for half the fence in California?
Presumably yes, for a fence that divides your lots. Civil Code 841 treats the reasonable cost of building, maintaining or replacing it as shared equally unless you agreed otherwise in writing. You must give 30 days' written notice with the fix, the estimate and the cost-sharing proposal, and a neighbor can argue the split is unjust.
Is it cheaper to install a wood or vinyl fence?
Their ranges overlap, so the difference is small and depends on grade and height. Angi's national guide lists wood at $10 to $45 per foot and vinyl at $15 to $40, while HomeGuide puts vinyl higher at $30 to $60. Wood needs staining and checking for termites; vinyl costs more up front and has fewer repair options.
Do I need a permit for a block wall or retaining wall in Pomona?
A block wall goes through building review for its structure. Under the state exempt list, a retaining wall needs a permit once it is over 4 feet from footing to top or holds a surcharge. Pomona's zoning also caps retaining walls at 10 feet and requires 3 feet between walls on one lot. A masonry wall is C-29 work, not fencing.
Can I install my own backyard fence in Pomona?
Nothing in the Pomona code text we read stops an owner, but the same limits bind you: 6 feet at the side and rear, half a foot from the lot line, footings on your own lot and the finished side facing out. Check for an easement first, and send the neighbor the Civil Code 841 notice if you want a cost share.
How do I choose a fence company or fence installation contractor in Pomona?
Check the CSLB license, class C-13 for fencing or C-29 for masonry walls, then ask for a written proposal that states height, materials, footing depth, gates and who pulls any permit. The deposit may not exceed $1,000 or 10 percent, whichever is less. Ask whether the crew knows Pomona's front yard limit before drawing begins.
Plan your fence project in Pomona
Send the address, the length you want to enclose and whether any part is front yard, beside a pool or in a historic district. We check the bracket and review questions before we call back.