Fence Companyin Redondo Beach, CA
A fence company in Redondo Beach starts with height: 42 inches inside a required front setback and 6 feet inside a side or rear setback. Wood fences up to 6 feet and masonry fences up to 5 feet skip a building permit unless they retain earth, but a fence near the beach may need a coastal determination first.
Fence lines in Redondo Beach follow two eras. South Redondo's Original Townsite, a National Register district registered in 1988, holds houses and small apartment buildings from the 1890s to the 1930s, while most of the city came later, with 25.2 percent of its units built in the 1970s and 16.7 percent in the 1960s. Only 12,301 of the 30,753 units, or 40.0 percent, are detached houses, so a property line here is often shared with a condo building or a rental, and 46.6 percent of households rent.
On a fence job, MDG Builders (CSLB #1040337) works as the general contractor. We measure, draw the plan, check the City's height rules and manage the calendar, and a licensed C-13 fencing subcontractor, or a masonry subcontractor for block, does the building. Our fencing page holds the sourced price table, and Torrance and Carson set their own fence limits, so the numbers below do not carry across city lines.
What Redondo Beach's zoning and building code say about fences
Where fencing permits come from in Redondo Beach: City of Redondo Beach Community Development Department, Building and Safety Division.
- Wood fences up to 6 feet tall (including concrete or masonry pilasters) and masonry or concrete fences up to 5 feet tall are exempt from a building permit in Redondo Beach, unless the fence is built on a slope and retains earth (RBMC 9-1.02, 105.2 item 2). Anything taller or retaining earth needs a permit.
- In every residential zone no fence, hedge or wall taller than 42 inches is allowed within a required front setback, and none taller than 6 feet within a required rear or side setback; height is measured from existing grade (RBMC 10-2.1524(b)). Security fencing required by local, state or federal law is not reduced by this rule.
- On corner lots no tree, fence, shrub or other obstruction higher than 36 inches above sidewalk grade is allowed within a triangle formed by the front and side lot lines and a diagonal between points 15 feet along each line, and a similar triangle applies where a lot meets a street and an alley (RBMC 10-2.1524(d)). Reverse corner lots have a 42-inch limit in a triangle at the corner next to the key lot's front setback.
- Where a residential zone meets a commercial or industrial zone on a property line, a wall of at least 6 feet and no more than 8 feet is required (but 42 inches where it abuts the residential front setback), and multi-family projects need a 6-foot decorative masonry wall along side and rear boundaries (RBMC 10-2.1524(c)).
- The Building Division links a Property Line Wall Agreement form and an Information Bulletin on CMU block wall detail (IB 0123); the PDFs were not read, so no footing or reinforcing detail is stated.
- In the Coastal Zone, improvements to an existing single-family home including fences are exempt from a CDP, except that on property between the sea and the first public road paralleling the sea (or within 300 feet of a beach), a 'significant detached structure such as a garage, fence' is not exempt (RBMC 10-5.2208(a)(1)(c)(3)). A fence in that band should get an exemption determination from the Community Development Director first.
- For a landmark or property in a historic district, walls, fences and gates count as exterior architectural features, so replacing or altering one visible from the street needs a Certificate of Appropriateness; on potential historic resources, fencing is excluded from advisory review (RBMC 10-4.104, 10-4.401 and 10-4.501).
- Fence, hedge or wall height is measured from existing grade, except in a required front or exterior side setback where finished grade is lower than existing grade and height is then measured from finished grade, so cutting a front yard down does not buy extra wall height (RBMC 10-2.1524(b)).
How tall can a fence be in a Redondo Beach front yard?
In every residential zone, RBMC 10-2.1524(b) caps a fence, hedge or wall at 42 inches inside a required front setback and at 6 feet inside a required rear or side setback. The text is on eCode360. On an R-1 lot the front setback averages the lesser of 25 percent of lot depth or 25 feet and never falls below 20 feet, so the low limit covers a front strip at least 20 feet deep.
Height is measured from existing grade. Where finished grade in a front or exterior side setback sits lower than existing grade, you measure from the finished grade, so cutting a yard down does not buy extra wall height. On a corner lot nothing above 36 inches over sidewalk grade may stand inside a triangle formed by the lot lines and a diagonal between points 15 feet along each, and a similar triangle applies where a lot meets an alley. A reverse corner lot has its own 42 inch triangle.
The rule names hedges as well as fences and walls, so a tall privet along the sidewalk is limited the same way.
Do you need a permit to build a fence in Redondo Beach, and can you build a 7 foot fence?
RBMC 9-1.02 exempts wood fences up to 6 feet tall, counting any concrete or masonry pilasters, and masonry or concrete fences up to 5 feet tall, from a building permit, unless the fence stands on a slope and holds back earth. Taller fences and walls that retain soil need a permit. Being exempt from a building permit does not exempt a fence from zoning, so the height limits above still apply.
A 7 foot fence fails twice. It is over the 6 foot permit exemption for wood, and it is over the 6 foot zoning cap in a required side or rear setback. Ask Planning before stacking lattice or a trellis on top, because we did not read how the City measures it.
Starting regulated work before the permit costs double the permit fees plus enforcement costs (RBMC 9-1.03). The Building and Safety Division takes applications through the iWorQ portal, and the City's own list of work exempt from permits is a PDF we could not read, so call (310) 318-0636 before you rely on an exemption.
Does a new fence near the beach need a Coastal Development Permit in Redondo Beach?
Redondo Beach issues its own Coastal Development Permits under a certified Local Coastal Program. The Coastal Commission certified the Land Use Plan in 1981, inland Area One in 2003 and the Harbor-Pier Area Two in 2010 under Measure G. Of 178 sample points laid across the city's land, 29 fell inside the 1977 Coastal Zone boundary, which suggests the zone covers a bit under a sixth of the city along the western shoreline. It is a sample, so the boundary map in RBMC 10-5.2202 decides any address.
Fences on an existing single-family home are normally exempt from a coastal permit (RBMC 10-5.2208). The exception is the band between the sea and the first public road along it, or within 300 feet of a beach, where a significant detached structure such as a garage or fence is not exempt. A fence there should get an exemption determination from the Community Development Director first. Work within 50 feet of a coastal bluff edge or seaward of the mean high tide line is outside the exemption entirely.
Unpermitted coastal development blocks new applications on that property until a permit also covers it (RBMC 10-5.2206(d)). Ordinance 3309-25 amends the coastal ordinance and awaits Coastal Commission certification, so ask Planning which text applies.
What changes if you want a block wall instead of a wood fence in Redondo Beach?
CSLB treats the two as different trades. Fencing is class C-13 and it excludes masonry walls, which belong to C-29 Masonry, so a block wall goes to a masonry subcontractor. The City's forms page links an Information Bulletin on block wall detail (IB 0123) and a Property Line Wall Agreement. We did not open either PDF, so this page states no footing or reinforcing detail. Ask Building and Safety for both before a block bid is final.
Where a residential lot meets a commercial or industrial zone, the code requires a wall of at least 6 and no more than 8 feet, and multi-family projects need a 6 foot decorative masonry wall along side and rear boundaries (RBMC 10-2.1524(c)).
Posts and footings mean digging. The City's Construction Project Resource Guide says a DIG-ALERT ID number must be issued before a Permit to Excavate is valid, and utility lines and easements may need to be located or moved. Call DigAlert before an auger touches the ground.
Who pays for a shared fence between Redondo Beach properties?
That is state law, not City code. California Civil Code section 841 presumes adjoining owners share the cost of a boundary fence equally when both benefit, and it asks the owner who wants to build or repair to give the neighbor 30 days' written notice before running up costs. The presumption can be rebutted, and a fence built unnecessarily above 10 feet to annoy a neighbor is a private nuisance under section 841.4.
Rentals complicate the conversation. With 46.6 percent of households renting, the person to notify is often a landlord or an HOA, and on a rented lot the owner signs the contract, not the tenant.
Find the line before you price the fence. A recorded map or a surveyor's stakes settle where it runs, and a wall built on the line may need the City's Property Line Wall Agreement.
What do driveway gates and landmark fences need in Redondo Beach?
A single-family driveway must be at least 9 feet wide, up to 20 feet for a two-car garage, and an older access narrower than 9 feet may continue only if new development does not encroach on it (RBMC 10-2.1704(b)(4)). A new wall, pier or gate should not squeeze a driveway. Each lot is limited to one curb cut, and front yards cannot be used for parking outside approved driveways.
On a landmark or a property in a historic district, walls, fences and gates count as exterior architectural features, so replacing or changing one visible from the street needs a Certificate of Appropriateness (RBMC 10-4.104 and 10-4.401). For a potential historic resource from the City's inventory, fencing is excluded from the advisory review. The City's landmark list runs to well over 100 properties, many on Gertruda Avenue, Garnet Street and Avenue C.
A powered gate adds electrical work. We did not find which license class covers gate operators, so ask the bidder who holds that permit.
How much does fence installation cost in Redondo Beach, and how do you hire a fence company?
We found no Redondo Beach fence price survey. Reading Angi's Los Angeles page (August 2026), Angi's national guide, HomeGuide, Thumbtack and Fixr together gives a planning range of $25 to $55 per linear foot for a 6 foot wood or vinyl fence, $12 to $30 for chain-link and $35 to $85 for aluminum or ornamental iron, or roughly $2,500 to $5,500 for a 100 foot backyard run. Block walls, horizontal slat fences and gates have no independent price, so the written proposal sets them. Permit fees are extra.
Wood has a pest question. UC IPM says drywood termites are most prevalent in southern California and infest decks and fences, so ask about termite-resistant wood or concrete footers where wood meets soil.
Check the CSLB record for class C-13, then the contract: Business and Professions Code 7159 caps a down payment at $1,000 or 10 percent, whichever is less. Our license-checking guide shows what the record reveals, and you can ask for the fencing subcontractor's license number on an MDG job.
Fence photos from Redondo Beach and nearby communities
Six fence and gate scenes tied to Redondo Beach streets and to nearby Hermosa Beach and Torrance, with slat, picket, block and iron work shown in coastal light.
Where the Redondo Beach fence numbers come from
Every dollar figure here is a Los Angeles or national number, listed with its source and date in the table on our fencing price page. The article on how general contractors use subcontractors explains who answers for the posts, the concrete and the gate hardware. A new fence often follows other work, so see the Redondo Beach pages for roof repair, house painting and kitchen remodeling, or the Redondo Beach 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 |
Other work we manage in Redondo Beach
Redondo Beach fence company and fence installation questions, answered
How tall can my front fence be in Redondo Beach?
The limit is 42 inches inside a required front setback, measured from existing grade, under RBMC 10-2.1524(b). The rule covers fences, hedges and walls. On an R-1 lot that front strip is at least 20 feet deep, and corner lots add a 36 inch sight triangle at the street corner.
Do I need a permit to build a fence in Redondo Beach?
Not always. Wood fences up to 6 feet and masonry or concrete fences up to 5 feet are exempt from a building permit, unless they retain earth on a slope. Zoning height limits and, near the beach, a coastal check still apply. Call Building and Safety at (310) 318-0636 before relying on the exemption.
Can I put up a 7ft fence?
In Redondo Beach, probably not as a plain fence. Seven feet exceeds the 6 foot building permit exemption for wood and the 6 foot zoning cap inside a required side or rear setback. Ask Planning whether any taller design could qualify, and expect a permit review if it does.
How much should a 100 ft fence cost in Redondo Beach?
Our planning range for 100 feet of 6 foot wood or vinyl privacy fence is about $2,500 to $5,500, from $25 to $55 per linear foot, drawn from Angi, HomeGuide, Thumbtack and Fixr. Gates, slopes, removal and permit fees move it, and a measured written proposal sets the real price.
Does a fence near the beach need a coastal permit in Redondo Beach?
Usually not for an existing single-family home, but a fence between the sea and the first public road, or within 300 feet of a beach, is not covered by the exemption. Ask the Community Development Director for an exemption determination before building. The City, not the Coastal Commission, issues the permit.
Does my neighbor have to pay for half the fence in California?
Under Civil Code section 841, adjoining owners are presumed to share the cost of a boundary fence equally when both benefit, but the presumption can be rebutted. The owner who wants the work should give 30 days' written notice before incurring costs. This is a civil matter, not a Redondo Beach permit rule.
What happens if I don't have a permit for a fence?
In Redondo Beach, where a permit was required, starting work first costs double the permit fees plus enforcement costs under RBMC 9-1.03. On coastal property, unpermitted development also blocks new applications until a coastal permit covers it. We found no published retroactive process, so ask Building and Safety before you finish the fence.
Do I need a permit for a block wall in Redondo Beach?
A masonry or concrete fence up to 5 feet is exempt from a building permit unless it retains earth, and anything taller or retaining needs one. The City links a block wall bulletin (IB 0123) we did not read, so confirm footing and reinforcing requirements with Building and Safety before bidding.
Is it cheaper to install a wood or vinyl fence?
Sources disagree. Angi's national guide lists wood at $10 to $45 per foot and vinyl at $15 to $40, while HomeGuide lists wood at $20 to $50 and vinyl at $30 to $60. Our planning range for either 6 foot privacy fence is $25 to $55 per linear foot installed.
What fence rules apply on a corner lot in Redondo Beach?
Nothing taller than 36 inches above sidewalk grade may stand inside the sight triangle formed by the front and side lot lines and a diagonal between points 15 feet along each, and a similar triangle applies at an alley. Reverse corner lots have a 42 inch limit in their triangle (RBMC 10-2.1524(d)).
Describe your Redondo Beach fence
Tell us the street, the height you want, which side of the house it runs along and whether the lot is near the water, and we plan the site visit around the setback and coastal questions.