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La Palma · Building on your lot

Fences and walls in La Palma

City code limits fences to 4.5 feet in the required front yard setback and 8 feet in side and rear yards.

Key points

  • Fence height: City code limits fences to 4.5 feet in the required front yard setback and 8 feet in side and rear yards.

Each rule below links to the section of the La Palma Municipal Code it was read from, with the code text one click away (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

What La Palma's code says

La Palma code What La Palma's code adds
Corner visibility
  • No more than 3 feet tall.
    Applies: Inside the traffic safety triangle.
    § 44-262 · code text
    Traffic safety triangle ( Section 44-276 ) | 3 feet
Height anywhere on the lot
  • Walls, fences, hedges or lattice can be no more than 8 feet tall, unless a precise plan approves otherwise.
    Applies: Along an arterial highway, a local street or other public easement.
    § 44-262 · code text
    The maximum height of a wall, fence, hedge, or lattice, or any combination of along an arterial highway, a local street, or other public easement shall be eight feet unless otherwise approved by a precise plan.
  • A lattice extension on a wall can add at most 2 feet, and wall plus lattice at most 8 feet.
    Applies: Single Family Residential (R-1) zone only; not in the front setback area.
    § 44-262 · code text
    A lattice extension of a wall shall be no higher than the lesser of two feet in height, or a total height for the wall plus lattice extension of eight feet, centered and mounted securely onto the top course of a wall as shown in figure B-1.
Front yard height
  • No more than 4.5 feet tall.
    Applies: In the front yard, within the required setback area.
    § 44-262 · code text
    Front yard, within the required setback area | 4.5 feet
Side and rear yard height
  • No more than 8 feet tall.
    Applies: Side yard of an interior lot.
    § 44-262 · code text
    Side yard, interior lot | 8 feet
  • No more than 8 feet tall.
    Applies: Side yard of corner and reverse corner lots.
    § 44-262 · code text
    Side yard, corner and reverse corner lots | 8 feet
  • No more than 8 feet tall.
    Applies: Rear yard.
    § 44-262 · code text
    Rear yard | 8 feet
Permit
  • A building permit is required.
    Applies: All block walls over 3 feet tall, and any extension to an existing block wall.
    § 44-262 · code text
    All block walls over three feet high and any extension to existing block walls shall require building permits from the Community Development Department.
  • Community Development Director approval and a building permit are required.
    Applies: Adding lattice to raise a block wall.
    § 44-262 · code text
    A height extension using lattice to a block wall shall require Community Development Director Approval and a building permit.

Who this affects

HomeownersContractorsDesigners

Frequently asked questions

How tall can a fence be in La Palma?

City code limits fences to 4.5 feet in the required front yard setback and 8 feet in side and rear yards.

General information, not legal advice.

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