Fences and walls in Moreno Valley: the local rules

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

What Moreno Valley's code says

Moreno Valley code What Moreno Valley's code adds
Front yard height	No more than 3 feet. Applies: Solid fence or wall in a required residential front yard, outside drivers' lines of sight at street intersections. § 9.08.070 · code text Any solid fence or wall located outside of vehicle lines-of-sight at street intersections shall not exceed three feet in height No more than 6 feet. Applies: Open fence or wall in a required residential front yard, outside drivers' lines of sight at street intersections. § 9.08.070 · code text any open fence or wall shall not exceed six feet in height. Up to 3 feet. Applies: Retaining walls in any front yard. § 9.08.070 · code text Retaining walls up to three feet in height are allowed within any front yard. Up to 3 feet. Applies: Open fence built directly on top of a retaining wall that faces the outside of the property. § 9.08.070 · code text an open fence up to three feet in height may be built directly on top of the retaining wall Up to 3 feet. Applies: Solid fence or wall built directly on top of a retaining wall that faces the inside of the property. § 9.08.070 · code text a solid fence or wall up to three feet in height, or an open fence up to six feet in height, may be built directly on top of the retaining wall Up to 6 feet. Applies: Open fence built directly on top of a retaining wall that faces the inside of the property. § 9.08.070 · code text a solid fence or wall up to three feet in height, or an open fence up to six feet in height, may be built directly on top of the retaining wall
Side and rear yard height	No more than 6 feet, measured from finished grade. Applies: Wall or fence along a side or rear yard in residential developments; up to 8 feet where grade differences between sites call for it. § 9.08.070 · code text Except as described below, a wall or fence along any side yard or rear yard shall not exceed six feet in height, as measured from the finished grade. No more than 8 feet. Applies: Side or rear yard where height differences between neighboring sites call for more height to keep screening. § 9.08.070 · code text provided that the height of such wall or fence does not exceed eight feet No more than 6 feet. Applies: Retaining walls in a side or rear yard, except on the line between 2 residential parcels. § 9.08.070 · code text Retaining walls within any side yard or rear yard shall not exceed six feet in height No more than 3 feet. Applies: Retaining walls on the line between 2 residential parcels. § 9.08.070 · code text except where they are located on the boundary between two residential parcels, in which case they shall not exceed three feet in height. No more than 8 feet of solid surface in total. Applies: Retaining wall plus wall or fence, combined, in a side or rear yard. § 9.08.070 · code text The combined height of retaining wall, wall and or fence shall not exceed eight feet of solid surface A 6-foot retaining wall must be at least 3 feet from the side or rear property line. Applies: Residential side or rear yards. On the line between 2 residential parcels, retaining walls may not exceed 3 feet. § 9.08.070 · code text A six-foot high retaining wall may be placed three feet or more from the side or rear property line Solid and open fencing together may be no more than 12 feet high. Applies: Fencing above a retaining wall facing a street or public view, side or rear yard; solid parts at most 8 feet; community development director approval. § 9.08.070 · code text the combined surface area of solid and open fencing shall not exceed 12 feet in height subject to approval by the community development director.
Permit	Yes. An encroachment permit from the city engineer is required. Applies: Any fence or wall in a city right-of-way. § 9.08.070 · code text No fence or wall shall be placed within a city right-of-way without approval of an encroachment permit by the city engineer for such fence or wall.

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Frequently asked questions

How tall can a fence be in Moreno Valley?

Moreno Valley limits solid front-yard fences to 3 ft and open ones to 6 ft; side and rear yard fences to 6 ft.

Fences and walls in Moreno Valley

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What Moreno Valley's code says

Who this affects

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