Oxnard fence rules and permits

A plain-English guide for Oxnard, California homeowners. Always confirm with the city before work starts. Rules change.

Do you need a permit?

Depends. The city says wood, chain link, vinyl and wrought iron fences not over 6 feet high on a single-family home generally do not need a building permit. Block walls 3 feet 6 inches or taller (measured from the bottom of the footing) do need one. Retaining walls 3 feet or taller may need a building permit and may also need a grading permit. Call Building and Engineering with your height, material and length before you start.

Who to ask: City of Oxnard Building and Engineering (website)

The rules

• A third-party summary of the city code says solid fences and walls in a front yard are limited to 18 inches. Open-work fences and hedges in a front yard can go to 42 inches if they are at least half open. Confirm with the city.
• The same summary says side and rear lot line fences can go to 7 feet, and a fence on the street side of a corner lot to 6 feet. Confirm with the city.
• Block walls 3 feet 6 inches and taller, measured from the bottom of the footing, need a building permit.
• Retaining walls 3 feet and taller, measured from the bottom of the footing, need a building permit. They might also need a grading permit.
• Barbed wire, broken glass and sharp or dangerous objects on fences are banned citywide, with limited farm and industrial exceptions.
• A fence or wall in a city right of way or on city land needs an encroachment permit. Fences are not allowed in the parkway between the street and the sidewalk.
• A rear fence along an alley must leave room for trash containers: at least 6 feet wide, 30 inches deep and 4 feet tall.
• In California, neighbors who share a dividing fence are presumed to split the reasonable cost equally, and you must give 30 days written notice before you spend money on it.

HOAs

Some Oxnard neighborhoods, including gated and master-planned areas near the harbor, have HOAs. Check your rules and get approval in writing before you sign a fence contract.

Call before you dig

DigAlert (Southern California 811): dial 811. call at least 2 working days before digging, and no more than 14 calendar days ahead. The call is free.

Local conditions

Oxnard has a mild, coastal Mediterranean climate. Summer highs average about 74 degrees and winter highs about 66. Most of the 15 or so inches of yearly rain falls in winter, and it is dry from late April to mid-October.

• Salt air and ocean moisture eat metal. Standard galvanized chain link, plain steel and ordinary hardware rust faster near the coast.
• Vinyl and powder-coated aluminum with stainless steel screws and hardware are the lowest-risk picks near the water, according to fence industry guides.
• Wood needs a sealer or stain every few years to handle damp marine air and sun.
• Afternoon winds blow off the ocean, mostly from the west or northwest. Tight solid panels catch more wind than open styles, so posts should be set deep.
• Oxnard sits on a flat coastal plain built from river silt, sand and gravel. Ask your pro about post depth and footing for your lot.

Good to know

• Oxnard became a city on June 30, 1903. The 2020 census counted 202,063 people, making it the largest city in Ventura County.
• Oxnard sits on the Oxnard Plain, a farm area known for strawberries. It is California's largest strawberry producer.
• Oxnard averages about 15.6 inches of rain a year. The rain-free stretch runs from April 29 to October 12.
• Oxnard's record high is 105 degrees and its record low is 26 degrees.
• Oxnard's city water comes from three sources: city groundwater, United Water and Calleguas water.
• The Oxnard Plain is among the parts of Ventura County most at risk for liquefaction in an earthquake, so soil matters for walls and footings.
• Oxnard Shores and Channel Islands are beachfront and harbor neighborhoods, where salt air is the main wear on fences.