A few things to consider before you install a fence in Altadena. These are general guidelines — always confirm current requirements with the County before you start.
📏
Front Yard Height
Altadena's Community Standards District is more generous than the County baseline of 42 inches. On a standard interior lot, a front-yard fence or wall may reach 6 feet as long as everything above 42 inches is open and non-view-obscuring (at least 80 percent transparent), while the driveway zone on each side of the driveway stays at 42 inches. Chain link over 42 inches is allowed only when fully covered with live plants.
🧱
Side & Rear Yard Height
Interior side and rear yards follow the County standard of 6 feet, and retaining walls within required yards may also reach 6 feet. On a corner or reversed corner lot, the front yard is capped at 42 inches within 10 feet of the right-of-way line and the street-side yard at 42 inches within 5 feet of the street, rising to 6 feet beyond those lines. The County applies the same height limits to hedges as to fences.
📋
When You Need a Permit
In unincorporated Altadena, a building permit from County Public Works is required for fences or freestanding block walls over 6 feet, for retaining walls over 4 feet measured from the bottom of the footing, and for any retaining wall supporting a slope or surcharge. A fence on top of a retaining wall needs a permit unless it is open style and the whole structure stays within 6 feet, and zoning approval from Regional Planning can still apply to exempt fences.
🚦
Corner Lots & Sight Lines
Rather than a fixed corner triangle, Altadena's CSD defines a driveway zone: a triangle on each side of the driveway running from a point 10 feet back from the street line out at 45 degrees to the curb, where fences, walls and plants are capped at 42 inches. Any request to exceed the fence standards requires a line-of-sight study, and Public Works may review anything placed next to a driveway that affects sight distance.
Good to Know
If your home is part of an HOA, check your community's CC&Rs before installing — many HOAs add their own material and height rules on top of the County's. Building a pool or spa? California's Pool Safety Act (Health & Safety Code §115922–115923) requires at least two independent, approved drowning-prevention features, such as a 60-inch enclosure. Fence codes can change, so we always recommend confirming current requirements with the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning before you start. Have questions about your property?
Contact Legacy Fence and we'll help you sort it out.
Source: Los Angeles County Code §§22.110.070 and 22.306.070 (Altadena Community Standards District); Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning.
