A few things to consider before you install a fence in Rosemead. These are general guidelines — always confirm current requirements with the City before you start.
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Front Yard Height
In Rosemead's R-1, R-2 and R-3 zones, no fence, wall or landscape screening in the required front yard may exceed 4 feet. Chain link is allowed only in rear yards and side yards hidden from the street, and barbed wire, razor wire, chicken wire and electrified fencing are banned. Above a sidewalk, wall plus fence is capped at 7 feet, no single part over 4 feet, with the upper portion in wrought iron or another open material.
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Side & Rear Yard Height
Side and rear yard fences and walls may be built to 6 feet, and landscape screening in those yards has no height limit except on reversed corner lots. There, fences within 5 feet of the street side, or within 10 feet of the rear line between the street and the key lot's setback line, drop to 4 feet. Height is measured from finished grade; where neighboring parcels differ by 2 feet or more, the Director sets the limit.
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When You Need a Permit
Rosemead requires a fence permit for any new or replacement fence or masonry wall in a residential zone, while planting landscape screening needs no permit. The City builds under the California Building Code as amended by Los Angeles County, so fences and block walls over 6 feet and retaining walls over 4 feet from the bottom of the footing also need a building permit, and extra retaining-wall height above a sidewalk requires Site Plan and Design Review.
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Corner Lots & Sight Lines
Rosemead does not publish a fixed corner triangle for fences. Its protection comes from the reversed-corner-lot rule, which holds fences and screening to 4 feet within 5 feet of the street-side line, and from the City's authority to require changes to any fence that creates a safety hazard. Corner-lot plans should be confirmed with Planning and Public Works for sight distance before installation.
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 City'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 Rosemead Community Development Department before you start. Have questions about your property?
Contact Legacy Fence and we'll help you sort it out.
Source: Rosemead Municipal Code §§17.68.020 and 17.68.030; City of Rosemead Community Development Department.
