Fence Permit in Fresno County, California
It depends
Sometimes, depending on the project
Before building a fence more than 7 feet high in unincorporated Fresno County
By Mario Bailey, verified against official sources
Quick answer
Fresno County publishes its own list of work exempt from a building permit, and fences not over 7 feet high are on it, so a standard residential fence at or below that height does not need a county building permit. A taller fence is permitted work, priced from the county's construction valuation table rather than a flat fee. This applies to unincorporated Fresno County only: the City of Fresno and the City of Clovis run their own building departments, as do the county's other incorporated cities such as Sanger, Reedley, Selma, Kerman, Kingsburg and Coalinga, and the county's Citizens Portal rejects an address inside a city with a message naming the correct agency.
Typical threshold: Fences not over 7 feet high are on the county's published list of work exempt from a building permit.
Who is pulling this permit?
Apply yourself
Hire it out
Before you sign, ask the contractor:
- Who pulls the permit, you or me, and is the permit fee included in the bid?
- Which inspections will this job need, and who meets the inspector on site?
- Is your contractor license active in this locality, and under which business name?
When a permit is usually needed
Before building a fence more than 7 feet high in unincorporated Fresno County
What a fence permit costs in Fresno County
How Fresno County compares in California
Across the California jurisdictions we have verified, the same threshold runs from 6 to 7, so a project that is exempt here may still need a permit one county over.
| Jurisdiction | Permit needed? | Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Alameda County | It depends | Permit exemption height limit: 7 feet for fences of light materials, 5 feet 9 inches for fences of concrete, masonry, or similar heavy materials |
| Contra Costa County | It depends | height of a fence, with concrete and masonry walls treated as walls rather than fences |
| Fresno Countythis page | It depends | Fences not over 7 feet high are on the county's published list of work exempt from a building permit |
| Los Angeles | It depends | masonry or concrete fence up to 6 ft in height may be built without a permit if it meets LADBS construction specifications in IB-P-BC2014-080; a solid masonry infill panel between pilasters may not exceed 3 ft 6 in with lightweight open material filling the remaining height; non-masonry fence height threshold not confirmed from official page |
| Sacramento County | It depends | fence height, measured from the grade on the right-of-way side when the fence sits within 5 feet of the public right-of-way and otherwise from the highest grade on either side |
| San Bernardino County | It depends | height of a fence or block wall |
| Santa Clara County | It depends | fence height at which the County Residential Code permit exemption stops applying |
Closest fence permit thresholds outside California
Jurisdictions we cover whose limit sits nearest Fresno County's 7 feet in height.
- Aurora, Colorado, fence height at which a building permit is required
- Corpus Christi, Texas, Fences taller than 7 feet in height need a building permit; fences 7 feet or less in height are on the city's published exemption list.
- Detroit, Michigan, fence height, for a fence outside a Special Review District
- Fort Worth, Texas, height of a solid fence, with open wire fences without slats exempt up to 8 feet
How to apply in Fresno County
Most residential fences fall under the model code's 7-foot building-permit exemption, so the real approval step is a lightweight zoning or land-use permit built around a simple site plan showing the fence's location, height, and material, checked against setbacks and any corner-lot sight-triangle rule. A fence that will serve as a required swimming-pool barrier is the exception, since barrier fences carry life-safety requirements of their own.
What most fence permit applications include:
- A fence 7 feet or under is exempt from the model code's building permit, the same threshold the IRC uses for other small projects (IRC 2021 R105.2).
- That exemption only removes the building-code permit. It does not authorize skipping a jurisdiction's own zoning approval, which is why an exempt fence can still need its own land-use or zoning permit rather than a building permit (IRC 2021 R105.2).
- Whatever your jurisdiction calls that approval, the application centers on a basic site plan: a drawing of the property showing the fence's location, height, and material, and how it relates to the property lines (common local zoning practice).
- The same plan is checked against required setbacks and, on corner lots or near intersections, a sight-triangle rule that caps fence height so it does not block sightlines for drivers (common local zoning practice).
- A fence that will serve as a required swimming-pool barrier is handled as life-safety work rather than the light zoning process, and at least one state's adopted residential code requires a building permit for barrier fences regardless of the general fence exemption (Oregon Residential Specialty Code 2021, R101.2.2).
General submittal guidance from International Residential Code (IRC), 2021 edition, Section R105.2. Source. Department of Public Works and Planning, Development Services and Capital Projects Division, Building and Safety sets the exact checklist for Fresno County.
Where to apply in Fresno County:
Department of Public Works and Planning, Development Services and Capital Projects Division, Building and Safety
- 2220 Tulare Street, Suite A, Fresno, CA 93721 (Development Services and Capital Projects Division; the offices are in Annex A and Annex B of the Fresno County Plaza at Tulare and M streets)
- Phone: 559-600-4570 (plan check and permit information); 559-600-4560 (building inspection); 559-600-4131 (24 hour inspection request line)
- Email: PlanCheckBuildingCode2@fresnocountyca.gov
Inspections and closing out your permit
Inspection follows the permit: a fence that never needed one gets no inspection at all under the model code, and a permitted fence typically gets a single final check rather than the staged inspections used for a house. The exception is a fence serving as a swimming-pool barrier, which gets its own dedicated barrier inspection covering height, gaps, and gate hardware.
- Inspection duty attaches only to work for which a permit is required, so a fence that qualified for the permit exemption carries no inspection obligation under the model code (IRC 2021 R109.1).
- Where a fence permit was issued, the process skips the staged foundation, frame, and rough-in inspections used for buildings and goes straight to one final inspection once the fence is finished (IRC 2021 R109.1.6).
- That single check is typically a zoning compliance inspection rather than a structural review, confirming the fence matches the approved height and site plan (common local practice).
- A fence built as a swimming-pool barrier breaks that light-touch pattern: it is separately inspected for barrier compliance, commonly required before the pool itself can be signed off (ISPSC 305; local pool-barrier inspection programs).
- That barrier inspection checks dimensional rules from the swimming pool and spa code rather than ordinary fence rules, including the minimum 48 inch barrier height and limits on openings and gaps a young child could pass through (ISPSC 305).
- Gate hardware is inspected too: a self-closing, self-latching gate is part of the barrier requirement, since an unlatched gate defeats the fence's purpose as a barrier (ISPSC 305).
Schedule each inspection in advance and pass the final before you use the work or close the permit. Request inspections through the Fresno County permit portal or by phone at 559-600-4570 (plan check and permit information); 559-600-4560 (building inspection); 559-600-4131 (24 hour inspection request line).
Inspection sequence from International Residential Code (IRC), 2021 edition, Section R109, and ISPSC 2021 Section 305 (barriers). Source. An open permit left un-inspected can surface later in a title search or home sale.
Your Fence Permit checklist for Fresno County
- Confirm the requirement. Sometimes, depending on the project. Typical threshold: Fences not over 7 feet high are on the county's published list of work exempt from a building permit. Usually needed: Before building a fence more than 7 feet high in unincorporated Fresno County.
- Budget the fee. The Master Schedule of Fees publishes no flat fence permit fee. Its Table of Construction Valuation (Section 2500, Miscellaneous) lists 'Fences (Over 6' High) $34.00 per lineal foot' as a construction valuation rate, not a fee. The permit fee is then computed from total valuation under Section 2501 Building Construction Permits, which for FY 2026-27 is a $166.28 minimum charge, then $166.28 for the first $4,000.00 plus $18.85 for each additional $1,000.00 or fraction thereof to and including $25,000.00. FY 2026-27 amounts include the 3 percent increase effective 07/01/2026 under Ordinance 24-005. Official fee schedule.
- Apply. Most residential fences fall under the model code's 7-foot building-permit exemption, so the real approval step is a lightweight zoning or land-use permit built around a simple site plan showing the fence's location, height, and material, checked against setbacks and any corner-lot sight-triangle rule. A fence that will serve as a required swimming-pool barrier is the exception, since barrier fences carry life-safety requirements of their own. Start at the Fresno County permit portal.
- Keep the office details handy. Department of Public Works and Planning, Development Services and Capital Projects Division, Building and Safety. Phone: 559-600-4570 (plan check and permit information); 559-600-4560 (building inspection); 559-600-4131 (24 hour inspection request line). Address: 2220 Tulare Street, Suite A, Fresno, CA 93721 (Development Services and Capital Projects Division; the offices are in Annex A and Annex B of the Fresno County Plaza at Tulare and M streets).
- Plan for inspections. Inspection follows the permit: a fence that never needed one gets no inspection at all under the model code, and a permitted fence typically gets a single final check rather than the staged inspections used for a house. The exception is a fence serving as a swimming-pool barrier, which gets its own dedicated barrier inspection covering height, gaps, and gate hardware.
Compiled from the official sources on this page. Last checked .
Frequently asked questions
- Do you need a fence permit in Fresno County?
- Fresno County publishes its own list of work exempt from a building permit, and fences not over 7 feet high are on it, so a standard residential fence at or below that height does not need a county building permit. A taller fence is permitted work, priced from the county's construction valuation table rather than a flat fee. This applies to unincorporated Fresno County only: the City of Fresno and the City of Clovis run their own building departments, as do the county's other incorporated cities such as Sanger, Reedley, Selma, Kerman, Kingsburg and Coalinga, and the county's Citizens Portal rejects an address inside a city with a message naming the correct agency. Fences not over 7 feet high are on the county's published list of work exempt from a building permit. Always confirm with the office before starting.
- How much does a fence permit cost in Fresno County?
- The Master Schedule of Fees publishes no flat fence permit fee. Its Table of Construction Valuation (Section 2500, Miscellaneous) lists 'Fences (Over 6' High) $34.00 per lineal foot' as a construction valuation rate, not a fee. The permit fee is then computed from total valuation under Section 2501 Building Construction Permits, which for FY 2026-27 is a $166.28 minimum charge, then $166.28 for the first $4,000.00 plus $18.85 for each additional $1,000.00 or fraction thereof to and including $25,000.00. FY 2026-27 amounts include the 3 percent increase effective 07/01/2026 under Ordinance 24-005. See the official fee schedule for current amounts.
- Where do you apply for a fence permit in Fresno County?
- You can apply through the Fresno County permit portal or contact the Department of Public Works and Planning, Development Services and Capital Projects Division, Building and Safety directly. The links are listed on this page.
- Can a homeowner pull a fence permit themselves in Fresno County?
- Under California law (Business & Professions Code 7044(a)-(b); Business & Professions Code 7031.5): California exempts an owner-builder from contractor licensing when the owner personally performs the work, or uses only wage employees, on their own property and does not intend the improvements for sale. A homeowner may also directly hire licensed trade contractors for up to four single-family residences a year, or improve their own principal residence without a general contractor's license, as long as they have actually lived there for the 12 months before the work is finished. Selling a self-built structure within one year of completion creates a rebuttable presumption that it was built for sale, which defeats the exemption, and selling five or more structures within a year makes that presumption conclusive. Separately, every city or county that requires a building permit must also require the applicant to file a signed statement giving their contractor license number or the basis of their claimed exemption; a false or missing statement carries a $500 civil penalty. Confirm how Fresno County applies this before you apply.
From the Library
What else needs a permit in Fresno County
Every other permit type we have verified for this jurisdiction, with the rule that applies here.
| Project | Permit needed? | Threshold | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deck Permit | Permit required | Not specified | No flat deck permit fee is published. |
| Electrical Permit | Permit required | Not specified | Section 2511 Electrical Code Fees, FY 2026-27: Issuing permits $42.77 each |
| HVAC Permit | Permit required | Not specified | Section 2510 Mechanical Code Fees, FY 2026-27: Issuing each permit $42.77 |
| Patio Permit | Permit required | Not specified | No flat patio permit fee is published. |
| Plumbing Permit | Permit required | Not specified | Section 2512 Plumbing Code Fees, FY 2026-27: Alteration, repair or addition of a drain... |
| Pool Permit | It depends | Prefabricated pools accessory to a Group R-3 occupancy are exempt from a building permit only when they are less than 24 inches deep, hold not more than 5,000 gallons, and are installed entirely above ground | Special Services Fees item 21, 'Installation of private swimming pool or spa includes... |
| Roof Replacement Permit | Permit required | Not specified | Special Services Fees item 16, 'Re-roofing of existing buildings including pre-roof... |
| Shed Permit | It depends | One-story detached accessory structures used as tool and storage sheds, playhouses and similar uses are exempt from a building permit when the floor area is not greater than 120 square feet | For a shed between 120 and 240 square feet the county charges for the Item No. |
| Solar Permit | Permit required | Not specified | The Master Schedule of Fees has no solar or photovoltaic line item anywhere in Section... |
Fence Permit in other California localities
Everything above, sourced
Code references
National and state model-code sections the general guidance on this page is drawn from. They are not Fresno County documents; the office above sets the local rules.
Verified by a person against the sources above on , not confirmed with Department of Public Works and Planning, Development Services and Capital Projects Division, Building and Safety. Rules change; confirm before you build. How we verify.
Last checked: Report an error on this page
Compare Fence Permit requirements across California localities
Permit office
Department of Public Works and Planning, Development Services and Capital Projects Division, Building and Safety
559-600-4570 (plan check and permit information); 559-600-4560 (building inspection); 559-600-4131 (24 hour inspection request line)Permit portal