Fence Height Limits & Permits Around Walnut Creek

Limits without special approval, in feet. Details and exceptions in the table below.

City by city

City	Limits	Also note	Source
Walnut Creek	7 ft in interior side and rear setbacks (and the corner side setback of a corner lot); 3 ft in the front setback and the street side of a reversed corner lot	Taller only with a Minor Use Permit. Barbed wire, razor wire and electric fencing not allowed. No chain link where visible from the street, public paths or open space.	WCMC §10-2.3.104; City fence page
Orinda	6 ft maximum anywhere on the lot	Within 5 ft of a street property line: 4 ft maximum and open material. A fence on a retaining wall counts toward combined limits.	OMC §17.4.27
Danville	6 ft in side and rear yards, or 7 ft with the top foot open lattice; 3.5 ft in front setbacks	On a retaining wall shared with a neighbor: 6 ft combined, or 7 ft with lattice. Sight-triangle limits at corners. No chain link visible from public areas.	Fence Standards (2023)
Lafayette	Not confirmed here	Confirm with Lafayette Planning before you build.	—
Alamo, Blackhawk, Diablo (unincorporated)	Not confirmed here	County zoning applies; confirm with Contra Costa County. HOAs add their own rules.	—
Moraga, Pleasant Hill, Concord	Not confirmed here	Confirm with the city before you build.	—

How height is measured in Walnut Creek

Fences on retaining walls

Fence plus wall, measured from the low side, can count as one height.

Orinda and Danville both count a fence on a retaining wall toward a combined limit. In Walnut Creek, a retaining wall that supports a fence may need its own building permit; ask the building division. A wall that is leaning or cracked should be dealt with before a new fence goes on top.

Building permits

Separate from zoning height limits, the California Residential Code (§R105.2) lists fences not over 7 feet among the work exempt from a building permit. Zoning limits, HOA rules and pool-barrier rules still apply to exempt fences.

HOAs

Many neighborhoods need HOA approval before a fence changes height, style or color. Blackhawk has an architectural review committee, and Rossmoor’s mutuals manage exterior changes. Get approval in writing before work is scheduled.

Pool barriers

State law defines a pool enclosure as at least 60 inches high, with no more than 2 inches of clearance at the bottom, no gaps that pass a 4-inch sphere, and gates that open away from the pool and self-close and self-latch with the release at least 60 inches up (HSC §115923). Walnut Creek’s fence page says pools must be surrounded by a fence at least 54 inches tall with a self-latching gate, built to the California Building or Residential Code (City fence page). Ask the building division which figure your pool fence will be inspected to; 60 inches satisfies both.

Questions

Is an 8 foot privacy fence too high?

In most of this area, yes, without special approval. Walnut Creek allows 7 feet in interior side and rear setbacks; Orinda caps fences at 6 feet; Danville allows 6 feet, or 7 with an open lattice top foot. Walnut Creek allows taller fences with a Minor Use Permit.

Do I need a permit to replace a fence in Walnut Creek?

A fence within the height limits doesn’t need a Minor Use Permit. Fences over the limits do. If the fence sits on a retaining wall, the wall may need its own building permit.

How is fence height measured?

It depends on the city, and Walnut Creek’s own pages word it differently (see the table). On a slope or over a wall, ask the city which side to measure from before you build close to the limit.

Sources

Checked October 4, 2026. Rules and prices change; confirm anything that affects your project with the city or a licensed contractor.

Fence Height Limits and Permits by City