19.40.010 Fences height and location.
A. Residential Zones—Fence Height and Setbacks. Fences shall not exceed a height of:
1. Forty-two inches within the front setback or the abutting right-of-way.
2. Six feet within the street side setback or the abutting right-of-way.
3. Seven feet within the interior side or rear setbacks.
4. Exceptions.
a. Fences within the front setback or the abutting right-of-way may be up to six feet in height if the fence is at least ten feet from the sidewalk, is at least seventy percent transparent from three feet to six feet, and is not chain link or other type of similar material. If no sidewalk exists, the minimum distance required is determined by the city engineer.
b. For corner lots or double fronting lots, the front and street side or rear fence heights can be switched if the front of the house faces the street side or rear.
c. Arbors. Arbors may exceed the maximum fence height within the front setback for a distance of up to twenty percent of the lot frontage on the street, provided the height of the arbor does not exceed eight feet.
d. Where a structure has a nonconforming front setback, a fence along the street-facing facade line is not required to comply with the fence height limitation for the front setback.
e. Conditional Uses. For development subject to the conditional use process, fences may deviate from the standards in this section as approved by the review authority.
B. MU and NB Zones.
1. Height and Location. Fences may be up to six feet in height if the fence is at least ten feet from the back of the sidewalk and is at least seventy percent transparent. The transparency requirement shall not apply to any fence thirty-six inches or less in height. If no sidewalk exists, the fence must be set back a minimum of ten feet from where the sidewalk will be placed in the future as determined by the city engineer.
2. Materials. Chain link, wire, corrugated, sheet metal or other similar types of fences are prohibited.
C. Freeways (I-5 and SR-526). Fences abutting freeways shall have no height limit.
D. Commercial and Industrial Zones. Fences in commercial and industrial zones shall not exceed ten feet in height, including barbed wire located on top of the fence except:
1. Any fence taller than forty-two inches must be set back a minimum of ten feet or the required landscape width, whichever is greater, from any lot line along a street; and
2. Any fence within ten feet of a residentially zoned property shall not exceed seven feet in height.
3. See subsection (B) of this section for fence height restrictions in the MU and NB zones.
E. Retaining Walls and Berms. Fences placed on top of berms shall be constructed so as not to exceed the maximum height allowed if the berm were not there. Fences placed upon rockeries or retaining walls shall be permitted to be constructed to the maximum allowable fence height above the rockery or retaining wall, provided the rockery or retaining wall does not exceed a height of six feet. Fences constructed on top of retaining walls which are greater than six feet in height shall not exceed a maximum fence height of forty-two inches. (Ord. 3774-20 § 5(V) (Exh. 3), 2020.)