New Fence Installation in Santa Barbara, CA
A new fence is a big job. The company should measure, check your property line, pull the permit if one is needed, and set posts deep enough to stay straight.
- Wrought iron or steel picket fence. Open fences fit the 3.5 foot front limit and the city likes see-through elements on tall fences.
- Wood privacy fence. Common on side and rear lines up to the 8 foot setback limit, but it needs regular sealing.
- Masonry or stucco wall. Walls up to 4 feet are exempt from a building permit with limits. Taller ones need permits.
- Fence on a retaining wall. Hillside lots are common, and the wall counts toward the fence height.
Strong sundowner winds can push on solid privacy panels. Ask about post depth and wind load.
Hillside lots often mean retaining walls. A fence on a wall counts the wall as fence height.
Typical prices in Santa Barbara
| Job | Typical range | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Wood fence, per linear foot installed (Santa Barbara) | $19-$32 | local 2022 |
| Vinyl fence, per linear foot installed (Santa Barbara) | $29-$50 | local 2022 |
| Wood fence, per linear foot installed | $20-$50 | national 2025 |
| Vinyl fence, per linear foot installed | $30-$60 | national 2025 |
| Wrought iron fence, per linear foot installed | $50-$85 | national 2025 |
Ranges, not quotes. Your price depends on the job.
Santa Barbara rules that apply
In the City of Santa Barbara, residential fences and walls 3.5 feet or lower are exempt from a building permit. Taller fences generally need one. Retaining walls and other walls up to 4 feet are exempt, with limits. A front yard fence or wall over 3.5 feet also goes to the Single Family Design Board. The city's fee schedule was not confirmed. Call the Permit Center before you sign a contract.
- Within 10 feet of the front lot line, fences and walls are limited to 3.5 feet. Screens and hedges can be 8 feet there.
- Within front setbacks (10 to 35 feet in residential zones) and interior setbacks (5 to 15 feet), fences, walls and hedges are limited to 8 feet.
- The city can approve taller fences in some cases. In interior setbacks a fence or wall can go up to 4 feet over the limit with administrative approval. Pool security fences are one reason the city lists for an exception.
- Height is measured from the lowest point of ground next to either side of the fence to its top. A fence on a retaining wall counts the part of the wall above grade as fence height.
- Near a driveway, nothing over 3.5 feet can sit in a triangle 10 feet along the driveway and 10 feet back from the front lot line. With no sidewalk or parkway, the triangle is 20 feet by 10 feet.
- On corner lots, Public Works staff decide fence height and location case by case inside the required intersection sight distance.
- A wall, fence or gate in the front yard taller than 3.5 feet needs Single Family Design Board review. Retaining walls 6 feet or taller also go to that board.
- In the El Pueblo Viejo and Brinkerhoff Avenue landmark districts, exterior changes, including landscaping that affects the look of the property, need Historic Landmarks Commission approval.