Do You Need a Permit to Replace a Fence in Woodland, CA?
The question Woodland Fencing hears before almost every replacement job: do I need a permit for this? For most Woodland fences the answer is no, and for the ones that do need one the City’s list is short and clear. Here is the list, what a permit involves, and the rules you still have to meet even without one.
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A wood or vinyl fence six feet or under, on the side or rear line of a house in Woodland, does not need a building permit. That covers the fence most people are replacing: the six foot redwood or cedar privacy fence between two back yards. You still have to meet the City’s height, placement and material rules, but nobody at the City needs to see a drawing first.
Woodland Municipal Code 17.64.030 requires a building permit for:
- Any fence or wall over six feet. The side and rear limit is seven feet, so a fence between six and seven feet is allowed, with a permit.
- Any retaining wall 36 inches or taller, with or without a fence on top.
- Fences built of an alternative material: concrete block, brick, masonry. Block walls over six feet also need engineering.
- An electrically operated driveway gate. Every driveway gate needs Development Review Tier 1 approval for its placement, and a powered one adds a building permit.
- Any fence in the public right-of-way, which needs an encroachment permit from Public Works on top of the zoning rules.
The City also expects every fence to be reviewed for location, size and material before it goes up, even when no permit is pulled. In practice that means the contractor builds to the code and the City checks only when there is a complaint. A licensed contractor from this network will tell you which of the five lines above your project crosses before quoting it.
What a No-Permit Fence Still Has to Meet
| Rule | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Interior side and rear yards | 7 ft max (permit over 6 ft) |
| Front yard, solid fence | 3 ft 6 in max |
| Street side of a corner lot, within 5 ft of the line | 3 ft 6 in max |
| Street side, 5 ft or more from the line | 7 ft max |
| Posts | set in concrete, wood or galvanized steel covered in wood, stained |
| Fence along a public street | iron, welded steel, brick or wood picket, and painted, stained or graffiti-coated |
| Chain link | not allowed in residential or downtown zones |
| Double fence inside an existing fence | not allowed without Director approval |
Woodland Municipal Code 17.64.030, read November 2026. Spring Lake and HOA areas add their own limits. The contractor quotes your final price after a free on-site look.
Two more things before anyone digs. Call 811 for an Underground Service Alert first, which is free and takes two working days. The City says so on its handout and the contractors require it. And if you are on a corner lot in Spring Lake, the public utility easement behind the sidewalk is usually seven to ten feet deep, no permit will be issued inside it, and a fence placed there can be removed at your expense if the City or PG&E needs the easement.
What a Woodland Fence Permit Involves
The Building Division wants three things: a fence location drawing and a side elevation, both to scale, a description of the materials, and engineering for a block wall over six feet. Permit fees come from the City’s current fee schedule, and the Community Development Department at 300 First Street, (530) 661-5820, handles both the planning check and the building permit. Most fence permits are over the counter or a short review, not a hearing.
Who pulls it matters. A licensed C-13 fencing contractor can pull the permit under their license, which is the normal way, and the cost is usually a line on the quote. A homeowner can pull an owner-builder permit for their own house, but then the inspection and any corrections are on you. For a block wall or a retaining wall, have the contractor pull it.
Skipping a required permit is a code enforcement matter. The City can require the fence to be brought into compliance or removed, and a fence that was never permitted shows up when the house is sold. A seven foot fence that cost a permit fee up front is cheaper than a seven foot fence that has to come down a foot later.
Replacing Like for Like, and When It Stops Being a Repair
A repair keeps the fence that is there. Replacing boards, resetting a leaning post, re-hanging a gate: no permit, no code question, as long as the fence was legal to begin with. The fence repair page covers that work and what it costs.
A full replacement is a new fence. Tear-out and a new six foot redwood fence on the same line needs no permit, but it has to meet the current code: concrete footings, stained posts, no chain link in a residential zone, and the height limits above. Where the old fence was something the code no longer allows, the new one cannot copy it. The fence replacement page explains what a tear-out and rebuild includes.
A shared fence on the property line brings in the neighbor as well as the City. California’s Good Neighbor Fence law presumes the cost splits equally after 30 days written notice. The fence law page has the notice and how Woodland neighbors use it.
Woodland Fence Permit FAQs
Do I need a permit to replace my 6 foot wood fence in Woodland?
No. A wood or vinyl fence six feet or under on a side or rear line needs no building permit. It still has to meet the height, placement and post rules in the City code.
How much does a fence permit cost in Woodland?
Fees come from the City’s fee schedule and depend on the work. Ask the contractor to include it in the quote, or call the Community Development Department at (530) 661-5820 with the fence height and length.
Can I build a 7 foot fence?
Yes, on an interior side or rear line, with a building permit. Over seven feet is not allowed in residential zones.
Does a retaining wall need a permit?
Any retaining wall 36 inches or taller does. A fence on top of a retaining wall can reach eight feet combined with the Director’s approval, measured from the midpoint of the wall.
What about an HOA?
An HOA approval is separate from the City. Spring Lake and other HOA areas require their own sign-off on style and height, and the City’s rules still apply underneath.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is a plain summary of the City of Woodland’s published rules. Confirm anything that matters with the Community Development Department before you build.
Get a Quote That Says Permit or No Permit
CALL (530) 379-4447Related: Fence rules in 2026 · Fence replacement · Fence cost guide · Woodland Fencing home. Woodland Fencing connects homeowners and businesses with independent, licensed local fence contractors. Quotes are free and the contractor sets your final price after an on-site look.