Fence rules in Los Altos
- Citywide maximum: 6 feet for fences and walls.
- Side and rear yards: up to 2 additional feet of lattice — at least 50% open — with approval from the city planner. Total 8 feet, but only if the top section stays genuinely open.
- Front setback area, and within 5 feet of the exterior side line on corner lots: 4 feet maximum.
- Corner lots get one unusual courtesy: the planner may re-orient which yard counts as "front" for fencing purposes if it's consistent with how the house sits.
Where the triangles fall, how that re-orientation is requested and what changes above six feet are set out on fence rules and permits in Los Altos.
What this means for repairs
Like-for-like repair of an existing fence — replacing rotted posts, broken boards, a sagging gate — doesn't involve the planner at all. The lattice option matters when you're already replacing a tired 6-foot fence and want the rebuild to do more: adding the open top section during a rebuild costs a fraction of doing it later.
Why fences fail here
Los Altos lots are heavily landscaped and heavily irrigated, which is exactly the combination that kills fence posts: a sprinkler head soaking a post twice a day rots it at the soil line years early, while the boards above stay presentable. The tell is movement — push the fence at the top, and a failed post pivots at the ground like a hinge.
Send photos through the form — the worst post at its base, the full run showing any lean — and get a repair estimate range before anyone visits.
Sources: Los Altos Municipal Code Ch. 14.72. Rules change — verify with Los Altos Planning before major work.