Malibu fence rules: heights, permits, coastal review
Malibu Municipal Code 17.40 sets the limits: 42 inches in the front yard, 6 feet at the sides and rear. Lots over half an acre must use open, non view obscuring fencing. A fence under 6 feet is a Planning approval, not a building permit. Bluff and beachfront parcels can require a Coastal Development Permit. We have read the code so you do not have to, and the approval is part of our scope, not yours.
Aluminum, steel, and wood-look aluminum
Powder coated aluminum is the workhorse: it does not rust in salt air, it does not burn, and it comes in matte black, dark bronze, coastal grey, and wood-look finishes that pass for walnut from ten feet. Steel where you want weight or a weathered Corten look, sealed for the coast. No wood, no vinyl, no composite; none of them belong in the first five feet, and none of them hold up here.
Privacy fencing versus open view fencing
Horizontal slat aluminum for privacy along a road or a neighbor line. Slim vertical picket or cable infill where the view is the point and the code requires openness. Often both on one lot: solid toward the street, open toward the water. Same finish family so the property reads as one piece.
The five feet next to the house
Where the fence touches the house is where Zone 0 applies. Under the adopted rules no new combustible fence may attach to the house, and existing fences need a five foot noncombustible span within the phase-in period. We build that span in aluminum or steel and tie it into the house with a noncombustible return. If you are not ready to replace the whole fence, that five foot swap is a small job we do on its own. Details on Zone Zero fences and gates.
Gates to match
Every fence run gets its gates in the same profile and finish: driveway, walk, pool, side yard. Operators and access hardware designed in. See driveway and pedestrian gates.
Questions we get about fence installation
How tall can a fence be in Malibu?
Under Malibu Municipal Code 17.40, front yard fences are limited to 42 inches and side and rear fences to 6 feet. Lots over half an acre must use open, non view obscuring fencing. A fence under 6 feet needs Planning approval rather than a building permit. Bluff and beachfront lots may need a Coastal Development Permit. We handle the approval as part of the job.
Can you match my existing wood fence?
In line and height, yes. In material, we build the new section in wood-look aluminum so the five feet next to the house is noncombustible while the run still reads as one fence from the street.
Do you do pool fencing?
Yes. Aluminum picket fencing to pool barrier code, with self-closing, self-latching gates, in the same finish as the rest of the property.