El Dorado Hills Fencing: County Rules + HOA Design Review

If you are planning a new fence in El Dorado Hills, you have two rulebooks, not one — and the stricter one is usually not the county. El Dorado Hills is unincorporated, so El Dorado County zoning and building rules apply to every lot. On top of that, most villages carry private Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CC&Rs) enforced through a Design Review Committee, and those CC&Rs set a lower fence height, control materials, and require written approval before you build.

This guide explains both layers, as El Dorado County and the El Dorado Hills Community Services District publish them today. It is general information only, not legal advice. Every figure below comes from those official sources, cited by name and linked, so you can check them yourself before you build.

With more than 30 years of hands-on fence experience, here is how we walk El Dorado Hills homeowners through it.

Layer 1: El Dorado County — zoning heights and the building-permit exemption

Two different County rules apply to the same fence:

1. Zoning height and location rules — in the El Dorado County Zoning Ordinance, Article 3 — Site Planning and Project Design Standards. This controls how tall a fence or wall can be in each part of your lot.
2. Building-permit rules — in the County’s Residential Code exemption list, which says which fences do not need a building permit at all (see the permit section below).

A fence can be building-permit exempt and still violate a zoning height limit — and it can satisfy the County and still violate your village CC&Rs. Check all three.

County questions go to the El Dorado County Planning and Building Department: Building at (530) 621-5315 and Planning at (530) 621-5355.

Front yards under County zoning: 40 inches for a solid fence

Within required front yard setback areas, the County Zoning Ordinance sets these standards for nonagricultural uses in all zones:

• Fences or walls at least 50 percent open — allowed up to 7 feet in both the primary and the secondary front yard setbacks. An open wrought-iron or tubular-steel fence is the usual example.
• Fences or walls less than 50 percent open — shall not exceed 40 inches in height in the primary front yard setback. A solid redwood privacy fence is in this group.
• In the secondary front yard setback (the street side of a corner lot), a less-than-50-percent-open fence or wall may be allowed up to 7 feet, but not less than 10 feet from the property line, right-of-way, or road easement where the property line is the center line of the road — and only subject to the cross-visibility rules below.

In plain words: at the front of an El Dorado Hills home, the County keeps solid fences low — 40 inches — and reserves taller front fences for open designs you can see through. A solid 6-foot privacy fence across the front setback is not a compliant County plan, before the CC&Rs are even considered. And as you will see below, the El Dorado Hills Design Review rules are stricter still in front setbacks.

Corners and driveways: the cross-visibility area

At a corner formed by any encroachment onto a road, the County Zoning Ordinance provides that no fence or wall greater than 40 inches in height shall be placed within the cross-visibility area (CVA) — a triangle with two sides 10 feet long, running along the driveway/encroachment edge and the road edge of pavement, beginning at their intersection, with the third side connecting the two ends.

If you live on a corner in El Dorado Hills, sketch that 10-foot triangle before you sketch the fence. It decides the first stretch of fence at the driveway and at the street corner, no matter what height you planned for the rest of the run. The Design Review corner-lot rule in the next layer adds a setback of its own — both apply.

Retaining walls and fences on slopes — common in El Dorado Hills

El Dorado Hills lots slope, and the County Zoning Ordinance speaks to that directly:

• The setback for a retaining wall greater than 36 inches in height may be reduced by 50 percent where the slope gradient for the front half of the lot exceeds 25 percent — provided the exposed height does not exceed 7 feet, and any fence erected on top of the retaining wall meets the same height, construction, and cross-visibility requirements.
• Retaining walls that exceed those standards are subject to a Minor Use Permit.
• Retaining walls necessary to provide site access, or that do not exceed 36 inches in exposed height, are not subject to setback requirements. They may be allowed within public utility easements, but not within drainage easements.

Measure a fence on top of a wall as one combined project on paper first: the wall’s exposed height plus the fence above it is what a neighbor — and an inspector — actually sees.

Do you need a County building permit for a fence in El Dorado Hills?

For most backyard fences, no.

The County’s Exemption from Permit per Residential Code (2022 California Residential Code §R105.2) lists “Fences not over 7 feet high” as work that does not require a building permit. The County’s Code Enforcement FAQ says the same thing in plain words: permit exceptions include small sheds, small retaining walls, and fencing 7 feet high or less — and it advises contacting Building Services before you begin.

The same exemption list covers retaining walls not over 4 feet in height measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, unless supporting a surcharge.

Two cautions the County itself states: an exemption from permit requirements does not authorize work done in violation of the code or any other laws or ordinances — so zoning heights still apply in full — and a County permit exemption is not a Design Review exemption. In El Dorado Hills, that second point is where most fence projects actually get stopped.

Layer 2: El Dorado Hills Design Review — approval before you build

Most villages in El Dorado Hills require the Design Review Committee (DRC) of the El Dorado Hills Community Services District — or, in some villages, their own Architectural Control Committee (ACC) — to approve project plans prior to performing any exterior improvements to your property. The District’s Design Review Committee page lists fencing, retaining walls, privacy walls, landscaping, pools, exterior paint, roofing, and more as improvements that require approval.

The practical facts from that page:

• Submit the appropriate application, supporting documents, and fee, and receive approval before starting. A $75 fee applies if work has begun prior to receiving DRC approval.
• Fencing goes on the Property Improvement Application — the District’s published fee for that application is $100. These are the District’s application fees, not construction costs.
• The DRC meets in person on most Tuesdays at 8:00 am. Complete applications, with all supporting documents and payment, are due by 5:00 pm on the Tuesday prior to the meeting to potentially be added to the agenda.
• The approved meeting minutes, emailed to the owner within 48 hours, serve as your approval documentation and can be used to obtain any necessary County permits. DRC approvals expire one (1) year from the approval date.
• It is the property owner’s responsibility to determine if County approval is required — DRC approval does not replace a County permit where one is needed.
• Not every village is reviewed by the District. The District publishes an Enforcement Authority Table and a list of contacts for villages not reviewed by the District — if your village has its own HOA/ACC, you follow that body’s process instead. When in doubt, contact Resident Services at residentservices@edhcsd.org or 916-933-6624 ext. 0 (office at 1021 Harvard Way).

Your property’s own CC&Rs are the controlling document — the District states plainly that your CC&Rs specify what you can and cannot do with your lot and what improvements require approval. The general guidelines below come from the District’s manual; your village’s CC&Rs can be stricter.

What the DRC guidelines say about the fence itself

Section 5.13, “Fences, Screens, and Enclosures,” of the District’s DRC/CC&R Guidelines Manual sets the design standards the Committee applies.

• No fence before approval. No fence shall be constructed on any lot until an application has been approved by the DRC, and then only in strict accordance with the terms of the approval. Plans must show the fence’s location, style, color, height, and function, and must be approved in writing before installation. Applications must include detailed drawings and the location shown on a plot plan.
• Stay on your lot, out of the front setback. Fences are not allowed to extend beyond the lot lines, and are not allowed within front setbacks. Fencing shall be located on the property lines, so adjacent owners can attach their fences without crossing property lines.
• Six-foot maximum. Except as otherwise provided by the applicable CC&Rs, fence height is limited to six feet (6 ft). All fencing shall be of quality material, be “good neighbor” in style, and not exceed 6 feet. Dog runs are also limited to 6 feet, and approved screening may be required.
• Three feet if it reaches into the front setback. If any fencing encroaches into the front setback, it shall not exceed three feet (3 ft) in height, or as the CC&Rs specify. Read together with the County’s 40-inch solid-fence limit, the message is consistent: front fences in El Dorado Hills stay low.
• Natural materials. Except as otherwise provided by the applicable CC&Rs, fences shall be constructed of natural materials such as wood, masonry, rock, or wrought iron, unless otherwise approved by the DRC. For a material outside that list, the DRC decides based on whether it would promote harmony and conformity with the unit and surrounding village — the Committee must consider, not prohibit, all proposed materials.
• Chain link is prohibited. Any wire (such as hot wire or field fencing) used on “open style” fencing must be plastic-coated or factory color-treated in approved colors, and may be used only with specific DRC approval. Chain link or other types of wire fencing is prohibited.
• Wing fences. Wing fencing shall be painted to match the color of the home or other fences within the unit, and be planted with screening materials.
• Corner lots. The front setback requirements per the CC&Rs apply, and side-yard fencing shall be a minimum of fifteen feet (15 ft) from the property line, or as the DRC may allow on a case-by-case basis. This sits on top of the County’s cross-visibility triangle — plan for both.
• Privacy screens. Privacy screens and enclosures may be used for small patio areas only, with a maximum height of 6 feet, and the screen material shall match or complement the materials used on the home.
• Match the neighborhood. Uniformity with existing fences is used to determine fence design and assure neighborhood conformity. On a street where every backyard fence is the same redwood style, expect the DRC to hold a replacement to that pattern.

One more manual rule homeowners miss: under Section 5.19, the owner is exclusively responsible for identifying property boundaries, easements, and setbacks — neither the District nor the DRC certifies that an improvement does not encroach. If the applicable CC&Rs include no setback requirements, the DRC defaults to the County requirements. A survey or a careful plot plan is cheap insurance before posts are set.

The order that works in El Dorado Hills

1. Read your CC&Rs first. They decide whether the District’s DRC or your village’s own ACC reviews you, and they can be stricter than every figure above.
2. Draw it. Location on a plot plan, plus style, color, height, and function — the DRC will not review a fence it cannot see on paper.
3. Submit and wait for written approval. Property Improvement Application, $100 District fee, complete by 5:00 pm Tuesday for the following Tuesday’s 8:00 am meeting. Do not start early — work begun before approval carries the $75 fee and can be ordered changed.
4. Check the County separately. Most fences 7 feet or under need no County building permit, but zoning heights, corner visibility, and retaining-wall rules still apply, and anything over 7 feet leaves the exemption.
5. Build exactly what was approved. The approval is for the fence on the plans — a taller height, a different material, or a moved line is a new approval question, and approvals expire after one year.

How we build an El Dorado Hills fence that fits the rules — and lasts

Approval gets a fence allowed. Build quality decides whether it is still straight in ten years, especially on El Dorado Hills’ sloped, rocky ground. On every fence we build in El Dorado Hills:

• Posts are set 2 to 3 feet deep in concrete — toward the deeper end for taller fences, heavy gates, and sloped runs.
• Every post is wrapped in a waterproof membrane below ground, where soil moisture works against the wood.
• The frame is pressure-treated posts and rails, with redwood pickets for the face you see every day.
• Rails and pickets are fastened with Simpson steel connectors and screws, never nails that work loose as wood moves through hot summers and wet winters.

See our Fencing page for the full build standard, and our El Dorado Hills page for local work in this community. Every fence we build carries a 12-month workmanship warranty on the work we performed.

Frequently asked questions

How tall can a backyard fence be in El Dorado Hills?

For most villages, the binding limit is the Design Review limit: Section 5.13 of the District’s DRC/CC&R Guidelines Manual limits fence height to six feet (6 ft), except as otherwise provided by your applicable CC&Rs. El Dorado County’s building-permit exemption separately covers fences not over 7 feet — but a 7-foot fence that violates the 6-foot DRC limit can still be ordered changed, so plan to 6 feet unless your CC&Rs say otherwise in writing.

Do I need approval to replace a fence in El Dorado Hills?

In most villages, yes — before you start. The District requires DRC (or your village ACC) approval prior to exterior improvements, and fencing is expressly listed. Submit a Property Improvement Application with detailed drawings and a plot plan, and wait for written approval; a $75 fee applies if work has begun before approval. Some villages are reviewed by their own HOA instead of the District — check the District’s Enforcement Authority Table or call Resident Services at 916-933-6624 ext. 0.

Do I need an El Dorado County building permit for a fence?

Usually not for a standard backyard fence. The County’s Residential Code exemption list (CRC §R105.2) covers fences not over 7 feet high, and retaining walls not over 4 feet from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall unless they support a surcharge. The exemption does not waive zoning heights, corner visibility, or Design Review — and the District states it is the owner’s responsibility to determine whether County approval is required.

Can I build a chain-link or vinyl fence in El Dorado Hills?

Chain link: no — the DRC guidelines state chain link or other types of wire fencing is prohibited, and wire on open-style fencing needs specific DRC approval and must be plastic-coated or factory color-treated in approved colors. For any material outside the manual’s natural-materials list (wood, masonry, rock, wrought iron), the DRC decides case by case on harmony and conformity with the village, unless your CC&Rs expressly permit or prohibit it — so get the answer in writing before you buy material.

How tall can a front-yard fence be in El Dorado Hills?

Low. The DRC guidelines do not allow fences within front setbacks at all, and any fencing that encroaches into the front setback is limited to three feet (3 ft), or as the CC&Rs specify. County zoning independently caps a solid (less than 50 percent open) fence at 40 inches in the primary front setback, allows open fences at least 50 percent open up to 7 feet, and bars anything over 40 inches inside the 10-foot cross-visibility triangle at driveways and corners. On corner lots, the DRC also requires side-yard fencing to sit a minimum of 15 feet from the property line, unless the DRC allows otherwise case by case.

Want a fence planned for El Dorado Hills rules from the start?

Tell us your village and where the fence will sit — back, side, street side, a corner lot, or on a retaining wall — and we will design the height, material, and drawings to fit your CC&Rs and County rules for that location, then build it deep, wrapped, and screwed tight. Call (916) 579-3063 for a free on-site estimate.

American Gardens Landscaping — serving El Dorado Hills and surrounding areas, including Sacramento, Folsom, Fair Oaks, Carmichael, Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova, Roseville, and Elk Grove.

Licensed • Bonded • Insured — CSLB Lic. #1105341

Regulations change. For the latest updates, please contact your city to confirm before building.