Want your back yard to yourself? Rancho Oxnard Fence builds privacy fences across Oxnard, and they are the most common fence we put up here. Your real questions are rarely about material. They are where you can build full height, how the fence will handle the Santa Anas, and what your neighbor will see on the other side.
Where can my privacy fence go?
Height rules shape every privacy plan we draw.
- Inside the City of Oxnard, you need no building permit for a wood, vinyl, chain link or wrought iron fence up to 6 ft. Zoning sets the height by where the fence sits, and front yards are limited much more than side and rear yards. We check the limit for each run at your address before we lay it out.
- In El Rio and Nyeland Acres, Ventura County allows a solid fence up to 3 ft in the front setback, 5 ft if you can see through it, and 7 ft elsewhere on the lot.
In practice, your full privacy usually starts at the side gate and runs back, and the front yard gets something lower or more open. On a corner lot you also keep a clear view near the street. Our Oxnard fence rules guide covers each case.
What we do on the first visit
We walk your yard and map where you need cover: a patio, a pool, a window, the neighbor’s second story. Then we set:
- The height allowed for each run
- The style for each run, solid or semi-private
- How exposed you are to wind, which sets post size and spacing
- Gates for bins, mowers and the dog
- Who shares the fence, and which face they get
Your written estimate lists each run’s height and style, so the plan and the price match.
Wood or vinyl?
Most privacy fences we build are one or the other.
- Wood looks warm, can be built board-on-board so both sides match, and repairs a board at a time. On a damp lot we use ground-contact rated posts or steel posts with wood boards, so nothing rots at the ground. See wood fences.
- Vinyl never rots, rusts or feeds termites and needs little upkeep. Solid vinyl catches more wind, so we stiffen the posts with steel or aluminum inserts. See vinyl fences.
Rancho Oxnard Fence’s typical range for a 6 ft privacy fence, installed, is about $30 to $70 per linear foot in redwood or cedar and $35 to $75 in vinyl. Your yard sets the final number. See the Oxnard fence cost guide.
Will a solid fence survive the wind?
It will if we build it for the wind. A solid privacy fence is also a windbreak, and it takes the full force of a Santa Ana gust; the National Weather Service has warned of 50 to 70 mph from the northeast on this coastal plain. On an open lot:
- We size and space the posts for the wind before we pick the boards
- Spaced boards or a lattice top let some wind through
- We make footings in Oxnard’s loose sand wider or deeper than in firm soil
The most private fence is no use lying in the yard. See Santa Ana winds and fences.
Need privacy and a fence that stays up?
We pair the style you want with a post plan for how exposed your lot is.
Privacy with a dog
A lot of privacy fences are really dog fences, and in a sandy Oxnard yard your dog will try digging first. Here is what we add:
- A buried wire apron or a concrete mow strip along the base
- A small gap under the bottom rail for small dogs
- Height matched to your dog; jumpers need more
- Latches your dog cannot nose open, and gates that close on their own
A solid fence also hides the street, which calms some dogs. See the best fence for dogs.
What about the neighbor?
A privacy fence on the property line is usually shared. California Civil Code 841 presumes you both benefit and share reasonable costs, after 30 days’ written notice. Agree on style, height and the finished side at the same time and most disputes never start.
Two ways we help keep the peace:
- Board-on-board, which looks the same from both sides
- Building just inside your line, a few inches back, at the cost of a strip of yard
The good neighbor fence law guide explains the notice, and fences, surveys and property lines covers where your line actually is.
Around your pool and patio
Around a patio, a semi-private section lets air and light through while blocking the view. Around a pool, any fence that forms part of the pool barrier has to meet California’s barrier standard, with self-closing, self-latching gates, and we plan it with your pool permit. The rest of the yard can still be full privacy.
How we build it
Once your line is confirmed and DigAlert has marked the utilities, we take out the old fence and its concrete, if there is one. Posts go in first, on footings sized for your soil and for the wind load of a solid fence; in the rainy months we pour each hole the day we dig it. Rails and panels follow on straight, plumb posts. We hang gates last and set their latches once they settle, so they still line up later. The tear-out and the new fence usually happen in one visit, so your yard stays closed for the dog or the pool.
Trees, slopes and walls along the line
Your fence line rarely crosses an empty lot. Tree roots can move a post a foot or two. On a slope we rack or step the panels, and a stepped fence leaves gaps under each step that we fill if you have a dog. Where your fence meets a block wall or the house, we end it on its own post just off the wall instead of screwing into the stucco.
Can I have privacy in front?
Only so much; front yards are where the limits are tightest. Options that stay within typical front-yard limits:
- A low picket or open fence with planting behind it
- A solid fence that steps up to full height at the side of the house
- A gate set back to the side-yard line
Out front, a low aluminum fence keeps your view open while it marks the boundary.
