Planning a fence on an Oak Park slope? Rancho Oxnard Fence installs and replaces fences and gates in this community tucked into the valleys of the Simi Hills between Medea Creek and Lindero Creek. Oak Park is about 23 miles east of Oxnard off Kanan Road and Lindero Canyon Road, and it’s Ventura County’s largest unincorporated community, surrounded on most sides by open space.
Fire comes first here
Every part of Oak Park sits in mapped Very High fire hazard, on both the locally managed and the state managed land. The 2018 Woolsey Fire burned through the community on November 8 and 9. That history shapes how we plan your fence.
State law already asks for defensible space, and the Board of Forestry’s draft Zone 0 rules would keep new combustible fencing out of the 5 ft closest to a house, including the attachment point. In Oak Park, we start with a steel or aluminum panel or gate where the fence meets your house; it’s the baseline, not an upgrade.
Lines facing Rock Ridge, Sunrise Meadows, Wistful Vista or other open space take the most exposure. Metal along those back lines, with grass and brush kept off the fence, stops the fence from carrying fire toward your yard.
Which rules apply in Oak Park?
Oak Park has no city government, so Ventura County Planning and County Building and Safety handle fences, under the Oak Park Area Plan. In your front setback, a fence is held to 3 ft if solid or 5 ft if open; on side and back lines the limit is 7 ft.
The county wants a planning permit before anything over 7 ft, any electrified fence and any retaining wall over 3 ft. On a corner, nothing above 3 ft can stand inside the 40 ft sight triangle. See the rules guide.
Fence on an Oak Park slope?
Send the address and a photo of the back line. Your estimate covers stepping, footings and the metal at the house.
Building on steep ground
A USDA sample in Oak Park shows the Calleguas-Arnold complex on 30 to 50 percent slopes, eroded, well drained, rated moderate for steel corrosion. Many back yards fall away toward the creeks.
We step fences down in level panels or rack them to follow the grade, and set each downhill post deeper to resist the push. Where your yard has been cut and filled, we keep posts out of loose fill and back from the edge of the cut. Materials usually go in by hand down the side yard.
Metal, vinyl or wood?
- Aluminum and steel suit view lines, the section at the house and every line facing open space. See aluminum fences.
- Vinyl gives low-upkeep privacy between neighbors, away from the house. See vinyl fences.
- Wood privacy still works between interior yards where the lot isn’t against brush.
How your Oak Park job runs
At the visit we walk the slope and measure how far each step drops. Your written estimate itemizes stepping, footings, removal and the metal section. DigAlert gets at least two working days’ notice before we dig. We set posts and let them cure before panels go on, and gates go in last.
Is your post-2018 fence leaning?
Fences that survived 2018 are now years older, and wood posts on slopes tend to lean downhill as they age. Resetting a few posts can buy time; if the whole run is soft, we’d replace it, with metal near the house. See fence repair and replacement.
Wind over the Simi Hills
Santa Ana winds come over the Simi Hills from the northeast in fall and winter and gust through the valleys around Oak Park. A tall solid panel on a ridge-top lot takes that wind broadside, and on a slope the downhill posts already carry extra load. Open metal designs let the wind through. If you want privacy, heavier posts at closer spacing keep a solid line upright. See wind and fences.
Keeping a dog in on a hillside
Stepped panels leave triangle-shaped gaps under each step, and dogs find them fast. We close those gaps with a kickboard, a rail or wire tight to the soil. A gate that swings shut and latches itself keeps your dog in when people come and go. See the best fence for dogs.
Near Medea and Lindero creeks
Lots that drop toward Medea Creek or Lindero Creek often end at a drainage swale or a steep bank. We keep posts back from the top of a bank, where soil is firmer and less likely to wash. We check any work close to a creek with the county before it starts, and an open fence lets runoff pass instead of damming against a solid panel.
Where can your driveway gate go?
A vehicle gate on an Oak Park driveway sits at least 20 ft behind the front or street-side setback and is at least 15 ft wide, and a swing gate can’t open into that space. On a short or steep drive, that often makes a rolling gate the only fit. A powered gate needs a county planning permit. See gate installation.
What does an Oak Park fence cost?
Our typical range for ornamental aluminum and steel is about $35 to $100 per foot installed, and for vinyl about $35 to $75. Slope, hand carrying and the extra metal Oak Park calls for raise the total. See the cost guide.