Is your Oak View lot steep, clay and close to the hills? Rancho Oxnard Fence builds and repairs fences in Oak View and nearby Casitas Springs, in the narrow valley the Ventura River cuts between Ventura and Ojai. Oak View is about 15 miles north of Oxnard and a world away for a fence: steep slopes, clay soil, fire-mapped hillsides and county rules instead of a city’s.
Which rules apply to you?
Oak View is unincorporated and falls under Ventura County’s Ojai Valley Area Plan. Your fence follows the county’s fence, wall, gate and hedge guidelines: a solid fence up to 3 ft or a see-through fence up to 5 ft in a residential front setback, and up to 7 ft in side, rear and street-side setbacks.
Fences over 7 ft, any fence that uses electricity and retaining walls over 3 ft need a county planning permit. Driveway gates sit at least 20 ft behind the front or street-side setback and are at least 15 ft wide.
Steep ground and clay
A USDA sample in Oak View shows Sespe clay loam on 30 to 50 percent slopes, well drained, rated high for steel corrosion. The community sits at about 538 ft in a narrow valley, and many lots climb steeply from the road.
We either step your fence down the slope in level panels or, for wire and rail styles, follow the contour. We set each post for the downhill push, deeper on the low side, and use coated steel posts for this soil. Digging clay on a slope is slower than flat loam, which shows in the price.
Is your lot on the fire map?
CAL FIRE maps Very High hazard on the state-managed land inside Oak View and high and moderate hazard on the county-managed side. Draft Board of Forestry rules would keep new combustible fencing out of the 5 ft next to a house and require a noncombustible section where a fence attaches. For you, that means a metal panel or gate at the house and a cleared strip along the line. Wire and metal fencing elsewhere on the lot won’t carry fire across the yard.
Fence on a slope in Oak View?
Send the address and a photo of the slope. Your estimate covers stepping, footings and the section by the house.
Which fence suits a valley lot?
- Wire and rail fences suit large sloping lots and follow the ground closely.
- Chain link keeps dogs in on rural lots at a low cost per foot. See chain link.
- Wood privacy works on flatter parts of the lot, away from the house in fire-mapped areas. See wood fences.
- Aluminum or steel suits the front and the section by the house. See aluminum fences.
Keeping a dog in on a slope
On slopes, gaps open under stepped panels and along dips in the ground. We run a dog fence close to the ground, keep the bottom wire or rail tight to the soil and close any gaps under steps. A gate that swings shut and latches on its own does the rest. See the best fence for dogs.
Wind down the valley
Santa Ana winds move down the Ventura River valley toward the coast. Fences across the open slopes take that wind; posts sized for it, and see-through designs, hold up best. See wind and fences.
Near Lake Casitas or the river
Lake Casitas lies just west of the community and the Ventura River runs through it. Oak View is outside the coastal zone, but if your lot is near the river corridor, we check with the county before any work near the bank.
How we work a steep lot
We start by walking up the line to find where the slope breaks and where a step in the panels will look right. Your written estimate itemizes stepping, footings, removal and the metal section at the house. DigAlert marks come at least two working days before we dig.
Clay holds water in winter, so in the wet months we dig and pour holes the same day. Where a truck can’t reach, we carry materials up by hand, which is part of why slope adds labor. The gate goes in last, once the posts on either side have set.
Fence on top of a retaining wall?
Where your lot has been cut into the hill, the fence often sits on or behind a retaining wall. The county requires a planning permit for a retaining wall over 3 ft, and a combined wall and fence has its own height limits, so we plan the two together. Setting the fence a short way back from the top of the wall keeps its posts out of the wall’s backfill and makes it easier to repair later.
Casitas Springs
South of Oak View along the river, Casitas Springs shares the same county rules and much of the same ground. Lots there sit closer to the river corridor and Highway 33, so road frontage and a driveway gate set back from traffic come up more often. The county places a vehicle gate at least 20 ft behind the setback line, which on a short lot can push the gate close to the house and favor a rolling design over a swing. See driveway gates.
What does an Oak View fence cost?
Our typical ranges apply: about $30 to $70 per foot for 6 ft wood privacy and $18 to $38 for chain link, installed. Steep ground, clay digging, stepped panels and metal at the house raise the total. See the cost guide, and for county limits, the rules guide. For repairs, see fence repair.