Planning a new or replacement fence in Ojai, from the streets around the Arcade and Libbey Park to properties out toward the Upper Ojai? Rancho Oxnard Fence plans and builds fences and gates here. Ojai sits about 17 miles north of Oxnard in a valley under the Topatopa Mountains, and it’s one of the few cities we serve with a clearly published fence rule: almost every new or replacement fence needs the city’s zoning clearance first.
Do you need the city’s clearance?
Almost certainly. Under Ojai Municipal Code 10-2.805, adopted in November 2020 and effective that December, new or replacement fences, walls and screening need a zoning clearance from the City of Ojai. The filing fee is $50, and the application includes a site plan, elevations and the materials.
If the work touches the dripline of a protected oak or sycamore, you may need a tree permit too. The city’s Community Development department handles the clearance, so we draw up the plan and submit it before we build.
That changes the order of your job. We settle the line, height and materials at the site visit, prepare a simple site plan and elevation for the application, and schedule the work once the clearance is in hand. DigAlert still needs at least two working days’ notice before we dig.
Building around your oaks
Ojai is heavily wooded with oaks, and the city has its own historic district in Taormina and a long record of protecting its character, including a slow-growth ordinance. If your fence line runs near an oak or sycamore, we plan around the tree: posts go between major roots, and the line can bend or stop short of the trunk. On older properties, a fence that works around trees often looks better low and open than as a solid wall.
Is your lot on the fire map?
CAL FIRE maps about 1,675 acres of the land Ojai is responsible for as Very High fire hazard, out of roughly 2,800 acres in the city. State law already requires defensible space in those zones, and draft Board of Forestry rules would bar new combustible fencing within 5 ft of a house and call for a noncombustible piece where a fence attaches. On a mapped Ojai lot, we make that attachment piece metal, and you keep brush clear along the line.
Planning a fence in Ojai?
Send the address and a photo. Your estimate includes what the city's clearance application will need.
Stony ground and the right materials
A USDA sample in the city shows Ojai stony fine sandy loam on slopes from 2 to 15 percent, well drained, rated high for steel corrosion. Stones slow the digging and can nudge a post a few inches off its mark, and we use coated steel posts for this soil. Ojai lies outside the coastal zone.
Wood is still common for back-yard privacy away from the house. Low split-rail and open wire fences suit larger rural lots and keep your mountain views. Powder-coated aluminum and steel work near the house and in front yards. See wood fences and aluminum fences.
Gates for a long drive
Many Ojai lots have long driveways and need a vehicle gate as well as walk gates. Swing gates suit level drives with room to open; rolling gates suit slopes and short approaches. If you want an opener, we plan conduit at the start. See driveway gates and gate installation.
Is your old fence on the true line?
Older valley properties sometimes have fences that wander off the true line, especially along creeks and orchards. We confirm corners before applying for the clearance so the site plan is accurate. See fences, surveys and property lines.
Taormina and the older streets
Taormina became a historic district in 2016, and the streets around downtown carry older homes whose character the city works to protect. Fences there tend to be low and open, in wood or simple metal, so the house and garden stay in view. Because the clearance application already shows elevations and materials, a style that suits the street moves through more easily than a tall solid wall.
Bigger parcels in the Upper Ojai
Out toward the Upper Ojai and along Highway 150, parcels are bigger and fences are mostly wire, rail and wide gates for vehicles or equipment. Those lines often run past oaks and across slopes, so we place posts between roots and step or rack the run to the ground.
Long runs of wire cost far less per foot than privacy panels, which leaves room in your budget for metal where the fence meets the house and a sturdy vehicle gate on heavy posts. See fence installation.
Repair or replace?
Ojai’s oldest fences are often wood posts gone soft at the ground or wire pulled loose from rotted rails. We can reset a few bad posts in new footings. When the whole line is soft, replacing it is better value, and it still needs the city’s clearance, which we file before the old fence comes down. Leaving the old line up until the clearance arrives keeps your dog or livestock contained meanwhile. See fence repair and replacement.
What does an Ojai fence cost?
Our typical ranges apply: about $30 to $70 per foot for 6 ft redwood or cedar privacy and $35 to $100 for ornamental metal, installed. The city’s $50 filing fee, stony digging, tree-sensitive post placement and metal sections near the house are the local additions. See the cost guide and the rules guide.