Piedmont Municipal Code Div. 17.32 Fences; Trash Enclosures; Corner

A fence, wall, retaining wall, or terracing is subject to these height limit and design review permit requirements:

Height, measured from exiting or proposed grade; Design review permit requirement Retaining wall, with or without guardrail Maximum 30 inches. (No design review permit required.) If more than 30 inches, requires a design review permit under division 17.66. Fence, wall, or a combination of either with a retaining wall within 24 inches

Within street setback
Requires a design review permit under division 17.66 for any height.

Other areas If 6 feet or less: exempt from design review permit. If more than 6 feet high, requires a design review permit, under division 17.66. If more than 8 feet high, requires a design review permit, under division 17.66, with notification requirements of division 17.62. Up to 8 feet tall allowed in Zones C and D when property line is shared with single-family uses or lots in in all zones. Retaining wall under SB 9 for Zones A and E

Within street setback Up to 8 feet tall to support pedestrian and vehicular egress and ingress needs such as driveways and entry pathways.
Other Areas Maximum of 5 feet. Trash enclosure (See general requirements in subsection B.1, below.)

Within street setback

No building permit or design review permit required if the enclosure complies with section 17.32.020, subsections A and B below. Otherwise requires design review permit under division 17.66.

Other areas No building permit or design review permit required if the enclosure complies with section 17.32.020 B below. Terracing Design review is not required if a series of one or more retaining walls and fences, at least 24 inches apart, on a single slope is designed so that no single wall or fence exceeds the height limits in this subsection. (Ord. 788 N.S., 02/2026)

A. General requirement. A trash enclosure must be:

Planning & Land Use 17- 38

1. a solid fence, wall, or combination of fence and retaining wall at least four feet in height and up to six feet in height; or

2. an open fence up to six feet in height in combination with dense, evergreen landscaping at least four feet in height at maturity and up to any height; or

3. dense, evergreen landscaping at least four feet in height at maturity and up to any height.

B. Standards. A design review permit is not required, but a trash enclosure within a street setback will be reviewed at the planning counter for compliance with this chapter and the Piedmont Design Standards and Guidelines (Trash Enclosures). The enclosure must be:

1. located as far away from the street as possible;
2. as small as is necessary to enclose the carts;
3. as low in height as necessary to adequately screen the carts; and
4. designed in compliance with the Piedmont Design Standards and Guidelines. (Ord. 769 N.S., 10/2023)

No fence, wall, retaining wall, hedge, or vegetation may be erected or grown in the front or street side yard of a corner lot to a height of more than three feet within the sight distance zone, a triangular area formed by measuring 30 feet along the front and side lot lines along the right-of- way from their “extended” intersection and connecting these two points, or as otherwise may be approved by the Planning Commission.

Planning & Land Use 17- 39