Daly City · Building on your lot

Building on your lot in Daly City

Daly City sets its own limits on fences, accessory structures and home businesses. Fence height depends on the yard and corner-lot sight lines, and accessory-structure height depends on total floor area.

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Key points

Fence height: Daly City limits fences to 3 feet in any required front yard and 6 feet on parcels used only as residences.
Accessory structures: Daly City limits accessory structures to 10 feet tall up to 120 square feet combined; larger ones to 15 feet, with design review.
Home businesses: Daly City allows a home business in one room, at most one-fourth of one floor, with residents only and no customer pickups or deliveries.

Each rule below is marked Daly City code or CA state law and links to the section it comes from (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

Fences and walls

Daly City code What Daly City's code adds
Corner visibility	No fence over 3 feet high within 35 feet of the street corner. Applies: Corner lots in any residential zone. § 17.40.020 · code text Irrespective of the parcel use, no fence shall exceed three feet in height in any required front yard or within thirty-five feet of the street corner on any corner lot in any residential zone.
Height anywhere on the lot	No more than 6 feet high, unless required by law or a condition of approval. Applies: Lots used only for homes. § 17.40.020 · code text No fence shall hereinafter be constructed that exceeds six feet in height on any parcel where the sole use of the parcel is residential, unless required by law or condition of approval.
Front yard height	No more than 3 feet high. Applies: Any required front yard, whatever the lot's use. § 17.40.020 · code text Irrespective of the parcel use, no fence shall exceed three feet in height in any required front yard or within thirty-five feet of the street corner on any corner lot in any residential zone.

Sheds, garages and other accessory structures

Daly City code What Daly City's code adds
Maximum height	No more than 10 feet high. Applies: Accessory structures on a residential lot, up to 120 square feet combined. § 17.40.085 · code text No structure shall be greater than ten feet in total height; No more than 15 feet at the highest point. Applies: Structures over 120 square feet that otherwise meet the rules. § 17.40.085 · code text shall not be greater than fifteen feet at its highest point, Up to 10 feet high. Applies: Trellises in the front half of the lot. § 17.40.085 · code text Trellises, defined as a framework of light wooden or metal bars that is chiefly used to support fruit trees or climbing plants, may be constructed in the front half of the lot up to ten feet in height and combined twenty feet in length.
Size or lot coverage	No more than 120 square feet combined. Larger structures must meet zone coverage and setbacks, with administrative design review. Applies: Accessory structures on a residential lot. § 17.40.085 · code text No structure, in combination with other accessory structures, shall occupy more than one hundred twenty square feet of floor area;
Side and rear setback	At least 3 feet from any home on a neighboring property. § 17.40.085 · code text No structure shall be located closer than six feet to any dwelling unit on the same property or three feet to any dwelling unit on an adjacent property; No setback is required. Applies: Accessory structures up to 120 square feet combined and 10 feet tall. Not in front or side yards, except trellises. § 17.40.085 · code text Structures conforming to the above shall be allowed without setbacks, shall not be subject to any lot coverage regulation, and shall not be subject to design review.
Distance from the house	At least 6 feet from any home on the same property. § 17.40.085 · code text No structure shall be located closer than six feet to any dwelling unit on the same property or three feet to any dwelling unit on an adjacent property;

Running a business from home

Daly City code What Daly City's code adds
Space used	No more than 1 room. § 17.36.030 · code text A home occupation shall occupy no more than one room. No more than 1/4 of the total square footage of any one floor of the home. Applies: The room used for the home business. § 17.36.030 · code text The room shall be no greater than one-fourth the total square footage of any one floor of the dwelling.
Customer visits	Only 1 student or customer at a time. Applies: Home businesses with services such as alterations, dressmaking, tax preparation and individual lessons. § 17.36.030 · code text Home occupations that provide services such as alterations, dressmaking, tax preparation and individual instructions shall be limited to one student or customer at a time. No customer pickups or goods pickups or deliveries at the home. § 17.36.030 · code text Customer or goods pickup and/or deliveries;
Employees	Only residents of the home may do the work or report to work there. § 17.36.030 · code text No one other than residents of the dwelling shall conduct the work of a home occupation or report to work at the dwelling.
Permit	A home occupation permit and a business license are required. § 17.36.050 · code text No home occupation shall be permitted unless a home occupation permit and business license, as required by this chapter, have been obtained.
Businesses not allowed	automobile repairing, detailing, auto parts sales, vehicle alarm and audio sales and installation, spray finishing operations, welding or cutting operations, vehicle tow services, auto selling and brokering, limousine services, delivery services, dating services and/or escort services, mail order businesses (except for telephone only), food preparation, beauty salons, barber shops, photography studios, health care clinics, including dental, medical, chiropractic and psychological offices, fortunetelling and related arts and practices, massage studio, kennels or other boarding for pets, firearm sales, contractor's office where employees report or assemble prior to going to the job site, roofing businesses and appliance and computer businesses where the repair is performed at the home § 17.36.040 · code text The following occupations and those of similar character shall not be considered secondary to the use of a residential dwelling and shall not be allowed: automobile repairing, detailing, auto parts sales, vehicle alarm and audio sales and installation, spray finishing operations, welding or cutting operations, vehicle tow services, auto selling and brokering, limousine services, delivery services, dating services and/or escort services, mail order businesses (except for telephone only), food preparation, beauty salons, barber shops, photography studios, health care clinics, including dental, medical, chiropractic and psychological offices, fortunetelling and related arts and practices, massage studio, kennels or other boarding for pets, firearm sales, contractor's office where employees report or assemble prior to going to the job site, roofing businesses and appliance and computer businesses where the repair is performed at the home

Solar panels and EV chargers

Daly City code What Daly City's code adds
EV charger permit	Administrative, nondiscretionary review. Applies: Only when the application meets the approved checklist and standards and has no specific, adverse impact on public health or safety. § 15.80.060 · code text Where the application meets the requirements of the approved checklist and standards and there are no specific, adverse impacts upon public health or safety, the building and safety division shall complete the building permit approval process, which is nondiscretionary.
Solar permit process	Expedited review with a standard plan and checklist; apply by email, online or at the counter; electronic signatures accepted. Applies: Applies to small residential rooftop solar systems eligible for expedited review. § 15.26.050 · code text Electronic submittal of the required permit application and associated documents for small, residential rooftop solar energy system permits shall be by email, or the Internet.
Review time	45 days; if not denied in writing by then, the application is deemed approved. Applies: Applies to a complete solar application, unless the delay comes from a reasonable request for more information. § 15.26.060 · code text If an application for the installation of a solar system is not denied in writing within forty-five days of receipt of a complete application the application shall be deemed approved, unless the delay is the result of a reasonable request for additional information.

Other Daly City rules on this

Daly City's code also has these chapters. We have not summarized their values on this page yet; read them in the library.

No roosters (§ 6.08.080)
Keeping horses at home: lot size and corrals (§ 6.12.120)
Overnight street parking ban for oversized vehicles (§ 10.32.150) — on public streets

Who this affects

HomeownersContractorsDesigners

Frequently asked questions

How tall can a fence be in Daly City?

Daly City limits fences to 3 feet in any required front yard and 6 feet on parcels used only as residences.

How big can a shed or accessory building be in Daly City?

Daly City limits accessory structures to 10 feet tall up to 120 square feet combined; larger ones to 15 feet, with design review.

Can I run a business from my home in Daly City?

Daly City allows a home business in one room, at most one-fourth of one floor, with residents only and no customer pickups or deliveries.

Do I need a permit for solar panels or an EV charger in Daly City?

Daly City's code: Administrative, nondiscretionary review. (Only when the application meets the approved checklist and standards and has no specific, adverse impact on public health or safety.) (§ 15.80.060); Expedited review with a standard plan and checklist; apply by email, online or at the counter; electronic signatures accepted. (Applies to small residential rooftop solar systems eligible for expedited review.) (§ 15.26.050).

General information, not legal advice.

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Daly City Municipal Code — full text

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