Point Arena · Building on your lot

Building on your lot in Point Arena

Point Arena sets fence heights by yard, up to 15 feet within the buildable part of a lot. A home occupation needs a coastal development permit where it counts as development, and hazardous materials work is not allowed.

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Key points

Fence heights: Fences are limited to 4 feet in required front yards and street side yards, and 8 feet in required interior side and rear yards.
Accessory buildings: Point Arena sets a 15-foot standard for accessory buildings in the MR, SR and UR zones.
Home businesses: Home occupations are allowed with any dwelling under listed conditions, with at most 2 employees outside the resident family.

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

Fences and walls

Point Arena code What Point Arena's code adds
Height anywhere on the lot	No more than 15 feet high. Applies: Fences and freestanding walls in the buildable part of a lot. § 18.25.110 · code text Fences and freestanding walls located within the buildable portion of a lot shall not exceed 15 feet in height.
Front yard height	No more than 4 feet high. Applies: Fences in a required front yard or a side yard next to a street. § 18.25.110 · code text Fences located within a required front yard, or side yard adjacent to a street, shall not exceed four feet in height.
Side and rear yard height	No more than 8 feet high. Applies: Fences and freestanding walls in a required interior side yard or rear yard. § 18.25.110 · code text Fences and freestanding walls located within a required interior side yard or required rear yard shall not exceed eight feet in height.

Sheds, garages and other accessory structures

Point Arena code What Point Arena's code adds
Maximum height	No more than 15 feet high. Applies: Accessory buildings in the MR, SR and UR zones. § 18.25.090 · code text Accessory buildings in MR, SR, and UR zones shall not exceed 15 feet in height.
Side and rear setback	At least 15 feet from a side lot line next to a street. § 18.25.090 · code text Accessory structures shall not be closer than 10 feet to any on-site building and not closer than 15 feet to any side lot line abutting a street.
Distance from the house	At least 10 feet from any other building on the lot. § 18.25.090 · code text Accessory structures shall not be closer than 10 feet to any on-site building and not closer than 15 feet to any side lot line abutting a street.

Running a business from home

Point Arena code What Point Arena's code adds
Employees	No more than 2 employees besides members of the resident family. § 18.25.060 · code text No more than two employees other than members of the resident family;
Permit	Allowed as an accessory use of any home under set conditions. Applies: A coastal development permit is needed where the use counts as development. § 18.25.060 · code text Home occupations, including, but not limited to, sewing, music studios, desktop publishing, art studios, computer programming, professional offices, home and health care product distributors, bookkeeping, rooming and boarding of not more than two persons including tourists, may be permitted as an accessory use to any dwelling, subject to the following conditions and to the provisions of the zone in which the occupation is proposed, and coastal development permits, where the use constitutes "development" as defined in Appendix A, Supplemental Definitions:
Businesses not allowed	manufacturing, processing or transportation of flammable, combustible, explosive, toxic or other hazardous materials § 18.25.060 · code text Home occupations shall not include manufacturing, processing or transportation of flammable, combustible, explosive, toxic or other hazardous materials.

Swimming pools

Point Arena code What Point Arena's code adds
Pool barrier	No openings larger than 4 inches. Applies: Self-closing and self-latching gates are excepted. § 18.25.120 · code text containing no openings greater than four inches except for self-closing and self-latching gates
Barrier height	At least four and one-half feet § 18.25.120 · code text Such pool or the property on which it is located shall be completely enclosed by a wall or fence at least four and one-half feet in height, containing no openings greater than four inches except for self-closing and self-latching gates
Equipment and alarms	Filter and heating systems must be at least 10 feet from any lot line. Applies: Applies to filter and heating systems. § 18.25.120 · code text Filter and heating systems shall not be located within 10 feet of any lot line.
Gates	Self-closing and self-latching, with the latch at least 4 feet above ground. § 18.25.120 · code text except for self-closing and self-latching gates on which the latch is at least four feet above ground level in order that full control of access by children may be maintained.
Setback from property lines	At least 50 feet from the front lot line. Applies: The pool must also be on the rear half of the lot. § 18.25.120 · code text Such pool shall be located on the rear one-half of the lot and in any case at least 50 feet from the front lot line At least 5 feet from a side or rear lot line. Applies: Applies to side and rear lot lines. § 18.25.120 · code text nor closer than five feet to a side or rear lot line.

Other Point Arena rules on this

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

Number of household pets allowed (§ 18.25.040) — residential zones

Who this affects

HomeownersContractorsDesigners

Frequently asked questions

How tall can a fence be in Point Arena?

Fences are limited to 4 feet in required front yards and street side yards, and 8 feet in required interior side and rear yards.

How big can a shed or accessory building be in Point Arena?

Point Arena sets a 15-foot standard for accessory buildings in the MR, SR and UR zones.

Can I run a business from my home in Point Arena?

Home occupations are allowed with any dwelling under listed conditions, with at most 2 employees outside the resident family.

What are the pool fence and setback rules in Point Arena?

Point Arena's code: No openings larger than 4 inches. (Self-closing and self-latching gates are excepted.) (§ 18.25.120); At least four and one-half feet (§ 18.25.120).

General information, not legal advice.

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