Commercial and Temporary Chain Link
Chain link fencing in Lancaster, California
Start with the part most quotes leave out. Lancaster does not allow chain link on residential property at all, so if this is your home the answer is a different material. On a commercial yard, or as temporary fencing while a lot sits vacant, it is still the cheapest way to close a long line and the one the wind cannot get hold of.
What the code says, in one paragraph
Lancaster Municipal Code 17.08.130(I) is titled Prohibited Fence Materials, and it reads: "The use of chain link, barbed wire, razor wire, electrical fence, glass and other similar objects of a hazardous characteristic shall not be permitted for residential uses." Chapter 17.08 is the residential zones chapter, which means this covers the RR rural residential zones and the acre-plus parcels at the edge of town just as much as a tract lot in town. It is not a front yard restriction. There is no back-of-the-property exception to find.
Two lawful uses remain, and they are the two this page is about. Commercial and industrial sites sit outside a rule written for residential uses. And 17.08.130(J) allows a temporary fence on a vacant property with a Director's Review, which sets the time limit, the materials and the conditions. If somebody quotes you mesh for a house here without mentioning any of this, that is worth a second look before the posts go in.
If this is your home, what works instead
The reason people ask for mesh out here is almost always wind and price, and both have answers the code allows:
- Ranch rail and pipe corral. Open horizontal rails let a gust straight through, the same physics, at $18 to $38 a foot. This is the closest lawful equivalent and it is what most large Lancaster parcels use.
- No-climb woven wire behind rail. A 2 by 4 inch woven mesh is not chain link and is not on the prohibited list. Hung behind a rail it closes the gaps for dogs, foals and small stock.
- Wood and vinyl. Where you actually need privacy rather than a boundary. Both need a real wind package here, which the cost guide covers.
- Wrought iron and tubular steel. Open, non-combustible, and the material the code names for multifamily.
One more thing the same section decides: new production homes in a subdivision of three or more lots take a masonry wall on the rear and side yards up to 6 ft, and subdivision perimeter walls are masonry between 5 and 6 ft, where painted concrete block is expressly not an acceptable finish.
How we build a commercial run that lasts here
Mesh is simple, which makes it easy to build badly. The parts that decide whether it stays tight and plumb are mostly invisible once the fabric is up:
- Terminal posts and bracing. Every corner, end, and gate post carries the tension of the whole run. Those get the biggest footings, and on long runs we brace them properly rather than trusting a single post in sand.
- Real concrete, below the caliche. Loose desert sand will not hold a post. Every post is set in concrete, and where hardpan sits underneath we break through and anchor below it.
- 9 gauge fabric on the runs that matter. The lighter 11 or 11.5 gauge is fine for a short-term line, but 9 gauge is what holds shape against wind, traffic, and years of sun.
- Top rail, and bottom tension wire. A top rail keeps the fabric from waving in a gust. A bottom tension wire keeps blowing sand and animals from pushing under it, which matters on flat ground where sand drifts along the line.
- Line post spacing. Standard is 10 feet. On exposed lines and taller fences we tighten it.
Temporary fencing on a vacant lot
17.08.130(J) is the other door. A temporary fence may be installed on a vacant property with an approved Director's Review, and that approval carries time limits, material conditions and other terms the Director sets. In practice this is the construction and site-security case: a parcel between uses, a build under way, a lot that needs securing before anything else happens on it.
It is a permission with an expiry on it, not a permanent fence by another name. We quote the review as part of the job rather than leaving you to discover it, and we say up front how long the approval is likely to run.
Pricing on the jobs where it is allowed
| Configuration | Installed / linear ft | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| 4 ft galvanized | $18 to $28 | Commercial yard division and interior lines |
| 6 ft galvanized | $24 to $34 | Site security and full commercial perimeter |
| 4 to 6 ft black vinyl-coated | $26 to $40 | Visible commercial frontages |
| 500 ft yard perimeter | $9,000 to $20,000 total | Industrial and storage parcels |
Ranges cover posts set in concrete, fabric, top rail, hardware, and labor. Slats, extra bracing, gates, caliche digging, a Director's Review submittal, and old fence removal are separate lines on your quote, spelled out rather than buried. See the complete Lancaster cost guide for every material, including the ones a home can use.
Get a written price
Tell us the run length and whether the parcel is commercial or vacant, and we will walk the line in Lancaster, check the soil and the wind exposure, and leave you with a fixed written quote. Free, with no obligation.
Request a quoteChain link questions
Can I put a chain link fence on my house in Lancaster?
No. Lancaster Municipal Code 17.08.130(I) lists chain link as a prohibited fence material and says it shall not be permitted for residential uses. Chapter 17.08 covers every residential zone in the city, including the RR rural residential zones, so this is not a front yard rule you can get around by building at the back. For a home here the practical answers are ranch rail, pipe corral, no-climb woven wire, wood, vinyl, or masonry.
Where is chain link still allowed in Lancaster?
Two places. On commercial and industrial sites, because the prohibition in 17.08.130(I) is written for residential uses and Chapter 17.08 is the residential zones chapter. And as temporary fencing on a vacant property, which 17.08.130(J) allows with a Director's Review that sets time limits, materials and conditions. We handle both.
What does commercial chain link cost in Lancaster?
About $18 to $40 per linear foot installed, which is still the cheapest way to close a long line. A 150 foot run comes to roughly $2,700 to $6,000, and a 500 ft yard perimeter to about $9,000 to $20,000. Height, 9 gauge versus lighter fabric, black vinyl coating, and caliche digging decide where you land.
Why does open mesh survive Lancaster wind?
Because it does not fight it. Open mesh has almost no sail area, so a 40 to 50 mph gust passes between the wires instead of levering the posts out of the ground. A solid panel of the same length takes hundreds of pounds of lateral load in that same gust. It is the reason mesh and rail are the two things still standing on the most exposed lots out here.
Keep reading
fence building in Lancaster handles the choosing. This page handles the building.