Community Development director: AB 2371 allows electrified fences on commercial property; staff to seek electrical permitting and zoning updates

Gabriel Perez, the city’s Community Development Director, told the Planning Commission staff has found that Assembly Bill 2371 (2024) permits commercial and industrial properties to install electrified security fences without statewide discretionary approval. Perez said the state law does not apply to residential properties and that the law expires in 2028.

Because the state rule limits local discretion for commercial/industrial sites, Perez said staff plans to require an electrical permit or a registration system so the city knows where electrified fences are installed and can verify safe electrical work. He noted the city lacked historical permit records for at least some recent installations and recommended a permit or registration to ensure compliance with electrical safety standards.

Perez also reviewed local code on barbed wire and razor wire: he said the zoning code after a 2015 update contains explicit prohibitions on barbed wire in many contexts, but that some industrial areas have long‑standing security fencing visible in street view images dating back to the mid‑2000s. He said staff is drafting zoning code amendments to clarify when and whether security fencing including razor wire may be permitted and will return to the Planning Commission for input.

On an enforcement example Perez said a fence at a tow yard (Mr C’s towing) that was installed without permits will be removed and replaced with a permitted wall and landscaping by a target date (March 15), subject to coordination on soil disturbance with federal agencies where required. Perez invited commissioners to provide input on acceptable fencing standards before staff brings recommendations to the City Council.