Driveway Gates in Rosamond, CA

Start with where the gate hangs on the lot. Kern County writes fence heights district by district, and the figures on this page come from the estate and residential districts, E and R-1 through R-3. In those districts a fence in a required front yard tops out at 4 feet under 19.08.210.B, and one in a side or rear yard at 6 feet under 19.08.210.A. We plan a gate hung inside the required front yard to that 4 foot figure.

Plenty of Rosamond parcels are big enough that the house sits well back from the road, and that opens a real choice. A gate at the road meets visitors early and lives with the front yard figure. A gate moved back past the setback line is no longer inside the required front yard, and whether it can stand taller there is a question for Kern County planning. Settle the line with the county, then we draw the leaf.

The top rail is where many stock designs stop fitting. Section 19.08.210.D says no sharp wire or points may project at the top of any fence or wall under 6 feet in those districts, and no barbed wire may run along the front, side or rear lot lines or within 3 feet of them. A 4 foot gate at the road gets a flat cap rail, square cut pickets or a rounded top. Pointed tops only come back into the conversation on a gate of 6 feet or more, placed where the height rules allow one.

Kern takes the height from the finished interior grade, and 19.08.210.C does not count the part of a wall working as a retaining wall. A drive that rises or drops from the road can make those words matter. We shoot the grade at both gate posts and ask you to confirm the measuring point with the county before the height goes on the drawing.

Wind crossing open Rosamond desert has a long run at a gate. A leaf hangs its full weight off one post, and each extra foot of width pushes that weight further out, so the post has to grow faster than the gate does. A solid leaf also catches wind across its whole face, while an open picket leaf lets most of it through. On our gates the posts go at least 36 inches into concrete, deeper under a wide or solid leaf. That figure is this shop's own practice, not a code or a standard.

Swing or slide comes down to space. A pair of swing leaves needs clear arc inside the gate and an apron close to level. A slide gate needs a parking run beside the opening about as long as the gate itself, and a wide lot often has one. If a motor may come later, tell us at the measure. The hinges and frame get sized for it, and a wiring sleeve goes through the post while it is still on the bench. UL 325 and ASTM F2200 start to apply the day a motor goes on.

Rosamond sun and blowing dust wear on the coating long before they wear through the steel. Hot dip galvanizing to ASTM A123 puts more zinc on thicker steel. Over it, an AAMA 2604 class powder holds its color longer than the basic 2603 tier, provided the galvanized steel gets the ASTM D7803 thermal prep first so the film does not pinhole.

This work runs out of our shop on Division Street in Lancaster. Read the full driveway gates details, or call (818) 220-8704 and we will come out.