Gate repair in Sherman Oaks
Most Sherman Oaks gates are low ones, and they still break
Electric driveway gates, side yard gates and low iron gates across front lawns all wear out the same way: motors tire, hinges drop, latches stop meeting. Tell us what yours is doing, and we connect you to a licensed installer who takes gate calls in Sherman Oaks.
Why front gates here sit low
Sherman Oaks is almost all R zoned: about 96% of its residential land by area, with about 4% RA or A (City zoning map data, checked September 2026). The front yard limit follows the zone:
- R zones: a fence, wall or gate in the required front yard can be three and a half feet at most, measured from natural ground level, and a hedge counts as a fence. (LAMC 12.22 C.20(f)(1) and (2))
- RA and A zones: six feet.
- Either, with a Zoning Administrator's approval: up to eight feet.
So the typical front gate here is a waist high walk gate or a low driveway gate. A tall one needs an RA or A lot or city approval. If you're replacing a front gate, know which case yours is before ordering one taller than the old. How the height rules work
Share of residential land zoned R, by area. City of Los Angeles zoning map data, checked September 2026. Not a count of homes.
Electric gate repair
When an electric gate here acts up, it's usually one of these:
Photos of the operator and control box help the installer bring the right parts. More on electric gate repair
- Stops partway or reversesusually the safety eyes, a sensing edge or a force setting.
- Hums and does not moveoperator gearbox, drive gear or a capacitor.
- Remote works, keypad does not (or the other way around)the input or its wiring, not the motor.
- Slow and noisyoften a dragging gate making the motor work too hard.
Side yard gates
On a close set lot, the side yard gate gets heavy use: bins, gardeners, pool service. Its limit differs from the front: eight feet on lots 40 feet or wider outside the city's Hillside Area, six feet on narrower lots or inside it. (LAMC 12.22 C.20(f)(3)) Parts of Sherman Oaks are in the Hillside Area, so check before ordering a taller replacement.
Common repairs: a latch that no longer lines up because the post moved, a dropped hinge, and a bottom rail rusted where sprinklers hit.
Low driveway gates
A short drive in front of a garage often gets a low double gate, because of the front yard limit. Low gates are lighter, but their hinges and posts still take a beating from daily hand use. A leaf dragging on the concrete usually has a post or hinge problem, not a bent frame.
Streets where setback matters
A gate in the public right of way on one of the city's arterial streets should sit twenty feet back of the curb face, per the permit manual, so a car can wait off the road, unless LADOT approves otherwise. In Sherman Oaks the arterials include Ventura, Sepulveda, Van Nuys, Beverly Glen, Coldwater Canyon, Valley Vista, Magnolia, Moorpark, Riverside, Burbank, Chandler, Fulton, Hazeltine, Kester and Tyrone. (LA Bureau of Engineering, Revocable Permit manual)
Sherman Oaks arterial streets
City of Los Angeles street layer, September 2026.
Up toward Mulholland
The Mulholland Scenic Parkway Specific Plan reaches into Sherman Oaks along the ridge. Within five hundred feet of the Mulholland Drive right of way, fences, gates and walls visible from Mulholland must use a listed set of materials, including black or dark green wrought iron. (Ordinance 167,943, Section 5) A bright metal replacement gate up there is not on the list.
Mulholland Scenic Parkway Specific Plan, Ordinance 167,943.
Questions from Sherman Oaks
Why is my front gate only waist high?
Probably because the lot is R zoned. In R zones the city limits a fence, wall or gate in the required front yard to three and a half feet (LAMC 12.22 C.20(f)(2)). About 96% of Sherman Oaks residential land is R zoned by area, so a low front gate is the norm here.
Can my old electric gate motor be repaired?
Often. If the gate moves freely by hand and parts for the operator are still made, repair is usually the better spend. If the board or motor is discontinued, or the gate is heavier than the operator was rated for, a new operator makes more sense. Ask which applies before approving work.
How tall can a side yard gate be?
Eight feet on lots 40 feet or wider outside the Hillside Area, and six feet on narrower lots or inside it, under LAMC 12.22 C.20(f)(3). A Zoning Administrator can allow eight feet in the six foot cases. Check your lot before ordering a taller replacement.
Do you cover the hills south of Ventura?
Yes, we connect homeowners across Sherman Oaks, hills included. Hillside gates raise their own questions: slope under a swing leaf, the width of the road in front, and the Mulholland material rules near the ridge. Mention your street when you get in touch so the installer knows what to expect.
Tell us what the gate is doing
Call, 8am to 7pm every day(818) 873-7383- One licensed gate installer who covers your street gets your note.
- They call you back to talk it through and set a time.
- The quote, the work and the warranty are theirs.