Standard Fencing Doesn't Exclude Wildlife—What Lomita Properties Actually Need

A standard wood or chain-link fence handles sight lines and property boundaries, but it doesn't stop coyotes from pushing under loose sections, raccoons from squeezing through gaps at grade, or snakes from entering through the base wherever ground contact is inconsistent. In Lomita, where residential lots back up to brushy corridors connected to the Palos Verdes Peninsula and the San Pedro hills, ground-level wildlife pressure is consistent and seasonal—coyotes in particular move through established corridors and return to properties where access has been easy before. A fence that wasn't built with wildlife exclusion as its design goal won't function as one regardless of its height.

The critical difference in wildlife fencing is what happens below grade. Wildlife Solutions and Trapping installs specialized fencing using black vinyl coated mesh with a 12-to-18-inch underground burial combined with an outward-facing flange at the base. The flange extends horizontally away from the fence line, so a coyote or skunk that begins digging along the fence encounters the buried mesh before it can get under—and the outward orientation means digging pressure works against the barrier rather than along it. That design difference is what separates exclusion fencing from decorative fencing with mesh attached.

Not every wildlife fencing product on the market is built to the same specification, and the differences matter most at the failure points. Black vinyl coated mesh holds up to UV exposure and coastal moisture better than uncoated galvanized alternatives, which is relevant in Lomita given the marine layer and salt air that moves inland from the harbor. Mesh gauge and aperture size determine which species the fence can exclude—a system sized for coyotes will also stop raccoons and skunks, but only if the mesh openings are small enough to prevent snake passage at ground level. Aperture size is a specification worth asking about directly, not assuming.

The five-year warranty included with this installation reflects confidence in both the materials and the burial depth. After installation, the observable change is straightforward: tracks and scat that previously appeared inside the fenced area stop, garden beds and crawl spaces stop showing evidence of nightly foraging, and the anxiety of managing pet safety around coyote activity in Lomita neighborhoods gives way to a defined, verified perimeter. If you're evaluating wildlife fence options for your Lomita property, contact us to discuss the full scope of what proper exclusion fencing involves and what the installation process looks like for your specific site.

Wildlife fencing is a long-term installation, and the decisions made during specification determine whether it holds for years or requires repair within the first season. The variables that matter most aren't always the most visible ones—post depth, burial depth, and flange orientation do more work than fence height in most ground-level exclusion scenarios. Before committing to any wildlife fence installation in Lomita, these are the criteria worth evaluating carefully:

• Underground burial depth—12 to 18 inches is the range required to stop persistent diggers like coyotes and skunks from going under at the base
• Outward-facing flange design, which redirects digging pressure away from the fence line rather than along it where gaps can develop
• Mesh material and coating—black vinyl coated mesh resists corrosion from Lomita's coastal moisture and salt-air exposure better than bare galvanized steel
• Aperture size relative to target species—openings must be sized to exclude snakes at ground level, not just larger mammals
• Warranty terms and what they cover—a five-year warranty on materials and installation provides a clear baseline for evaluating long-term value

Each of these points has a direct effect on whether the fence functions as a true exclusion barrier or simply as a deterrent that wildlife eventually routes around. Getting the specification right from the start is more cost-effective than repairing or reinforcing an undersized installation later. Contact us to schedule a wildlife fence assessment for your Lomita property and review what a correctly specified installation requires.