Fence Installation Costs (2026): By Material & Size
Updated September 2026
A fence installation runs roughly $8–$60 per linear foot installed depending on material — chain-link sits at the low end (Fixr $12.25-$40/LF; HomeAdvisor $8-$20) and wrought iron at the top (Fixr $22-$40/LF; HomeAdvisor $25-$60+) — and a typical 150–200 LF yard project lands around $3,600–$7,800 for a full replacement (Fixr's published project band). Below are the installed per-linear-foot bands by material, the line items a full project adds, and the full cost guide.
Installed cost at a glance
Each band is installed, per linear foot (labor included), shown per publisher — the dataset records the guides separately and never averages them.
| Material | Fixr ($/LF installed) | Angi ($/LF installed) | HomeAdvisor ($/LF installed) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chain-link | $12.25-$40 | $8-$40 | $8-$20 | Widest band spread; Fixr's $40 high reflects tall/security-grade runs |
| Wood (cedar/pine) | $15-$35 | $10-$45 | $10-$45 | Cedar runs the top of Angi/HA bands; pine the bottom |
| Vinyl (PVC) | $15-$40 | $15-$40 | — | Narrowest cross-source agreement of the majors |
| Aluminum (ornamental) | $15-$40 | $17-$90 | $20-$40 | Angi's $90 high is an outlier vs Fixr/HA — kept as a band, not averaged |
| Composite | $22-$40 | — | $25-$55 | Wood-plastic blend; no Angi figure captured |
| Wrought-iron | $22-$40 | — | $25-$60+ | Structural permanence; no Angi figure captured |
Two honesty notes carried from the dataset: the aluminum row's Angi figure comes from a re-verification snapshot whose table labels the $17–$90 band “Steel” while the original capture labeled it aluminum — both are kept as bands and the discrepancy is stated rather than smoothed. And the composite and wrought-iron rows have no Angi figure captured; the bands shown are the publishers that did publish.
What a full project adds
The per-linear-foot bands cover the fence run itself. A whole project adds these line items (per-source, as recorded):
| Line item | Cost | Attribution |
|---|---|---|
| Gate installation | Walk gate $50-$400 installed (gate only $40-$200); driveway/automated $1,000-$6,000 | Fixr; Angi books gates at $150-$1,000+; HomeAdvisor standard gate $200-$1,000 — driveway gates are a separate order of cost, kept distinct |
| Old fence removal & disposal | $600-$800 per project (100–200 LF) | Fixr; HomeAdvisor books $3-$5/LF ($450-$750 for 150 LF) — bands kept distinct |
| Municipal permit | $20-$60 | HomeAdvisor; the context-facts pattern puts typical fees at $25–$150 by municipality — local verification required |
| Land survey | $400-$1,000 (Fixr) vs $200-$500 (HomeAdvisor) | Conflict kept as a band — survey scope varies by property |
| Full fence replacement (tear-out + rebuild) | $3,600-$7,800 per project | Fixr |
A 200-LF cedar project illustrates the whole-project math: Fixr's own published typical for 200 LF of cedar picket with a gate is $4,500 — sitting inside its $15-$35/LF installed band (200 LF × $15–$35 = $3,000–$7,000) plus a walk gate. The full guide works this example line by line.
Explore by material
Each material pairs its price band with its lifespan and maintenance burden from the context facts (dealer-guide consensus ranges, cited in Sources):
- Chain-link — $12.25-$40/LF installed (Fixr); $8-$20 (HomeAdvisor). Galvanized/vinyl-coated steel; lifespan 15–30 years; occasional rinse and gate-hinge check. Open style sheds wind load.
- Wood (cedar/pine) — $15-$35/LF (Fixr); $10-$45 (Angi/HA). Lifespan: pressure-treated pine 10–15 yrs, cedar 15–30 yrs. Maintenance drives the spread: clear sealer every 1–2 yrs, stain 2–3 yrs (semi-transparent) to 4–5 yrs (solid), annual inspection.
- Vinyl (PVC) — $15-$40/LF (Fixr and Angi agree exactly — the narrowest cross-source agreement of the majors). Lifespan 20–30 yrs typical (20–50 with care); never needs stain or paint — rinse 1–2×/yr.
- Aluminum (ornamental) — $15-$40/LF (Fixr); $20-$40 (HA); Angi's $17-$90 band kept as an outlier-flagged band. Lifespan 30–50+ yrs, rust-proof, powder-coated.
- Composite — $22-$40/LF (Fixr); $25-$55 (HA). Wood-plastic blend, rot/insect-proof; lifespan 25–30+ yrs; periodic washing only.
- Wrought iron — $22-$40/LF (Fixr); $25-$60+ (HA). Lifespan 50–100+ yrs; rust inspection and touch-up paint every few years.
What drives the cost
Patterns from the context facts (secondary-tier, phrased as patterns):
- Terrain and slope. Sloped or rocky runs add post-setting complexity; dense clay or rock defeats hand augers (pro hydraulic equipment territory).
- Frost depth. Northern posts must sit below the local frost line — regional bands run ~30–36 in (Midwest/Mid-Atlantic), 42–60 in (upper Midwest/Northeast), up to ~60–72 in (northern/mountain); footings go 6 in below the line with bell-bottom holes resisting frost jacking.
- Wind code (coastal/FL). Florida HVHZ (Miami-Dade, Broward) fences are engineered to local ultimate wind speeds (~115–180+ mph); solid fences act as wind sails, driving deeper/wider footings (commonly 24–36 in), heavier post inserts, and tighter post spacing (~6 ft). Open fences (chain-link, aluminum picket) shed load.
- Height over 6 ft. Typical municipal rules cap front-yard fences at 3–4 ft and back/side yards at 6 ft; over-6-ft fences trigger permits, and 8 ft often needs a variance or engineering.
- HOA constraints. ARC approval usually comes before the city permit, and HOA rules can be stricter than code (never looser).
Get local quotes
Local fence installation quotes
A vetted local-quote network for fencing is being onboarded — this slot will connect you with licensed installers for written quotes once live. Until then, get at least three written quotes from local contractors, and verify permit requirements with your city before signing.
Frequently asked questions
- How long does each fence material last?
- Consensus ranges from dealer/industry guides: wood (pressure-treated) 10–15 yrs, cedar 15–30, chain-link 15–30, vinyl 20–30 typical (20–50 possible), aluminum 30–50+, composite 25–30+, wrought iron 50–100+. Ground-contact posts are the wood failure point.
- Which fence needs the least maintenance?
- Vinyl — no stain or paint ever, just a rinse 1–2×/yr and an annual hardware check. Aluminum and chain-link are close behind (occasional rinse, hinge check). Wood is the high-maintenance end: clear sealer every 1–2 yrs.
- How tall can my fence be?
- The common municipal pattern: 3–4 ft max in front yards (often open-style for sightlines) and 6 ft max in back/side yards, with 8 ft needing a variance. Your city's code governs — verify locally.
- Do I need a permit?
- Often, depending on triggers: fences over 6 ft, front-yard/corner-lot fences, and masonry/retaining combos commonly trigger permits, with typical fees $25–$150 (HomeAdvisor books $20–$60). Call 811 before digging, and check HOA rules first — ARC approval usually precedes the city permit.
Related costs
- How much does a fence cost? — the full written guide: per-foot bands, the 200-LF worked example, privacy fencing, gates/removal/permits, repair vs. replacement, and the DIY boundary.
- Whole-house standby generator cost — the other big yard-work project: trenching and site prep mirror fence-line logistics.
- Roof replacement costs — installed cost per square for asphalt, metal, and tile roofs.
- Water heater replacement costs — installed cost by fuel and type, with unit vs. labor splits.
Sources
Every price figure on this page comes from the fencing cost dataset (14 products / 43 price points / 3 sources, retrieved 2026-09-25). Lifespan, maintenance, DIY-boundary, and regulatory patterns come from the companion context-facts file (dealer-guide consensus tier, flagged).
- Fixr — Cost to Install Fence (New Fence Cost) (medium reliability) — Fetched live 2026-09-25 (115KB). Page states Updated: January 31, 2025 — ~20 months old at fetch; staleness flagged. [URL updated 2026-09-26 at merge: /costs/install-fence now 404s; guide lives at /costs/fence-installation, same Jan-31-2025 edition; all figures re-verified EXACT against the new path per the freshness recheck d9d520b.]
- Angi — Fence Installation Cost (medium reliability) — Search-served capture 2026-09-25 (Angi Cloudflare-walls live fetches, consistent with garage-doors/hvac). Re-verify in browser at build time.
- HomeAdvisor — Fence Installation Cost (medium reliability) — Search-served capture 2026-09-25 (HomeAdvisor serves a JS shell on direct fetch). Re-verify at build time.
Estimate only — get local written quotes. Bands are per-source, never averaged; the aluminum outlier and survey conflict are the dataset's recorded conflicts, presented as bands. Lifespans and cadences are secondary-tier consensus ranges. Figures were last checked September 2026.