Questions to Ask Fence Contractor
For homeowners collecting fence bids and trying to tell a solid installer from a cheap number scribbled on a form. These 20 questions cover property lines, post depth, gate quality, permits, change orders and warranty language.
The questions
Open any question for the note
Which fence types and materials do you install most often, and roughly how many jobs like mine did you complete last year?
Why ask it
A crew that sets 60 cedar privacy fences a year has different muscle memory than one that mostly does chain link and would be learning on your yard. The volume number also tells you whether fencing is their main business or a sideline to landscaping and decks.
Will your own employees build this, or do you subcontract, and who is on site supervising each day?
Why ask it
Many fence companies sell the job and hand it to a rotating sub crew, which is where communication and quality control break down. Knowing whether a named foreman is present tells you who to talk to when a post looks off plumb on day two.
Can you send your license number plus certificates of general liability and workers compensation issued directly by your insurer?
Why ask it
A PDF forwarded by the contractor can be expired or edited, while a certificate sent from the agency is current and lists you as the certificate holder. Without workers comp, an injured crew member on your property can become a claim against your homeowners policy.
Who pulls the permit, and will you prepare the HOA or architectural committee submission?
Why ask it
Fences are one of the most commonly permitted small projects, with local rules on height, setback and corner lot sight lines. If the contractor expects you to handle it, that is weeks of lead time and a rejection risk that belongs in your schedule rather than arriving as a surprise.
How will you establish the property line, and will the fence sit directly on it or a few inches inside my side?
Why ask it
Contractors often build off a plat, a neighbor's old fence, or a sidewalk, any of which can be off by a foot. Setting the fence a few inches inside your line keeps maintenance access on your property and avoids an encroachment fight that ends with you paying to move it.
How do you handle utility locates, including private lines like irrigation, invisible dog fence, low voltage lighting, a gas run to a grill, or a septic field?
Why ask it
The free 811 call only marks public utilities up to the meter, so everything a previous owner buried is your risk. A contractor who asks you to flag sprinkler zones and knows to hand dig near a septic field has been burned before and learned from it.
Exactly what materials are you quoting: wood species and grade, board or panel thickness, vinyl wall thickness, or steel gauge, and will those specs be written into the contract?
Why ask it
Differences of thousands of dollars between bids usually hide right here, since western red cedar versus whitewood pickets, or 0.135 versus 0.100 inch vinyl, look identical in a proposal that just says privacy fence. Specs in the contract are the only thing that stops a quiet downgrade at delivery.
What are the posts, how deep do you dig, what hole diameter, and do you set them in concrete, gravel, or dry mix?
Why ask it
Post depth is the single biggest predictor of whether the fence is still standing straight in ten years, and it should be roughly a third of the above ground height and below your local frost line. Vague answers, or shallow holes with a bag of dry mix tossed in, are exactly why fences lean.
How will you handle the slope and grade changes on my lot, will the fence rack with the ground or step down, and how much gap will be left at the bottom?
Why ask it
Stepped panels leave triangular gaps that a dog or a small child can slip through, while a racked fence follows grade but costs more labor. Making them describe the plan now avoids the later conversation where they blame your yard for a six inch gap you have to fill with dirt.
How many horizontal rails per section, and what fasteners and hardware do you use: screws or nails, and hot dipped galvanized or stainless?
Why ask it
Two rails instead of three on a six foot fence lets boards cup and warp within two seasons, and cheap electroplated screws bleed rust streaks down cedar inside a year. These upgrades cost the contractor very little and determine the entire appearance of the finished fence.
How are the gates built and braced, what hardware do you use, and what do you do differently on gates wider than four feet?
Why ask it
Gates fail long before fences do, because they carry their own weight on two hinges and get slammed hundreds of times a year. Look for an answer that mentions a welded or steel gate frame, an anti sag cable or diagonal brace, and heavier posts set deeper on both sides of the opening.
Which side gets the finished face, and do you contact the neighbors before the crew shows up?
Why ask it
Some ordinances and HOA rules require that the good side face outward, and a neighbor who first learns about the fence when a skid steer is parked on the line becomes a problem for years. A contractor who volunteers to knock on doors has clearly managed this before.
Does the price include removing and hauling away the old fence, including digging out the old concrete footings?
Why ask it
Leaving old footings in the ground forces new posts off the original line, and it is one of the most common corner cuts in the trade. Disposal fees for a long run of old fence can add several hundred dollars, so confirm whether hauling and dump charges are inside the number or billed after.
What clearing along the fence line is included, and what will you do about roots, shrubs, sprinkler heads and anything else in the way?
Why ask it
Crews will cut whatever blocks the line and call it access, which is how a mature hedge or an irrigation zone gets destroyed with nobody responsible. Agree in advance on what gets removed, what gets protected, and who pays to repair sprinkler lines they nick.
What is specifically excluded from this quote, and what are the two or three most common change orders on jobs like mine?
Why ask it
Asking for exclusions flips the burden onto them and surfaces items like grading, sod repair, an extra gate, or stain that you assumed were included. A contractor who can name their usual change orders is being honest about where your final number tends to drift.
What happens if you hit rock, buried concrete, or a large stump, and what is your rate for that work?
Why ask it
Unexpected digging conditions are the most common reason a fence bid grows mid job, and the time to price it is before a crew is standing in your yard with all the leverage. Get a per hole or hourly figure in writing instead of a promise to be reasonable about it.
When will you actually start, how many days will the crew be on site, and will they work continuously or split time with other jobs?
Why ask it
Fence crews routinely set posts, disappear for a week while concrete cures or while they start another job, then return whenever it suits them. Asking for a start window, consecutive working days, and how weather delays shift things gives you something concrete to hold them to.
What is your deposit, what is each payment tied to, and will you provide lien waivers from yourself and your material supplier at final payment?
Why ask it
A deposit above roughly a third, or a demand for full payment before the fence is finished, is a real risk signal in a trade where materials are stocked locally. Lien waivers protect you from a supplier filing against your house because the contractor never paid for your pickets.
What exactly does your warranty cover, how long does labor run separately from materials, and does it include posts that heave or lean, boards that warp, and gates that sag?
Why ask it
Almost every fence complaint is a leaning post, a warped board or a sagging gate, and those are precisely the failures excluded by a warranty that only passes through the manufacturer's material coverage. Ask what voids it, and get the document rather than a verbal year.
Can you give me addresses of two fences you built at least three years ago that I can drive by, and tell me about a job that went wrong and how you resolved it?
Why ask it
Any fence looks great the week it goes in, so only an older job reveals post settling, board cupping and gate alignment over time. The story about a job that went sideways shows whether they come back after final payment, which is the entire practical value of a warranty.
How to Vet a Fence Contractor
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the Estimate Visit
Find Your Plat or Survey First
Pull the plat from your closing documents or the county assessor site, and try to locate the survey pins with a metal detector. Contractors build where you point, and a fence over the line is your legal problem, not theirs.
Read the Ordinance and HOA Rules Yourself
Look up your city's maximum height for front and rear yards, corner lot sight triangles, and any required setback from the sidewalk, then check the HOA for approved materials and colors. Ten minutes here prevents a fence you have to shorten at your own expense.
Measure and Mark the Run
Walk the line with a measuring wheel, note total feet, gate locations and widths, and every slope, tree or utility box in the way. Bids priced off the same footage and the same gate count are the only ones you can honestly compare.
Flag Your Private Buried Lines
Mark sprinkler heads and lines, invisible dog fence wire, low voltage lighting runs, and any gas line to a grill or fire pit before anyone digs. The 811 locate will not find these, and repairs are typically billed straight back to you.
Get Three Written Bids, Not Verbal Numbers
Insist on itemized proposals that state materials, post depth, rail count and gate details. If one bid comes in dramatically lower, it is almost always thinner posts, fewer rails, shallower holes or a lower wood grade rather than a genuinely better price.
Specs to Pin Down So Bids Compare Fairly
- Total linear feet, plus price per linear foot with gates priced separately
- Post size and material, such as 4x4 versus 6x6 pressure treated rated for ground contact, or steel posts
- Post spacing on center, usually 6 or 8 feet, since wider spacing means fewer posts and more sag
- Hole depth and diameter, and whether posts are set in concrete, gravel or dry mix
- Number of horizontal rails per section, and whether rails are face mounted or notched into the posts
- Wood species and grade, vinyl wall thickness, or steel gauge and coating
- Fastener type and coating, plus hinge and latch brand for every gate
- Gate width, frame construction and anti sag bracing at each opening
- Whether stain, seal or paint is included, and how long they want you to wait before applying it
- Old fence demolition, removal of old concrete footings, and dump fees
- Cleanup, grade repair, and sod or seed over the dig spoil
Red Flags During the Bid
A Price With No Written Spec Behind It
A one line proposal for 180 feet of six foot privacy fence lets the contractor choose every material and method after you have signed. If they will not itemize post size, depth and rail count, there is nothing to enforce when the fence goes up wrong.
Large Cash Deposit or Full Payment Up Front
Fence materials are stocked locally and rarely require a big prepay, so a demand for half or all of the money before work starts is a warning. Pay by card or check on a schedule tied to posts set and fence complete.
Vague or Shallow Post Depth Answers
Answers like we go down as far as we need to, or a plan to dig 18 inches for a six foot fence, predict a leaning fence within a few winters. Depth should be roughly a third of the above ground height and below the local frost line.
Dodging the Property Line Question
A contractor who says they will just follow the old fence or split the difference with the neighbor is quietly handing you the boundary risk. Insist the line be identified from pins or a survey and noted on the contract.
No Insurance Certificate From the Insurer
Augers, post pounders and gas powered saws make this a genuine injury trade. If they cannot have their agent email a current certificate naming you, do not let the crew on your property.
Pressure to Sign Today for a Discount
A same day discount exists to stop you from collecting comparison bids or reading the specs closely. Any legitimate seasonal pricing will still be there after you have read the contract one more time.
Get These in Writing Before You Pay a Deposit
- Full material specification, including post size, depth, spacing and rail count
- A drawing or marked photo showing the fence line, every gate, and each gate's swing direction
- Which side receives the finished face
- Who pulls the permit, who submits HOA paperwork, and who absorbs the cost if it is rejected
- Start window, expected days on site, and how weather delays are handled
- The rate for rock, buried concrete or other unexpected digging conditions
- What is excluded from the price, stated explicitly
- A payment schedule with final payment due only after your walkthrough
- The warranty document, with separate labor and material terms and a list of what voids it
- Lien waivers from the contractor and the material supplier at final payment
- Cleanup and debris removal responsibility, including the old footings