Before the first post goes in

1. Find your survey

Most people got a boundary survey when they bought the house. It shows the property lines and any easements. Give a copy to the fence company. If you don't have one, the title company or the closing attorney may. An old fence is not a survey; it may be a foot off and has been for thirty years.

2. Look for easements

Utility and drainage easements are common along back lot lines in the suburbs. A fence can often go in one, but whoever holds the easement may be able to take it down to get to their pipes or lines, and you pay to put it back. Jacksonville Beach's guide notes that a fence outside your own property line or in some easements may need separate approval from Public Works.

3. Get HOA approval in writing

Under section 720.3035 of the Florida Statutes, an HOA's architectural review power reaches only as far as the community's recorded documents state or reasonably imply. Many newer communities around Jacksonville do have those rules in their recorded documents, and they can cover height, material, color and how far forward the fence may run. Submit the plan, wait for the written approval, and hand a copy to the fence company.

4. Ask about the permit

Who issues it depends on where you live. Jacksonville fence rules.

5. Call 811

Sunshine 811 asks you to notify it at least two full business days before you dig. Business days exclude weekends and state and national holidays. The locate marks show where buried lines are, so the post holes miss them. Usually the fence company places the request. Make sure someone did before the auger shows up.

6. Tell the neighbors

Not required, and still the best money you will never spend. A neighbor who knows the plan is less likely to call code enforcement, and may even split the cost of a shared side.

Shared fences come up again and again in Jacksonville fence threads on Reddit. The usual versions: a neighbor wants to replace a fence that sits on the line when the other owner thinks it is fine, or a neighbor wants to hang a gate off a fence that is not theirs. Both get easier with the survey on the table. If the fence is on your side of the line, it is your fence. If it sits on the line, neither of you should change it without the other agreeing, preferably in writing.

7. Two fences side by side

If the neighbor already has a fence along the line, a second fence just inside yours leaves a narrow strip nobody can mow. Some companies will build it and some will tell you there is a rule against it. If you hear about a rule, ask which code section it is and check it with the permit office. Don't take either answer on faith.