Jacksonville fence questions, answered

Fixr's national figures put 200 linear feet of installed fence at $2,400 to $7,000 (updated January 2025). Where you land in that range depends mostly on the material and the height, then on gates and how hard the ground is to dig. A 6 foot wood privacy fence and a 4 foot chain link fence of the same length are very different jobs.

Fixr puts 100 linear feet at $1,200 to $3,500 installed. Short runs cost more per foot than long ones, because the trip and the gate cost about the same either way. If your quote is above that range, ask what is in it: removal of an old fence, a double drive gate and permit fees all add up.

Nobody publishes a Jacksonville-only number we trust. National installed ranges from Fixr: wood $15 to $35 per linear foot, vinyl $15 to $40 per linear foot, aluminum $15 to $40 per linear foot and chain link $12.25 to $40 per linear foot. Get two written quotes measured on site and compare them line by line.

Fixr puts most fence repairs at $200 to $850. Replacing one rotted post and the panel it holds sits at the low end. Several posts snapped in a storm, or a gate that needs a new frame, sits at the high end. When most posts are going, replacement starts to make more sense: Fixr puts a full replacement at $3,600 to $7,800.

It depends on which government covers your address. The consolidated City of Jacksonville covers most of Duval County, but Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach are separate cities, and the counties around Duval have their own permit offices. Jacksonville Beach's permitting guide says its city code requires a permit to install or replace a fence on private property, and the application asks for a survey showing where the fence goes. Inside the City of Jacksonville, call the Building Inspection Division with your address. Either way, ask the fence company who pulls the permit and put that in the quote.

The City of Jacksonville's zoning code caps fences and walls in residential districts at 8 feet. In a required front yard in a residential district, the limit is 4 feet. Those limits come from Ordinance 2013-802-E, which amended Section 656.402 of the zoning code in January 2014. Zoning codes change, so confirm the current text with the city before you build.

Often, yes, but the only way to know where the line is: a survey. Many homeowners have one from closing. If the fence company is setting posts from an old fence or a guess, ask for that in writing, because a fence a foot onto the neighbor's land is a problem that shows up years later when someone sells.

If your community has architectural rules in its recorded documents, probably. 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. So read the declaration and the design guidelines, get approval in writing, and give a copy to the fence company.

We don't rank companies, and a ranking page often means someone paid to be on it. What separates a good fence company from a bad one is visible in the quote: the length and height in writing, post depth, who pulls the permit, and whether removal of the old fence is included. Ask for a certificate of liability insurance too.

Florida's contractor licensing law, section 489.105, lists the trades the state licenses, from general contractors to pool contractors. Fence building is not one of them. The City of Jacksonville's Construction Trades Qualifying Board, which issues local certificates of competency, does not list a fence category either. Some Florida counties license fence contractors locally (Brevard County lists fence contractor as a license type), so the rule depends on where the work is.

Many fence companies ask for a deposit to order materials. Get the amount and what it covers in writing, pay by card or check rather than cash, and keep the final payment until the job is done and the gates swing. The FTC warns that home repair scammers may show up after a storm and pressure you to pay or decide fast.

Aluminum and vinyl do not rot, and aluminum does not rust, which is why both are common near salt water. Pressure-treated pine is cheaper up front but the posts sit in wet sandy soil, and post rot at the ground line is what usually ends a wood fence. How long any of them lasts depends on the posts and the install as much as the material.

Some will and some won't, and it is mostly about wind load. A solid 6 foot privacy fence catches wind like a sail. Shorter fences, fences with gaps, and posts set deeper and closer together hold up better. Since 2016, 11 named storms brought a FEMA declaration that included Duval County, so plan for it.

Florida's residential pool barrier law (section 515.29) requires the barrier to be at least 4 feet high on the outside. It may not have gaps or footholds that a young child could use to crawl under or climb over it. Gates must open outward, away from the pool, close on their own and latch with a self-latching device, with the release on the pool side out of a young child's reach.