Most residential fences in Southern California land between $35 and $110 per linear foot installed, depending on material. A 150-foot redwood privacy fence therefore runs roughly $5,250 to $10,500, and the same run in block wall is a different order of project at $130 to $240 a foot. Gates are priced separately and are where budgets quietly expand — a matching walk gate is $350 to $1,200, and a driveway gate starts around $2,500.
Green Design and Build is a licensed residential general contractor, CSLB #1110975, in Van Nuys, building fences and block walls across Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and the western Inland Empire. The ranges below are the same ones we publish on our fencing page — budgeting ranges for planning, not a quote, because posts in decomposed granite and posts in rock are not the same job.
Fence cost per linear foot by material
These assume reasonable access and posts in normal soil. Slopes, rock, tree roots and a long carry from the street all push toward the upper end or beyond it.
| Fence type (6 ft unless noted) | Installed range, per linear foot |
|---|---|
| Chain link, galvanized, 4–6 ft | $18–$35 |
| Wood privacy, redwood or cedar, dog-ear | $35–$70 |
| Board-on-board, redwood or cedar | $45–$80 |
| Horizontal modern, redwood or cedar | $55–$95 |
| Vinyl privacy, tongue-and-groove | $60–$110 |
| Ornamental iron or aluminum, 4–6 ft | $50–$100 |
| Block wall, 6 ft, footing, rebar, stucco finish | $130–$240 |
| Removal and haul-away of an old fence | $3–$7 |
| Walk gate, matching material | $350–$1,200 each |
| Driveway gate, iron or wood, manual | $2,500–$7,000 |
| Driveway gate automation, motor, circuit, safety devices | $2,500–$7,000 added |
Two things to do with that table before you use it. Measure the actual run rather than the property line you think you have, and count the gates. In our experience the gates and the demolition are what separate a homeowner’s mental estimate from the real number.
What changes the price
- What has to come out first. Removal and disposal runs $3 to $7 a foot. Concrete-set posts from an old chain link fence are slower to extract than people expect.
- Soil and slope. Rock, heavy clay and tree roots slow post holes. A sloped run means either stepping the fence or raking it, and stepping costs more in labor and materials.
- Access. If materials have to be carried through the house or round a narrow side yard, that is real time. Machine access to the back of a property can cut a day off.
- Height. A 6-foot fence is not 50 percent more than a 4-foot one — the posts get longer and are set deeper, and on block the footing grows.
- Gates. A good gate is a small piece of engineering: hinges, hardware, a post that will not sag under it. Cheap gates are the first thing to fail on any fence.
- Corners, ends and returns. A run with six corners costs more than a straight run of the same length.
- Finish on block. Stucco, cap, color and pilasters all move the number, as does whether the wall retains any soil — which changes it from a fence into a structure.
How tall can a fence be in Los Angeles?
LADBS states that in most residential areas fences are limited to 3 feet 6 inches in the front yard and 6 feet in the side and rear yards, and that depending on lot size and location the side and rear limit may be increased to 8 feet. That is a zoning limit, set by the Los Angeles Municipal Code.
There is an exception worth knowing about if you are in an area with a burglary problem. The City designates Fence Height Districts under Municipal Code Section 13.10, where a front-yard fence may reach six feet, but only on strict terms: open wrought iron, with any solid portion — including vegetation — not exceeding three and a half feet, vertical members no more than five-eighths of an inch thick spaced at least four inches apart, an 18-inch landscaped setback from the property line, a five-by-five-foot cut corner at driveways and a ten-by-ten-foot visibility triangle on corner lots. Driveway gates must be open wrought iron and must slide or open inward. The districts are not available in Hillside Areas, Coastal Zones, HPOZs or Specific Plan Areas.
Outside the City of Los Angeles the numbers differ. Check with the jurisdiction that actually has authority over your address rather than the nearest big city.
Does a fence need a permit?
This is where most advice online is wrong for Los Angeles, because it conflates two separate regimes. Zoning decides how tall your fence may be. Building permits are a different question with different thresholds.
Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 91.106.2 lists work exempt from a building permit. Item 13 reads: “Masonry or concrete fences not over 3-1/2 feet high, and other fences, other than swimming pool barriers, not over 10 feet high.”
Read that carefully, because three things follow:
- A wood or vinyl fence at the zoning height limit generally does not need a building permit — the exemption runs to 10 feet for non-masonry fences. What stops you building it taller is zoning, not the permit counter.
- Masonry and concrete are different. The exemption stops at 3 feet 6 inches, so a 6-foot block wall is permitted work. LADBS does publish guidelines for certain masonry fence walls built without a permit, but they are prescriptive and specific — the wall must not exceed 6 feet, with pilasters at maximum 6-foot centers and no more than 3 feet 6 inches of solid masonry between them, the rest being open ironwork, wood or another lightweight material.
- Swimming pool barriers are expressly carved out and are never covered by the exemption.
Retaining walls follow their own rule: exempt only when not over 4 feet measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, and not exempt at any height if the wall supports a surcharge or sloping earth. If your “fence” is holding back a slope, it is a structure and it needs engineering — see our retaining wall cost guide.
When a permit is required, it is often straightforward. LADBS lists on its express permit schedule, which means no plan check, both concrete block freestanding masonry fence walls in residential zones up to 6 feet above grade, and free-standing non-masonry fences serving as swimming pool barriers. Our breakdown of LADBS permit costs covers how fees are calculated.
Sources: Los Angeles Municipal Code section 91.106, Permits (section 91.106.2, including the fence exemption quoted above); LADBS Information Bulletin P/GI 2020-003, Express Permits (the express permit schedule); Contractors State License Board, home improvement contracts (the written contract requirement for home improvement work).
Pool fences have their own rules
If the fence encloses a pool, the Swimming Pool Safety Act governs and the specification is exact. The barrier must be a minimum of 60 inches high. Gates must open away from the pool and be self-closing with a self-latching device placed no lower than 60 inches above the ground. Maximum vertical clearance from the ground to the bottom of the barrier is two inches, gaps must not pass a four-inch sphere, and surfaces must be free of handholds that would help a child climb.
One point that catches people out on remodels: for permits issued for a new pool or a spa remodel at a single-family home, California now requires two of seven drowning prevention safety features, not one. An enclosure meeting the standard is one of the seven; others include approved safety covers, alarms and self-closing doors. If you are fencing an existing pool as part of a wider backyard project, get this settled at design stage rather than at final inspection.
Who pays when the fence is shared?
California’s Good Neighbor Fence Act, Civil Code Section 841, creates a presumption that adjoining landowners share equally in the reasonable costs of construction, maintenance or necessary replacement of a fence dividing their properties. Presumption is the operative word — it is rebuttable, not a right to send your neighbor half an invoice.
The statute requires 30 days’ prior written notice to each affected adjoining landowner before incurring costs, and the notice must contain specified content: notification of the presumption of equal responsibility, a description of the problem facing the shared fence, the proposed solution, the estimated cost, the proposed cost-sharing approach and the proposed timeline.
A neighbor can overcome the presumption by showing, on a preponderance of the evidence, that equal responsibility would be unjust — for example that the financial burden is substantially disproportionate to the benefit they receive, that the cost exceeds the difference the fence makes to their property value, or that it would impose undue hardship. In practice the notice does most of the work: it converts an awkward conversation into a documented proposal, and it is the single cheapest thing you can do to avoid a dispute. We are not lawyers, and a fence dispute with real money in it deserves one.
Which material makes sense here
| Material | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Redwood or cedar privacy | The default for most LA backyards; warm, replaceable board by board | Needs sealing to hold color in this sun; boards cup and check over time |
| Horizontal modern | Contemporary houses and street-facing runs | Costs more, and shows sloppy carpentry instantly — long boards need straight posts |
| Vinyl | Low maintenance, consistent appearance | Higher upfront; color choice limited; damaged sections replace as a unit |
| Ornamental iron or aluminum | Pool enclosures, visibility, front yards under the 42-inch rule | No privacy; iron needs a finish maintained against rust |
| Block wall | Sound, permanence, retaining a small grade change | Several times the cost, and it becomes a structure with footings, rebar and inspections |
| Chain link | Utility runs, side yards, temporary | Does nothing for the look of the property |
The climate argument matters more than people expect. Ultraviolet exposure here is hard on finishes and on softwood, and a fence in full southern sun ages faster than the same fence on a shaded north boundary. If you are choosing between sealing a wood fence every few years and paying more upfront for vinyl or iron, that maintenance cycle is the real comparison, not the day-one price.
Choosing a fence contractor
One licensing point worth knowing, because it decides who can legally build what. The Contractors State License Board’s C-13 Fencing classification covers constructing, erecting, altering or repairing fences, corrals, runs, railings, guard rails and gates — and it expressly excludes masonry walls. So a fencing specialist is the right trade for wood, vinyl and iron, while a block wall belongs with a masonry contractor or a general building contractor.
- Verify the license and the classification on the CSLB register before signing — how to do that.
- Get it in writing. CSLB requires a written contract for home improvement work over $500.
- Watch the deposit. The cap is $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. Our payment schedule guide sets out how the rest should be staged.
- Ask what the quote assumes about the old fence — removal and disposal is a real line item, not a courtesy.
- Ask about post setting. Depth, concrete, and whether posts are pressure-treated or metal-post systems. This is the part you cannot inspect later and the part that decides whether the fence is standing in fifteen years.
- Confirm who locates the property line. A fence in the wrong place is an expensive mistake, and a survey is cheap by comparison.
Fence Installation Cost FAQs
How much does a 100-foot fence cost?
Using our published per-foot ranges, a 100-foot run comes to roughly $3,500 to $7,000 in redwood or cedar privacy fencing, $6,000 to $11,000 in vinyl, and $13,000 to $24,000 as a 6-foot block wall with footing, rebar and stucco finish. Add removal of the old fence at $3 to $7 a foot, and add gates separately.
Is vinyl or wood cheaper?
Wood is cheaper to install — $35 to $70 a linear foot for a redwood or cedar privacy fence against $60 to $110 for vinyl. Vinyl costs less to keep. Which wins depends on how long you plan to own the house and whether you will actually reseal a wood fence on schedule. Most people intend to and do not.
Do I need a permit for a 6-foot wood fence in Los Angeles?
Generally not a building permit. LA exempts non-masonry fences up to 10 feet from the building permit requirement, with swimming pool barriers carved out. But zoning still limits height, and in most residential areas that means 6 feet at the side and rear and 3 feet 6 inches in the front yard. The two rules are separate and both apply.
Why does a block wall cost so much more?
Because it is a structure rather than a fence. The price includes excavation, a footing, rebar, grouted cells, a finish, and inspections at the stages where the work becomes invisible. It is also permitted work above 3 feet 6 inches, unlike wood. The trade-off is permanence, sound attenuation and no maintenance cycle.
Can I make my neighbor pay half?
California law presumes equal responsibility for a shared boundary fence, but it is a rebuttable presumption, not an automatic entitlement. You must give 30 days’ prior written notice describing the problem, the proposed solution, the estimated cost, the cost-sharing proposal and the timeline. A neighbor can rebut it by showing equal shares would be unjust in the circumstances.
How tall can a pool fence be, and does it need a gate latch?
A pool barrier must be at least 60 inches high, with no more than two inches of clearance at the ground and no gaps that pass a four-inch sphere. Gates must open away from the pool and be self-closing with a self-latching device at least 60 inches above the ground. For new pools and spa remodels, two of seven drowning prevention features are now required.
How long does a fence installation take?
A straightforward residential wood or vinyl fence is usually a few days on site once materials are on hand, split across demolition, setting posts, letting concrete cure, and hanging panels and gates. Block walls take considerably longer because of footing, grout and inspection sequencing.
Can a fence be built on a slope?
Yes, either stepped, where panels stay level and step down in sections, or raked, where rails follow the grade. Stepping suits panelized materials such as vinyl; raking suits board-by-board wood. Both cost more than the same run on flat ground. If the fence also has to hold back soil, it stops being a fence and becomes a retaining structure.
Get a fence price for your property
A fence quote is only as good as the walk of the line. We measure the actual run, look at the soil and the slope, count the gates, check what has to come out, and confirm whether anything is retaining. You get a written scope and a number afterwards, typically after a site visit of about two hours.
Green Design and Build is a licensed residential general contractor, CSLB #1110975, in Van Nuys, reachable 8am to 6pm daily with a reply within one business day. See our fencing service, our customer reviews and our completed projects.