This calculator prices your fence the way an installer does: by the foot for the style and height you pick, plus each gate, any old fence that has to come out, and how your ground slopes. Draw the fence on the satellite map above, or type the length of each side, and you get an installed price range in about a minute. It works for Toledo and about an hour around it, in north-west Ohio and south-east Michigan.
There is no account to make. Your name and number only come into it if you decide to ask for a firm quote.
How to use it
- Find your property. Type your address and the map jumps to a satellite view of your lot. You can also drag and zoom to your house.
- Draw the fence. Tap each corner of the fence line. Tap the first point again to close a loop, drag any point to adjust it, and start a new run for a separate section such as a side yard. If you would rather type, enter the length of each side in feet, separated by commas.
- Choose the fence. Pick one of 13 styles, from treated pine privacy to aluminum, then the height.
- Add the extras. Walk gates, double drive gates, feet of old fence to remove, and the ground: flat and easy, some slope or tight access, or steep, rocky and wooded.
- See your estimate. The range updates as you change anything, and you can compare other styles on the same layout.
What the price includes
The range is the installed price, materials and labor together: posts, rails, boards or panels, concrete, the gates you added, and taking out and hauling away any old fence you counted. Sales tax is inside it, because in Ohio and Michigan the installer pays the tax on materials and your invoice has no tax line.
The permit fee is not included. It is $50 in the City of Toledo, $25 in Perrysburg and Bowling Green, and Oregon needs none unless a pool is involved. Your town’s fee is on the permits by town page.
How the range is worked out
Each style has a price per foot at its standard height. A taller fence multiplies that price; an 8 foot privacy fence, for example, runs about 30 percent more than 6 feet. The calculator multiplies by your total footage and adds each gate at the price for its material. Removal adds $5 to $10 a foot. Some slope or tight access adds about 12 percent, and steep, rocky or wooded ground about 25 percent.
The number you see is the typical price for that fence, give or take about 12 percent, rounded to the nearest $25. That spread is roughly what a site visit can change. Residential jobs start around $975, so a very short run shows that minimum.
The prices it uses
| Fence | Per foot installed |
|---|---|
| Treated pine privacy, 6 ft | $25 to $35 |
| Cedar privacy, 6 ft | $35 to $55 |
| Vinyl privacy, 6 ft | $45 to $75 |
| Chain link, galvanized, 4 ft | $25 to $30 |
| Chain link, black vinyl-coated, 4 ft | $35 to $40 |
| Aluminum ornamental, 4 ft | $40 to $55 |
| Wood split rail, 4 ft | $16 to $30 |
Every style and height, with worked examples, is on the fence cost page. Near Ann Arbor the bands run a little differently, and the Ann Arbor cost page has them.
Measuring tips
- Draw the fence where it will actually stand. Some towns want it a few inches inside your property line, and Perrysburg asks for 4 inches. Your town’s page says.
- The faint line on a satellite map is an approximate property line, not a survey. Before the posts go in, find your corner pins or get a survey if the line matters.
- Count every gate, even a small one by the house. A gate costs more than the same width of fence.
- If you are replacing a fence, the old one’s footage is usually the new one’s footage. Enter it in the removal box too.
- Close to is good enough. The installer measures properly before giving a firm price.
When you want a firm price
Press the quote button under your estimate and fill in your name, phone or email, the best way to reach you, and when you hope to have the fence done. Your fence and those details go to up to three local installers, who get in touch to set up a free measure and give you a firm price. You are under no obligation to any of them.
Before anyone digs, the utility lines have to be marked. In Ohio that is 811 at least two working days ahead, and in Michigan MISS DIG asks for three business days. The 811 page explains how it works, and the installation page walks through the job from quote to final payment.
See your price range
Scroll back up to the calculator, draw or type your fence, and see the range for your yard. If you want the full-screen version, open the estimator here. If you are comparing quotes you already have, enter the same footage, height and gates each company quoted, and you will see where each one sits.
Questions people ask
How accurate is the fence calculator?
It prices the fence you describe by the foot for your style and height, then adds your gates, the old fence and the ground. The firm price comes after an installer measures, because slope, soil, access and the exact property line can move it.
Is the fence calculator free?
Yes. There is no account and no sign-up. You only share your name and number if you decide to ask for a quote.
Does the price include installation?
Yes. Every price is installed, materials and labor together. The sales tax is inside the price as well, because the installer pays it on the materials.
Does the calculator include gates and taking out the old fence?
Yes. Add walk gates and double drive gates, and tell it how many feet of old fence have to come out. The permit fee is not included; it is $50 in Toledo and $25 in Perrysburg.
How do I measure my fence for the calculator?
Find your house on the satellite map and tap each corner of the fence line, and it adds up the feet. Or type the length of each side, separated by commas. It does not have to be exact.
What happens when I ask for a quote?
Your fence, your address and how you like to be contacted go to up to three local installers. They get in touch to set up a free measure and give you a firm price.