Getting a fence installed in Toledo

A new fence in Toledo costs $25 to $35 a foot installed for 6 foot treated pine privacy, $35 to $55 for cedar, $45 to $75 for vinyl and $25 to $30 for 4 foot chain link, materials and labor together. A typical 150 foot back yard comes to about $3,750 to $5,250 in treated pine before gates. Once the permit is approved and the utility lines are marked, the work itself is usually one or two days.

Fence Quote Direct does not install fences. We give you the price range first, and if you want a firm quote, we send your fence to up to three local installers who get in touch to measure. This page walks through the job from first number to final payment, and what to check before you hire anyone.

What it costs

Add $200 to $600 for a wood walk gate and $5 to $10 a foot to take out an old fence. Residential jobs start around $975. Every style, including picket, split rail and composite, is on the fence cost page.

How the job goes

1. The price range. Put your fence into the calculator so you know the number before anyone visits.
2. The site visit. An installer walks the line, checks the slope, the soil, the access and where the property line really is, and gives you a written quote.
3. The contract and deposit. Half down and half on completion is common for a fence in Toledo, and it is legal. Ohio caps a deposit at 10 percent only on home construction contracts over $25,000, and almost no residential fence gets there.
4. The permit. Every fence in the City of Toledo needs a $50 Certificate of Zoning Compliance. The application goes in online or by mail to the Department of Inspection at One Government Center, with two copies of a site plan showing your property lines and the buildings on the lot. The Toledo permit page has the heights and the details.
5. The utility locate. Ohio law requires notice to 811 at least two working days before anyone digs. A paid installer has to make that call on every job. The 811 page explains it.
6. The posts. The Lucas County frost line is 36 inches, so line posts go about that deep in concrete, and gate posts go deeper. Many crews set the posts on the first visit and come back to hang the rails and boards once the concrete has set. There is more on our post depth page.
7. The fence. In Toledo the finished side faces out, toward your neighbor and the street, and wood posts must be treated lumber. If you want the smooth side facing you, talk about it before the posts go in.
8. Clean-up and final payment. The old fence is hauled away if you paid for it, and you pay the balance when the job is done.

What to check before you hire

The city license. Toledo licenses home improvement contractors, and fencing falls under the Limited Remodeling Contractor license. It renews every year and expires on December 31. Ask for the license number and check the company’s name against the city’s list of registered contractors. The Division of Building Inspection is on 419-245-1220.

Insurance. Toledo license holders have to show a certificate of liability insurance for $100,000 to $300,000. Ask for a copy. If a crew damages a gas line or your neighbor’s garage, that insurance is what pays for it.

A written contract. It should list the footage, the height, the style, every gate and its hardware, the post depth, whether the old fence is removed and hauled away, and who pulls the permit. If you sign at your kitchen table, Ohio’s Home Solicitation Sales Act gives you until midnight of the third business day to cancel. The notice has to sit next to your signature in bold type with a cancellation form you can tear off, and if it is missing, the three days never start.

A warranty. Ask for the workmanship warranty in writing. One year is typical locally. Ask what happens if a gate starts to sag.

The property line. The installer builds where you tell them. If the line matters, find the corner pins or get a survey before the posts go in, because a fence built a foot over the line is standing in your neighbor’s yard.

When to book

Summer is the busy season. Installers book 8 to 12 weeks out and charge 15 to 20 percent more than in fall and winter. In the fall the wait drops to 4 to 6 weeks, and it is often the best mix of price and ground conditions. In deep winter the clay freezes and post holes get hard to dig. If your dates are flexible, say so when you ask for a quote.

Outside the City of Toledo

Every suburb and township sets its own fence rules, and some differ a lot. Perrysburg holds a 6 foot side yard fence to a zoning board hearing. Oregon needs no permit unless a pool is involved. Sylvania the city and Sylvania Township are separate offices with separate rules. Find your town on the permits by town page, or go straight to Sylvania, Sylvania Township, Ottawa Hills, Maumee, Perrysburg, Oregon or Holland and Springfield Township. Over the state line, Michigan has its own rules for utility marking, sales tax and contractor licensing, all on the Michigan rules page.

How a quote request works here

When you ask for a quote from the estimator, your fence, your address and how you like to be contacted go to up to three local installers, and to nobody else. They get in touch to set up a free measure and give you a firm price. It costs you nothing, you are under no obligation to any of them, and you can compare their quotes side by side, because each one is pricing the same fence.

See your price range

Put your fence runs into the estimator, pick the style and height, add your gates, and see the range for your own yard. If it looks right, request a quote. If an installer’s price lands far outside the range, ask what is different about your yard, because there is usually a reason, such as a slope, a tight side gate or old posts set deep in concrete.