Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterFast, Reliable Fence Installation Across Fairfax
A new fence in Fairfax runs $3,500 to $9,000 for a typical vinyl installation, with wood privacy fences landing in a similar range and aluminum running $4,000 to $10,000. We schedule Fairfax jobs within days, not weeks, and every quote comes as a written line-item scope before any work starts. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate. If you live off Bolinas Road or up in the Cascade Canyon area, you already know the hills here change everything about how a fence gets built. We plan for that before we ever set a post.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Fairfax’s Preferred Fence Installation Company
We’ve been owner-operated since 1998, and we’re the crew whose truck you’ll see parked on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard on a Tuesday, not an out-of-state call center handing your job to a subcontractor. Tom Barrett’s name is on the truck and on the license. Fairfax homeowners call us because they want to know who’s actually going to be on their property, and the answer is always the same: Tom’s sons and their teams, background-checked and wearing our name.
We’ve worked on fences throughout the 94930 and 94978 zip codes, from the flat streets near downtown to the steep lots off Cascade Drive where you can’t even get a wheelbarrow up without planning. That local knowledge shows up in our quotes. We know which lots need hand-carrying, which roads won’t take a flatbed, and which Marin County fire requirements will apply before we even look at your survey.
Our Fence Installation Services in Fairfax
We build and repair fences designed for Fairfax’s specific conditions, not a catalog design dropped onto a hillside. Here’s what we handle most often in this part of Marin:
Wood Fence in Fairfax
Redwood and cedar are still the most common fence materials in Fairfax, and they work well here when you treat them right. We use ground-contact rated posts, steel-reinforced post anchors on steep grades, and ignition-resistant coatings that satisfy CAL FIRE requirements. A rot-resistant wood fence built for Fairfax’s wet winters and fire code runs $3,500 to $9,000 depending on linear feet, post depth, and access.
Privacy Fence in Fairfax
Privacy fences are especially popular in Fairfax because the hillside lots here sit close together and valley views often come with neighbors looking right into your yard. We frame privacy fences with steel posts where fire code requires it, use ember-resistant horizontal or vertical board designs, and always leave the required 5-foot defensible-space clearance from structures. The design matters more here than in flatland Marin, because Fairfax’s VHFHSZ designation changes what’s allowed.
Fence Gates in Fairfax
Gates in Fairfax do double duty: they control access and they have to meet fire-access standards. We install self-closing, self-latching steel and wood gates sized for pedestrian and narrow-vehicle access, which matters when your driveway is a switchback off a single-lane road. Every gate gets heavy-gauge hardware and an ignition-resistant finish. A new gate added to an existing fence runs $800 to $2,500 depending on width and material.
Aluminum Fence in Fairfax
Aluminum fencing is growing in Fairfax because it’s non-combustible, rust-resistant, and holds up to both fog-driven moisture and dry summer heat. We install powder-coated aluminum fence and gate systems from $4,000 to $10,000, with options for flat, sloped, and racked installation that follows your grade rather than stair-stepping down a hillside. For homeowners who want low maintenance without wood rot, it’s the right call.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Fairfax
We install brands including GAF and Schluter products where they apply to fence and gate work, and we source materials from local Marin suppliers so we’re not waiting on a truck from out of state when your project needs a change. For Fairfax customers, that means faster turnaround on replacement parts and less down time when a gate hinge or post cap needs swapping. We don’t put mystery materials on your property. If a brand name goes on the invoice, it’s a brand you can look up.
Common Fence Installation Problems We See in Fairfax Homes
Fairfax has its own set of recurring fence failures, and we see the same ones year after year:
- Leaning posts from wet-winter soil movement. Fairfax’s hillside clay soaks up winter rain and shifts. Posts set at shallow depths or without steel anchors lean within two seasons. We over-dig and set posts below the frost and movement zone.
- Stop-work orders over fire code violations. Homeowners who skip the Marin County fire review, or who hire someone who doesn’t know it’s required, end up with combustible fencing flagged for replacement. That’s a tear-down-and-rebuild cost no one budgeted for.
- Materials stranded on narrow roads. Fairfax streets are tight, especially in the hills. A crew that doesn’t pre-plan staging ends up blocking a fire lane with lumber, and the town doesn’t hesitate to fine. We coordinate delivery windows and keep the road passable the entire job.
- Rot where fence meets grade on shaded lots. Under the redwood and oak canopy, the bottom rail of a wood fence stays damp most of the year. We use ground-contact pressure treatment and metal post bases to keep wood out of the soil line.
Pricing for Fence Installation in Fairfax, CA
Here’s what Fairfax homeowners can expect to budget for common fence projects:
| Project | Fairfax Price Range |
|---|---|
| Vinyl Fence Installation | $3,500 - $9,000 |
| Aluminum Fence Installation | $4,000 - $10,000 |
| Wood Privacy Fence | $3,500 - $9,000 |
| Fence Gates (added to existing fence) | $800 - $2,500 |
Your actual number depends on linear footage, post depth, whether we’re hand-carrying materials up a steep lot, and what the fire code requires for your specific parcel. We give you a written line-item quote before we start, and if the scope changes, you get a written change order first. No surprise invoices at the end. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate, and we’ll walk your property with you.
Fairfax’s Fire Code Changes Everything About Your Fence
Fairfax sits entirely within a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone at the wildland-urban interface. That’s not an abstract designation. It means every new fence on your property has to comply with CAL FIRE defensible-space and ignition-resistant requirements: ember-resistant materials, non-combustible gates, and zero vegetation contact within the 5-foot zone around any structure. Flatland neighbors like San Rafael don’t face that. Here, a fence that’s built correctly and passes inspection is a different fence than the one a generic contractor would install, because the materials and clearances are different.
We learned this the hard way on a steep hillside lot near Cascade Canyon. The homeowner had a rotted wood privacy fence that needed full replacement. We built it fire-hardened: non-combustible metal posts, ember-resistant horizontal cedar boards with a Class A ignition-resistant coating, and a steel gate with self-closing hinges. Material staging happened at the street, and our crew hand-carried every board up 40 steps. We coordinated with the homeowner to keep the single-lane road clear the whole time. The final Marin County inspection passed with zero corrections. That’s the standard we bring to every Fairfax fence job, because that’s the standard the town demands.
We Also Serve Cities Near Fairfax
Barrett & Sons Construction builds fences throughout central Marin, and we regularly work with homeowners in San Anselmo, San Rafael, Kentfield, and Lucas Valley-Marinwood. If you’re just outside Fairfax and wondering whether we cover your street, call (877) 610-1318 and ask. Chances are we’ve already done a job on your block. You can also learn more about our Fence Installation services or see the areas we serve around Fairfax.
Serving Fairfax, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Fairfax area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Fence Installation in Fairfax
Yes. Even a like-for-like fence replacement in Fairfax typically requires a Marin County permit and a fire review because the entire town falls within the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Replacing an existing fence does not exempt you from current fire code, and if the old fence was unpermitted, you may be required to bring the entire fence line into compliance before the county signs off. We handle the permit paperwork and coordinate the inspections. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll tell you exactly what your property triggers.
Non-combustible or ignition-resistant materials are required within the defensible-space zone. That means steel or aluminum posts, Class A ignition-resistant treated wood or non-combustible infill, and self-closing steel gates. Untreated wood fencing attached directly to a structure or within 5 feet of one will fail inspection. We design every Fairfax fence to the current code, not the code from when your old fence went in.
Realistically, a fence project in Fairfax takes 3 to 6 weeks from signed scope to final inspection. The physical installation is often only 2 to 4 days. The rest is Marin County permit review, the fire-hazard clearance, and inspection scheduling. We give you a written timeline at the start so you know which weeks are paper and which weeks are posts.
Yes. We stage materials at the nearest accessible point and hand-carry everything to the fence line. It adds labor, which we reflect in the quote as a line item, not a surprise at the end. On steep Fairfax lots, that access cost is often 10 to 20 percent of the total. We’ll walk the access route with you before quoting so there are no assumptions.
Be prepared that the county may require a full fire-hardening retrofit of the entire fence line before issuing a new permit. That’s common in Fairfax, where unpermitted work from the 1970s through the 1990s is widespread. We include that possibility in our initial site assessment so you don’t get hit with a stop-work order mid-project. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll check your property’s status before you commit to anything.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Fairfax and all of Marin County.