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 San Francisco
Fence installation in San Francisco typically runs $4,130 to $10,620 depending on material, linear footage, and whether we’re working on a flat lot in the Sunset or a sloped double lot in Noe Valley. Most projects in the city take two to five working days once permits clear and materials arrive. We know the difference between a back fence off Ocean Avenue and a street-facing gate in Presidio Heights, and we price each one accordingly. Call (877) 610-1318 for a line-item quote before you commit to anything.
Tom Barrett started Barrett & Sons Construction in 1998, and his sons still run the crews across San Francisco, where we also offer Kitchen Remodeling - San Francisco. When you call about a fence, you get a straight answer about what it costs, how long it takes in Department of Building Inspection review time, and whether the soil on your block is going to need concrete footings poured deeper than the next street over. Nobody from a call center in another state is going to quote you a fence price over the phone and then send someone who has never parked a truck on a San Francisco hill.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Who San Francisco Calls for Fences
We carry the Fence Installation trade the way Tom carries every trade on his truck: with the owner’s name on the side and the sons running the work. That matters in a city where most homeowners have already been burned once by a national outfit that quoted a number in January and invoiced another number in March. Every scope change on a fence job, from a gate hinge upgrade to a rot repair on an existing footer, comes as a written change order before the work happens.
The permit inspector works for you, not for us. That’s why we like him. San Francisco’s Department of Building Inspection requires permits for fences over a certain height in most residential zones, and we pull every one of them before the first post hole goes in. You can look up the license number yourself. Tom publishes his name, his address, and his license number, and he answers his own phone. In a city full of anonymous crews, that’s the difference between a fence you trust and a fence you hope about.
We’ve worked in the Mission, Noe Valley, Chinatown, Visitacion Valley, and the numbered avenues from the Richmond to the Bayview. For a city this dense, we move fast with materials staged at our San Francisco Bay Area office, so a fence in 94127 or 94103 doesn’t require three days of waiting for a truck from some regional warehouse.
Our Fence Installation Services in San Francisco
Wood Fence
Redwood and cedar fences make up most of the privacy fences in San Francisco’s Victorian and Edwardian neighborhoods, and the marine layer is relentless on both. In north-facing yards across 94102 and 94103, wood that’s not sealed or elevated above grade rots at the base inside five to seven years. We build with metal post brackets and keep the bottom rail off the soil, which is the detail most quick-bid crews skip. Expect to pay $4,130 to $10,620 for a typical wood fence, depending on staining, gate hardware, and whether we’re replacing old footings.
Chain Link Fence
Chain link still covers most of the back lots and side yards in Visitacion Valley and the flatter stretches of the Mission, especially where a fence has to separate a rental unit from a garbage alley or a shared driveway. It’s the least expensive option, but it still has to be set in concrete or it leans within two seasons on SF’s softer bay mud. Galvanized posts and a bottom tension wire keep it straight.
Vinyl Fence
Vinyl holds up better than wood in the fog belt because it doesn’t absorb moisture, and it cleans up well in the narrow side yards common to row houses in Noe Valley and Chinatown. It runs at the upper end of the $4,130 to $10,620 range, mostly because you’re paying for posts that won’t warp and rails that won’t split when the temperature swings thirty degrees between June gloom and October sun.
Aluminum Fence
Aluminum makes sense on the hills, where a wood fence can twist itself out of square as the ground moves seasonally. It’s common for street-facing fences in the Richmond, Sunset, and West Portal areas, where you want a clean sightline and you don’t want to repaint every three years. Aluminum fence installation in San Francisco runs $4,720 to $11,800, and we powder-coat the posts in place to match the gate hardware.
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 San Francisco
We don’t put mystery materials on a fence and call it premium. For paver-inlaid fence posts and gate aprons we use Cambridge Pavers and Techo-Bloc, which you can look up yourself before signing a contract. For concrete footings we specify Quikrete mixes. These are names you’ll see on the bags and website, not whatever the van had on sale. When a San Francisco customer needs a matching replacement picket or gate latch, we can usually have it in hand within a day or two from local supply lines we’ve used for years.
Common Fence Installation Problems We See in San Francisco Homes
- Fog-driven rot at the post base. The persistent marine layer in western and north-facing neighborhoods keeps wood wet through most of the year. Without metal post brackets and off-grade bottom rails, a cedar fence in the Sunset starts to lean after five years and falls in ten.
- Hillside lean on undersized footings. A fence on a 30% grade in Noe Valley or Diamond Heights puts lateral pressure on posts that were never designed for it. Standard 24-inch footings fail here. We go 30 inches or deeper and use extra steel on sloped lots.
- Liquefaction-prone ground in SoMa and the Mission. Parts of 94103 and the eastern flatlands sit on filled bay mud that compresses unevenly. Fences set in those soils need deeper concrete piers than anything you’d pour on Twin Peaks, or the gate stops closing on the latch within two years.
- Permit friction with the Department of Building Inspection. San Francisco’s permit process is one of the most layered in the country, and fences over six feet in many zones trigger review. We handle the paperwork, the neighbor notification when required, and the inspection sign-off. The permit inspector works for you. That’s exactly why we want him on the job.
Pricing for Fence Installation in San Francisco, CA
A complete fence installation project in San Francisco runs between $4,130 and $10,620 for most residential properties. A straight run of chain link in Visitacion Valley sits at the lower end. A redwood privacy fence on a sloped double lot in Noe Valley with a custom gate and two neighbors’ property lines to observe leans toward the upper end. Here’s how it breaks down:
- Wood privacy fence, 6-foot, per linear foot: $55-$90
- Chain link fence, 4-foot, per linear foot: $30-$55
- Vinyl privacy fence, 6-foot, per linear foot: $65-$105
- Aluminum fence, 4-foot, per linear foot: $50-$85
- Gate installation (wood, steel, or vinyl): $700-$2,400 per gate
- Fence removal and disposal: $8-$15 per linear foot
- Permit fees and DBI filing: $350-$1,200 depending on zone
We give you a written line-item quote before any work begins. No allowances that aren’t on paper. No change order that wasn’t handed to you in writing first. Call (877) 610-1318 for your free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near San Francisco
Beyond the city proper, our crews regularly handle fence work in Mission District, Noe Valley, Chinatown, and Visitacion Valley, and across the broader San Francisco service area. If your property is in one of the surrounding neighborhoods, the estimate process works the same: line item by line item, in writing.
While we’re at it, we also handle Driveway & Pavers in San Francisco and Home Additions & ADU in San Francisco, so if the fence project turns into something bigger, you don’t have to start over with a new contractor who doesn’t know your block.
Serving San Francisco, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Francisco 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 San Francisco
Most residential fences in San Francisco take two to five working days of on-site labor once the materials are on hand and any required DBI permit is issued. The permit timeline is what pushes some projects out, especially in historic districts. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll give you a straight answer about your block’s likely timeline.
Yes. We work in every San Francisco neighborhood from the Mission to Visitacion Valley, Noe Valley, Chinatown, the Richmond, the Sunset, SoMa, and everywhere in between. No trip charge inside the county.
Most leaning fences with rotted posts can be repaired, especially if the rails and pickets are still sound - we even handle Dvele repair in San Francisco. A repair typically runs a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on how many posts need pulling and whether the concrete needs re-pouring. If the whole line is swaying, replacement usually costs less per year than repeated repairs.
The difference is permit processing time, hillside engineering, and access. San Francisco’s DBI approval routinely adds weeks that Oakland and San Jose would clear faster, and steep lots plus narrow side yards mean more hand work, smaller equipment, and deeper footings. You’re paying for the city’s conditions, and we price it honestly.
Every fence job is covered by our written 90-Day Done Right Promise. If it’s not done right, Tom comes back and makes it right, one call. That’s on every contract. Call us at (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate and we’ll put it on paper for you.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving San Francisco and the Bay Area since 1998.