10 Things to Have Ready Before Your New Backyard Fence Is Installed
You’ve picked the fence. Now there are a few weeks between signing and install day, and what you do in that window decides whether the install goes smoothly. This checklist covers the 10 things we ask Austin homeowners to have ready before our crew shows up for a backyard fence. If you’re still choosing a fence, start with 10 things to consider before installing a new fence instead.
For the build itself, from wood and cedar to iron and chain link, see our residential fence installation page.
Planning a backyard fence and want the checklist done with you? Get a free backyard fence quote and we’ll go over it on site.
1. Find your property pins
Your survey shows where the lot lines are, and the iron pins at the corners mark them on the ground. If you can’t find the pins or the survey, a surveyor can re-mark them. Decide whether the fence goes on the line or a few inches inside it. Building just inside your line avoids most neighbor disputes later.
2. Get HOA approval in writing
Most HOAs around Austin want to approve the height, style, material, and sometimes the color before a fence goes up, and some require the finished side to face out. Submit the request early, since some boards meet only once a month, and keep the approval letter.
3. Check the city rules
In the City of Austin, a fence over 7 feet needs a permit, a solid fence on a property line is generally limited to 6 feet, and any fence in a floodplain needs a permit at any height. The city’s fencing regulations page covers the exceptions. Cedar Park, Round Rock, Leander, Georgetown, and the other nearby towns have their own rules. Our Austin fence rules post goes into more detail.
4. Make sure utility lines get marked
Texas law requires a call to Texas811 at least two working days before digging, and marking public lines is free (see the Texas811 FAQ). Your installer should place the locate request. Ask to see the ticket number before digging starts.
5. Map your private lines
This is the one that catches people. Public utilities don’t mark lines on your side of the meter: sprinkler pipes, a gas line to the grill or pool heater, landscape lighting, and the wire for an outdoor outlet. Flag what you know with paint or tape, and dig out any sprinkler or irrigation drawings you have. A broken sprinkler line is a small fix; a gas line is not.
6. Talk to your neighbors
If the new fence replaces a shared fence, let the neighbors know the dates. Agree on which side gets the finished face, whether the old fence comes out first, and whether either of you has a dog that will need watching while the line is open.
7. Plan for pets and kids on install days
Between tear-out and the last panel, your yard will be open, sometimes for more than a day. Plan where the dog goes and keep kids clear of open post holes and tools.
8. Clear the fence line
Give the crew about 3 feet of clear working room on your side of the line. Move pots, furniture, and play sets, cut back brush, and mark any plants you want saved. If a tree root or slab sits right on the line, point it out at the quote so the post layout can work around it.
9. Decide on gates now
Gates are easy to get right on paper and hard to change once the posts are set. Decide where each gate goes, how wide it needs to be (a mower, a wheelbarrow, or a trailer), which way it swings, and where the latch sits. If the fence encloses a pool, ask about latch height and self-closing hardware before the gate is built.
10. Plan access and weather
The crew needs a way to bring posts, concrete, and panels into the backyard, usually through a side gate or a driveway. Make sure that path is open and there’s somewhere to park a truck. Rain can push the date: digging in wet clay is slow and messy, and heavy limestone, common west of I-35, needs rock drilling. A day or two of flexibility saves stress.
After the install
Walk the whole line with the crew lead before they leave. Open and close every gate, check the latches, and look down the line for anything out of plumb. Every B.C. Fence install carries a 1-year warranty on labor and materials, so if something isn’t right, call us. We’re family-owned since 1996, insured and bonded, and our own crews do the work.
Free quote
Ready to get your backyard fence on the schedule?
We’ll measure the line, go over gates and access, and give you a free quote with everything spelled out.