Fence Pre-Install Checklist: Property Lines, Utilities and Access

How do I find the property line before I build a fence?

Find the survey pins or order a survey before any post goes in, and never build to a line the homeowner points at. One source puts it simply: before you touch a shovel, call 811 for utility locates and confirm exactly where your property line is (Home Project Resources).

Here is the order I would work in:

• Ask the homeowner for the closing survey or plat. Most people have one in their closing papers.
• Walk the lot and look for the survey pins at the corners. A pin finder or metal detector helps when they are buried.
• Flag the pins you find and run string between them so the homeowner can see the line.
• Take photos with the string up and the pins visible.
• Have the homeowner sign off on the line (a signed note on the estimate is enough to start) before you dig.

If the fence will sit near the line, get a survey or locate the survey pins first (Acrebound). If you cannot find the pins, stop and say so. A fence built to a guess is the one the neighbor complains about.

Do I need a survey, or can I go off the county parcel map?

Use the county parcel map to plan the job, but not to place the fence if it will sit close to the line. Many counties post parcel maps online that show approximate boundaries (DoorstepHQ), and approximate is not good enough when a post is a few inches from the neighbor.

A simple rule I use:

• Fence well inside the yard, with room to spare: the parcel map and the homeowner's pins are usually enough.
• Fence near the line, pins missing, or a neighbor who is already unhappy: get a survey.
• Line runs along a shared fence, a hedge or an old fence: do not assume the old fence is on the line. Confirm it.

A survey costs money and the homeowner may push back. The cost of being wrong is bigger. Suppose 120 feet of finished fence has to come out and go back, and say that takes 20 labor hours at $30 an hour. That is $600 in labor before you count damaged materials, lost time on your next job, or an angry neighbor. Put the survey in your estimate as a line item or an allowance so it does not look like an add-on.

Does the 811 locate mark the property line or private lines?

No. The 811 locate shows public utilities only, and it does not show the boundary. Utility markings do not establish the property boundary or determine where zoning rules allow a fence (Fence Report), so paint on the lawn tells you where not to dig and nothing about where the line is.

It also usually stops at the utility's equipment. The sprinkler line, the gas line to a grill or pool heater, low-voltage landscape lighting and pool wiring are normally the homeowner's, which means they are often not marked. Your state's 811 center can tell you exactly what its locate covers.

The checklist from one fence guide has four approvals before any post hole is dug: confirm the line with a survey, check local permit and height rules, request a free 811 locate plus a private-line locate, and get written HOA approval (Call The Local).

For private lines, I would do this:

• Ask the homeowner for the sprinkler plan and where the controller and shutoffs are.
• Walk the run and look for valve boxes, heads, lamp posts and low-voltage transformers.
• Hire a private locator if the run is long or the yard is full of buried lines.
• Hand-dig or probe the first few post holes near anything suspicious.

Call 811 as soon as the job is sold, because wait times vary by state. Check your state's 811 center for the timeline. Schedule the start date after the marks are due, not before. Say you have three workers at $30 an hour and the marks are not ready on day one. That is $720 in wages for a full day of waiting, so plan the start date around the marks.

How far inside the property line should I set the fence, and what clearance do meters need?

A common recommendation is to set the fence 6 inches inside the property line, and that is a recommendation, not a law (Chamblee Fence). Your town may have its own setback rule, so check with your town's building department.

The small gap keeps the footings and the posts on your customer's land, and it leaves room for a mistake in the pins. Tell the homeowner they give up a thin strip of yard, and write the offset on the estimate.

For meters and panels, clearance rules differ by utility and by local code, so I will not give you a number. Call the electric or gas company, or ask the building department, what clearance they want around the meter and panel. Then plan around it:

• Mark every meter, panel, cleanout and hose bib on your sketch before you quote.
• Keep the meter reader and utility crews able to reach the equipment, usually with a gate or a removable panel.
• Never box in a gas meter without asking the utility first.

Do I need a permit or HOA approval before I start digging?

Often yes, but it varies by town and by neighborhood, so check both before you dig. Ask your town's building department about permits, height and setback rules, and ask the homeowner for the HOA rules in writing.

The HOA is the one that bites after the job. Get the approval letter in writing before the first post, and keep a copy in the job file. Make it clear on the estimate who pulls the permit and who pays for it. If the HOA or the city wants changes later, the signed approval protects you.

What should I check on access before I quote the job?

Walk the whole route from the street to the farthest post and write down anything that blocks a machine or a pallet of materials. Access changes labor hours more than most people expect, and it is much cheaper to find out before you quote.

Measure and write down:

• The narrowest gate or side-yard width, and compare it with your mini-excavator or auger.
• Slopes and steps between the truck and the work, since hand-carrying slows everything down.
• Overhead lines, low branches and trees on the run.
• Where you can stage materials and drop a truck.
• Dogs, pools, and anything else the homeowner needs to move first.

If you cannot get the machine in, price hand digging. For example, say a run that needs 30 more labor hours at $30 an hour adds $900, so quote it that way instead of eating it. Our free job cost calculator is a quick way to check what extra hours do to your margin.

Take photos of the side yard, the gate and the meter while you are there. In MagicBuild, Magic can build an estimate from a photo and a description at your own prices, so the access notes and the numbers stay together. The client gets it by email, signs on their phone and can pay a deposit by card or bank. You can read what MagicBuild does for more.

Want to run this checklist on every fence quote?

Write the checklist once and use it on every job: property line, 811 and private locates, setback, permit and HOA, access. You can try MagicBuild free for 14 days with a free trial, or start with the free job cost calculator to see what your extra labor costs.