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How much does a fence cost?

United States: homeowner survey

Households in the American Housing Survey that hired out fencing or wall work reported a median of $3,800; the typical range (middle half of 939 American Housing Survey data points, the United States, 2021-2023) was $1,700 to $7,000.

When the household did the fencing or wall work itself: a median (531 American Housing Survey data points, the United States, 2021-2023) of $900.

How measured: hired-out finished jobs, survey-weighted, not adjusted for inflation; do-it-yourself jobs the same way. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Housing Survey 2023, data read 16 October 2026.

These figures are estimates from U.S. Census Bureau, American Housing Survey 2023, data years 2021-2023, read 16 October 2026, for the United States. They are not a quote, and they are not a promise of what any contractor on InstaBids will charge. Your price depends on your home, the materials and the contractor. Get written bids before you decide.

Researched by the InstaBids editorial team. Last checked: 16 October 2026 Updated 2026-10-16

How much does it cost to install a fence?

The survey item is "Added or replaced fencing or walls". It counts walls as well as fences, and it does not record length, height or material.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, AHS 2023 Value Labels Package, read 16 October 2026.

Fences are a common weekend project: only 61 percent of the fencing jobs in the survey were hired out. Roofing, measured the same way, sits at 87 percent.

Wood posts are where old fences differ from new ones. EPA notes that wood treated with chromated arsenicals is still made into commercial poles and posts, but that homeowner uses such as decks and playsets ended before 2004, so a fence built since then is unlikely to use it.

Source: U.S. EPA, Chromated Arsenicals (CCA), read 16 October 2026.

How much does fence installation cost in Florida?

Pool fences carry the strictest rules in the state. Florida's barrier statute requires a pool barrier at least 4 feet high on the outside, with gates that swing outward from the pool and close and latch on their own, the release on the pool side out of a small child's reach.

Source: Florida Statutes, Residential Swimming Pool Barrier Requirements (chapter 515), read 16 October 2026.

The same law bars gaps a child could crawl under or squeeze through and bars anything placed so it could be climbed, and it keeps the pool barrier apart from the yard fence unless that fence sits on the pool's perimeter and meets every barrier rule itself.

Source: Florida Statutes, Residential Swimming Pool Barrier Requirements (chapter 515), read 16 October 2026.

Miami-Dade County's permit list holds thousands of fence permits. The block below counts residential building permits whose description mentions a fence, leaving out repair, demolition and removal permits; 100 percent of the matched permits, rounded, carried a declared value.

Source: Miami-Dade County building permits, read 16 October 2026.

Miami-Dade County, FL: declared value on building permits

Residential building permits in Miami-Dade County that mention a fence declared a median declared value on building permits of $2,700; the typical range (middle half of 4,949 Miami-Dade County permit data points, Miami-Dade County, FL, 2024-2026) was $1,500 to $5,000.

Declared permit values are what applicants reported to the county; final contract prices can differ.

How measured: residential permits with a declared value, untrimmed. Source: Miami-Dade County building permits, data read 16 October 2026.

These figures are estimates from Miami-Dade County building permits, data years 2024-2026, read 16 October 2026, for Miami-Dade County, FL. They are not a quote, and they are not a promise of what any contractor on InstaBids will charge. Your price depends on your home, the materials and the contractor. Get written bids before you decide.

Unusually for these pages, the county median comes in under the national survey median. A declared value is the applicant's own entry on the application, not a final invoice, so the two records answer different questions.

What changes the cost to replace a fence?

Get written bids

Contractors who take part estimate from your photos and a written scope card, so nobody visits before you see any prices. InstaBids is in an early pilot in Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Sources for the figures on this page