Automatic & Electric Gates
A new electric driveway gate drawn together with the operator that moves it, the devices that stop it, and the power and controls that run it.
Plan the work with Method Gates
Tell us about your gate. We'll call to schedule a visit.
No obligation. It takes about a minute, then we call to schedule. Prefer to talk? (818) 782-6180
Add a motor, safety sensors, and access control to the gate you already have. Starting at $5,000 – $7,000, and we tell you first if your gate isn't worth automating.
Learn moreReplacement driveway gate openers, keypads, remotes, and visitor access matched to your gate and how your household uses it.
Learn moreVideo intercoms, cellular phone entry, keypads, and fobs — installed with the gate or added to the one you have.
Learn moreAutomatic & Electric Gates
An automatic gate is four decisions made together: a gate built to be driven by a motor, an operator rated for that gate, the sensors that stop it, and the power and controls that run it. Chosen one at a time, they work against each other. A solid privacy leaf ends up on an operator sized for open pickets, or the keypad lands where a visitor can reach through the bars to press it.
We draw the whole system on one sheet. Our fabrication partner builds the gate to that drawing with the operator's mounting point, the photo eyes and edges, the keypad post and the walk gate already placed, so the brackets and the conduit end up where the drawing put them. The operator is picked for the finished leaf's length and weight, for the number of times a day it will open and close, and for the UL 325 usage class of the property. Its listing and its rated limits go on the written estimate.
You decide how people get in: remotes for the cars, a keypad set back from the gate, a video intercom or a cellular phone-entry panel for visitors (intercom and phone entry), and an exit loop so a car leaving doesn't need a remote at all. Power is the other early decision, because a trench is cheaper to dig before the driveway is paved than after.
Designs & details
Project photographs alongside labeled design renderings and technical illustrations. Select an image for a closer look.
Each automated gate we install is fitted with the entrapment protection that UL 325 calls for: at least two independent means of protection wherever the moving gate could catch a person, whether it is opening or closing.
The operator checks its external photo eyes and edges at least once every cycle. If one is missing or faulty, the gate drops to hold-to-run or manual operation, which is why a cut sensor wire can stop a gate from closing on its own.
These devices protect people. A car in the gate's path is a job for vehicle loops in the pavement, which hold the gate open while a car is over them.
The UL 325 and ASTM F2200 explainer sets out each rule, and how to look over a gate you already have without opening the operator.
Four facts pick the operator: the gate type, the length and finished weight of the leaf, how many times a day it will cycle, and the UL 325 usage class of the property.
Every listed operator is permanently marked with the classes it is meant for, and its manufacturer publishes the longest and heaviest gate it may move. The finished leaf has to sit inside both limits.
Count cycles the way the industry does. One cycle is the gate opening fully and closing again, so each car leaving is one, each car coming home is another, and so is every delivery and visitor.
| Gate and property | Leaf length and weight | Daily cycles | UL 325 class and duty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swing gate at a single home | Each leaf's length and finished weight inside the operator's published maximums. A solid leaf adds wind load. | Your household's trips, plus deliveries and guests | Class I, for one to four single-family homes. Class I operators are temperature-tested for limited duty, so compare the rated cycles with your count. |
| Slide gate at a single home | The whole gate's length and weight, because the operator pulls all of it | Your household's trips, plus deliveries and guests | Class I. UL 325 caps a Class I or II slide gate at 1 foot per second, so an 18-foot gate needs at least 18 seconds to open. |
| Gate serving five or more homes, or an apartment, condo or HOA entrance | Often wider or heavier; check the maximums for each leaf | Every household's trips, with morning and evening peaks | Class II, which is temperature-tested for continuous duty. See commercial gates. |
| Industrial yard or loading area closed to the public | Long, heavy slide and cantilever gates | Shift changes and truck traffic | Class III. Ask for the duty-cycle rating, which states how many cycles per hour or per day the operator is built for. A guarded site where security staff supervise access is Class IV. |
Wind is the variable people forget. According to DASMA's rationale for the construction standard, wind can bend a slide gate off plumb as it travels, and the effect grows with the gate's surface area and length, so a solid leaf asks more of the operator, the frame and the guides than open pickets do.
Read the duty marking as well as the class. An operator listed for Class II, III or IV can still be marked for light duty, meaning limited use: the class says where it may go, and the duty rating says how hard it may work.
Where the operator's power comes from decides two things: what the installation costs to wire, and what the gate does when the utility power fails.
| Power source | Where it fits | Limits | When the grid goes down |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwired | Power is within a practical conduit run of the gate | The run may cross the driveway or the landscaping, and the circuit is electrical work with its own permit question | Without backup, the operator can't move the gate until power returns; follow the owner's manual before touching the manual release |
| Solar | Gates with no practical power run, such as a long rural drive or a hillside entrance | The panel needs sun without shade, and the batteries cap how many cycles a day the gate can sustain; every accessory on the gate draws on them too | A utility outage doesn't reach it; a stretch of overcast days, or a panel that trees have grown over, does |
| Battery backup on a hardwired operator | Gates you must be able to get through during an outage | A limited number of cycles, set by the batteries' capacity and age, the gate's weight and how often it runs; batteries wear out | Keeps cycling, opens and stays open, or stays closed, depending on whether the system is set up fail-safe or fail-secure |
On a private street, access road or fire lane that the Los Angeles Fire Department requires for access, the choice is made for you. LAFD requires power-operated gates there to open on their own when the power fails, battery backup included, or to push open without extra steps, and to carry a department-approved override switch.
For what to do during an outage, and when to leave the manual release alone, read our guide to automatic gates in a power outage.
Honest pricing
For a new gate, the operator, the entry controls and the length of the power run affect the total. Automating a gate you already have is a different job, starting at $5,000 – $7,000 (gate opener installation), and replacing a worn operator is its own service (residential gate openers). The driveway gate cost guide explains these cost factors.
Estimates for a new automatic gate are free. You receive a written, itemized estimate for the proposed gate and installation.
Get Your Written Estimate| Project | Starting price |
|---|---|
| Automatic driveway gate installation | $10,000 – $12,000 |
Method’s published starting prices. Your written estimate will be specific to your property.
What to expect
We measure the opening, the slope across it and behind it, and the room to swing or slide, find the nearest power, and ask how many cars, visitors and deliveries use the gate in a day.
The drawing places the operator, the photo eyes and edges, the keypad post and the walk gate, so you approve the layout and the gate at the same time.
Once you approve the drawing, our fabrication partner builds the gate with a smooth bottom edge and no latch, and, if it slides, with screened openings, roller covers and stops.
Before the operator goes on, the gate must move easily by hand in both directions. Then the operator, devices and controls are wired, and the force is turned down to the least that still moves the gate every time.
Every safety device is checked in operation before the gate is put to use. You are shown the controls, the power switch and the manual release, and the manuals stay with you.
An automatic gate stays safe while the gate moves freely and its devices still work. DASMA's guidance for owners is short: keep the manuals, check the gate and its safety devices routinely, stop using it on automatic if anything misbehaves, and leave repairs to a trained technician.
When something does go wrong, residential gate repair starts with a diagnosis of the gate, the operator and the controls together. To replace an operator later, or add remotes, a keypad or a visitor intercom, see gate openers and access control. Calls are answered around the clock.
Reviews
Rachel Cohen
6 years ago
“Had iron pedestrian gate installed at my parents house. The company was very professional, efficient and the price was very fair (we shopped around of course). I definitely recommend using this company A+ experience all around”
Negen Zohar
5 years ago
“I had phill from method came out to give us a quote for our gate project, I must say I had such a good experience with this company, he was so polite and professional and explained everything until smallest details and I got exactly what I…”
David R Ajemian
5 months ago
“Prompt and efficient work on a driveway gate repair on a Sunday. Thank you, Dima - nice work!”
Automatic & Electric Gates FAQ
Practical answers to help you plan the next step.
Service area
From our office in Van Nuys we cover the San Fernando Valley, the Westside, and the neighborhoods in between.
Residential Gate OpenersReplacement driveway gate openers, keypads, remotes, and visitor access matched to your gate and how your household uses it.
Gate Opener InstallationAdd a motor, safety sensors, and access control to the gate you already have. Starting at $5,000 – $7,000, and we tell you first if your gate isn't worth automating.
Driveway GatesSwing and slide gates in steel, wrought iron, clear cedar, and redwood, sized to your opening, your slope, and how your driveway is actually used.
UL 325 and ASTM F2200 Explained: What a Safe, Compliant Automatic Gate IncludesWhat the gate-operator and gate-construction standards require, what a compliant installation looks like, and how to check yours without opening anything.
How Automatic Gate Operators Work: Swing vs Slide Operators, Sizing, Duty Cycle, Solar and Battery BackupArm, linear and underground swing operators, chain and rack-and-pinion slide drives, how spec sheets state length, weight and duty, and when solar and battery backup make sense.
Fire Access, Power Failure and Zone 0: What Los Angeles Gates and Fences Must Do for Emergency AccessWhat the fire code, LAFD and County Fire require of gates on fire access roads: approval, override switches, 10-second opening and power-failure opening. Plus where Zone 0 stands.
Free on-site estimate · Answered 24/7
Call now or send the form. A real person from our Van Nuys office will schedule your free visit and walk the opening with you.
Free · No obligation
Tell us about your gate. We'll call to schedule a visit.
No obligation. It takes about a minute, then we call to schedule. Prefer to talk? (818) 782-6180
