iris V
6 years ago
“We had gates installed by Method. They did such a great job. They gave us the best customer service and really tried to please us all the way. The job was well done at a reasonable price. I highly recommend this company.”
Residential Fencing
Residential Fence Installation in Los Angeles
Iron, steel, and wood fencing for your home, with matching gates and a layout shaped by the property.
Plan the work with Method Gates
Get Your Free Estimate
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
Residential Fencing
A fence planned with its gates
A residential fence has three jobs: mark the edge of the property, give you the privacy or the openness you want, and stay straight. The third is the one that shows after a few winters, because a fence is only as straight as its posts, and on a sloping lot every post sits at a different height.
We plan the run together with its gates. Fence, driveway gate and walk gate are drawn as one piece of work, so their height, picket or slat spacing and finish line up from the street to the side yard instead of meeting at a seam.
Steel and iron panels are built to our drawing as welded sections, from plain pickets to ornamental and security infill. Wood privacy fences go up on steel posts, so the part of the fence that sits in the soil is steel rather than wood.
- Custom Gate Design Since 2006
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- Permit Help When You Need It
- 24/7 Emergency Gate Service
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Designs & details
Explore Residential Fencing
Project photographs alongside labeled design renderings. Select an image for a closer look.
What we build
Fence types we build
These are the six kinds of residential fence we build. The type decides the look and the privacy. The height comes from the rules for each yard, in the next section.
| Fence type | Look and privacy | Upkeep | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron or steel picket | Vertical pickets, plain or with finials, rings and scrolls. Open, so the house stays in view. | Keep the coating whole and touch up chips while they are small. | Repeats an iron driveway gate picket for picket; see custom wrought iron gates. Near the ocean, read the coastal rust guide. |
| Horizontal slat | Steel or wood slats, evenly spaced. Closing up the gap adds privacy. | Steel slats need their coating kept intact; wood slats need refinishing as they weather. | On a slope the panels step down rather than tilt, so the slats stay level. |
| Wood privacy on steel posts | Cedar or redwood boards, set vertically or horizontally. Full privacy. | The boards need refinishing over the years; the posts are steel, so the soil only ever touches steel. | Pairs with custom wood gates built the same way, wood over steel. |
| Security and anti-climb | Close-set pickets with nothing to stand on from outside, or welded mesh infill. Some privacy, little to grip. | As for a steel picket fence. | For side yards and perimeters where keeping people out matters more than the view; see security gates. |
| Pool-compliant | Open or solid infill built to the state's pool enclosure rules. | Self-closing hinges and latches have to keep doing their job. | California's definition of a pool enclosure calls for at least 60 inches of height, no more than 2 inches under it, gaps that stop a 4-inch sphere, and gates that swing outward from the pool and close and latch on their own. See the pool fence guide. |
| Hillside | Panels stepped or raked to follow the grade, in any of the infills above. | The same as the infill chosen. | LADBS measures height from the natural grade on a slope, and lots in a hillside area have a lower side and rear limit. |
Rules
Height and permits in Los Angeles
Within the City of Los Angeles, residential (R) zones cap a front-yard fence at 3½ feet, and side and rear fences at 6 or 8 feet depending on the lot. Whether the fence also needs a building permit is a separate question that turns on its material and height. These are LADBS figures; outside the City of Los Angeles, your own city or the county sets the limits.
- Front yard. R and RW zones allow 3½ feet; A and RA zones allow 6. Going to 8 feet in front takes the Department of City Planning's approval.
- Side and rear yards. A lot at least 40 feet wide outside a hillside area allows 8 feet; a narrower lot, or one in a hillside area, allows 6.
- Sloping ground. Height is measured from the natural grade at the fence, not from soil filled against it or dug away from it.
- Building permit. None for a fence under 3 feet 6 inches. Masonry or concrete over 3 feet 6 inches needs one, and so does a fence of any other material over 10 feet. A fence that needs no permit still has to meet the height limits.
Who confirms the property line. Our measurements set out the fence; they are not a boundary survey. LADBS warns against taking the inside edge of the sidewalk as the property line, and under California law locating a property line is land surveying, which takes a licensed land surveyor. If the corner markers are missing or in doubt, have them set before the fence goes in.
If the fence is shared. For a fence on the line between two lots, California law presumes both owners are equally responsible for its reasonable cost. The owner planning the work has to give the neighbor 30 days' written notice that states that presumption and describes the problem, the plan, the estimated cost, the proposed split and the timeline.
The Los Angeles fence and gate permit guide sets the heights out as a table and explains where to look up an address in another city.
From LADBS Information Bulletin P/ZC 2023-002 and the LADBS fence FAQ, read October 22, 2026. LADBS gives these as the limits in most residential areas, so confirm the rule for your parcel.
Gates
Matching your gate
Start from the gate, because it is the piece people look at. Its height, picket or slat spacing, top line and color set the pattern, and the fence repeats it along the frontage.
- Driveway gate. The fence meets the gate at the gate's height, and the posts either side are sized for a moving leaf rather than a fence panel. See driveway gates.
- Wrought iron and steel. Picket spacing, finials, rings and scrolls carry over from the gate, in the same powder coat or paint. See custom wrought iron gates.
- Cedar and redwood. Board width, gap and stain follow a wood gate built on a steel frame. See custom wood gates.
- Walk and side gates. A pedestrian gate set into the run, with its own hinges, closer and latch, matched to the fence around it. See pedestrian gates.
If the gate is already in place, its profile, spacing and color are measured, photographed and copied onto the fence drawing.
Honest pricing
How we price residential fencing
Fence is priced by the run once it has been measured. The length in linear feet, the height, the material and infill, how many gates and of what kind, how the grade changes along the line and what the footings have to deal with all move the number, and the written estimate is based on the measured property and agreed scope. Our fence installation cost guide explains each one.
Free on-site estimate, with a written PDF quote within 1–2 business days. The quote is written and itemized for the proposed fence and installation.
Get Your Written EstimateWhat sets the number
- Linear feet of fence
- Height
- Material and infill
- Number and type of gates
- Grade changes along the run
- Footing and soil conditions
The proposal separates the work being recommended so you can review the scope before approving it.
What to expect
From a measured run to a straight fence
Walk the run
Length, corners, gate positions and every change in grade are measured, and roots, sprinklers, walls and anything else in the way are noted.
Settle heights and the line
Heights for each yard are set against the rules for your address, and you confirm where the property line runs before anything is drawn.
Draw and approve
The drawing shows heights, post spacing, infill and each gate. Steel is ordered and welded only after you approve it.
Build and set out
Panels and gates are welded to the drawing, and the post positions are set out on site along a string line.
Set posts, hang panels
Posts go in plumb, the concrete cures, and the panels and gates follow, with each gate adjusted to swing and latch. About 150 feet of fence usually takes 3–5 weeks from signed contract to finished job, and a large job 6–8 weeks.
Posts and footings
Keeping a fence straight
A fence stays straight as long as its posts stay plumb, and that comes down to three things: what the post is made of where it meets the soil, the footing around it, and where the water goes.
- Steel where the fence meets the ground. A fence post sits in soil, where wood is exposed to decay and termites. The USDA Wood Handbook calls for preservative-treated wood or durable heartwood there, and notes that decay resistance can be lower in ground contact. A steel post takes the wood out of the soil.
- A footing sized to the fence. The hole and the concrete are sized for the fence's height, its infill and the soil, and each post is checked for plumb and for height against a string line before the concrete sets.
- Concrete that sheds water. Crowning the top of a footing, so rain runs off instead of pooling where the post enters the concrete, is written into a steel fence manufacturer's installation specification for that reason.
- Water kept off the base. Soil graded away from the fence and sprinklers aimed off it keep the bottom rails and boards drier. The Handbook ties wood decay to wet conditions and says a drained site reduces it.
- Gates on their own posts. A gate swings its weight on the hinge post every time it opens, so that post and its footing are sized for the gate rather than copied from the fence.
A fence that already leans needs its posts reset in new footings, not just pushed back upright; fence repair covers that work.
Reviews
What Customers Say About Working With Us
Brett Pacis
4 years ago
“Highly recommend! Fantastic team and service at Method Doors & Gates. They came immediately to my home, fixed the problem with my driveway gate and kept me updated throughout the process.”
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”
Residential Fencing FAQ
Questions about residential fencing
Practical answers to help you plan the next step.
In the City of Los Angeles, not for a fence under 3 feet 6 inches. LADBS asks for a building permit once a masonry or concrete fence goes over 3 feet 6 inches, or a fence of another material over 10 feet. A fence that needs no permit still has to meet the zoning height limit for its yard, so the height question comes first. Other cities set their own rules; the permit guide explains where to look.
It depends on the zone. Across the City of Los Angeles, R and RW lots are held to 3½ feet in the front yard, while A and RA lots get 6. An 8-foot front fence needs the Department of City Planning to approve it. At the sides and rear, 6 or 8 feet applies, depending on how wide the lot is and whether it sits in a hillside area.
California presumes that neighbors share equally in the reasonable cost of a boundary fence, unless they have agreed otherwise in writing. The owner who plans to build or replace it has to give each neighbor 30 days' written notice that mentions the presumption and describes the problem, the proposed fix, the estimated cost, the proposed split and the timeline. A disagreement over the split is for the owners, or a court, to settle.
Yes, in cedar or redwood, on steel posts. The boards give the privacy and the look, and the posts in the ground are steel, so the fence does not depend on wood lasting in soil. A matching wood gate is built the same way, on a steel frame.
Usually. We measure and photograph the gate, then repeat its picket or slat spacing, height, top line, ornament and color on the fence drawing. If the gate itself is worn or damaged, repairing or replacing it at the same time means the two finishes start out alike.
Any steel will once its coating fails, and salt air is hard on coatings. The American Galvanizers Association recommends a duplex system for coastal sites: hot-dip galvanizing under the paint or powder, so the zinc keeps protecting the steel where the topcoat is chipped. Our coastal rust guide covers finishes and care near the ocean.
Service area
Residential Fencing across Los Angeles
From our office in Van Nuys we cover the San Fernando Valley, the Westside, and the neighborhoods in between.
- Bel Air, CA
- Beverly Hills, CA
- Brentwood, CA
- Burbank, CA
- Calabasas, CA
- Canoga Park, CA
- Chatsworth, CA
- Encino, CA
- Granada Hills, CA
- Hollywood, CA
- Lake Balboa, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Mission Hills, CA
- North Hills, CA
- North Hollywood, CA
- Northridge, CA
- Pacific Palisades, CA
- Pacoima, CA
- Panorama City, CA
- Porter Ranch, CA
- Reseda, CA
- San Fernando, CA
- Sherman Oaks, CA
- Studio City, CA
- Sun Valley, CA
- Sylmar, CA
- Tarzana, CA
- Universal City, CA
- Valley Village, CA
- Van Nuys, CA
- West Hills, CA
- West Hollywood, CA
- Woodland Hills, CA
Related services
Fence RepairLeaning posts, rusted-through pickets, rotted rails, and car-damage sections repaired to match what's there.
Commercial FencingPerimeter, security, and screening fence for yards, lots, and multifamily properties, engineered for the site.
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.
Pedestrian GatesWalk gates, side-yard gates, and entry gates built to match the driveway gate, with self-closing hinges, keyed or electric locks, and intercom release.
Guides & answers
Fence Installation Cost in Los Angeles: A Scope-First Budget GuideCompare materials, measure your fence run, and understand what a per-foot quote includes—with a clearly labeled sample budget.
California Pool Fence Requirements: A Los Angeles Planning GuideUnderstand the state enclosure dimensions, qualifying safety features, and the local questions to resolve before fabrication.
Los Angeles Gate & Fence Permits: Check the Address, Then the DesignCity of LA fence and gate height limits by yard and zone, permit thresholds, HOA review, automation and fire access, and where Beverly Hills, Burbank, Calabasas and West Hollywood set theirs.
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Let’s Talk About Your Residential Fencing
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
Get Your Free Estimate
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