Fence Building & Repair in Duluth, MN & Superior, WI

Our planning range is $25–$60 per linear foot, installed with materials included and posts set below frost depth, from the cost guide. Material, height, gates, ground conditions and removing an old fence decide where your project lands. Every fence gets a written price you approve before work starts.

In Duluth, any fence 4 feet or taller needs a fence permit (City of Duluth fences), and a fence over seven feet also needs a building permit with plans stamped by a Minnesota-licensed structural engineer (City of Duluth). In Superior, building permits cover fences, though replacing less than a quarter of a fence's boards is on the city's list of work that needs no permit. We check what your address needs before quoting.

Usually, yes, as long as the boards and rails are still sound. A lean almost always starts at a post: frost lifts a shallow one, rot eats through one at the ground line, or wind works a loose one over. We reset or replace the failing posts, pull the line plumb and re-hang the panels, which costs far less than a new fence. When most posts have rotted at grade, replacement becomes the better value, and we'll show you why.

The posts decide how long a fence lasts here more than the boards do. Cedar resists rot naturally and takes stain well, pressure-treated pine costs less and is made for ground contact, and chain link lets snow blow through and needs almost no upkeep. Whatever you choose, posts set below frost depth and boards kept off the soil, so snow and dirt don't hold moisture against the wood, make the biggest difference.

Yes, if you want it to keep its color and shed water. Unfinished cedar and treated pine turn gray and start to check within a few seasons, and a penetrating stain slows that down and helps the boards last. New pressure-treated wood often needs time to dry before it will take stain, so we'll tell you when yours is ready. Fence staining is part of our deck staining and refinishing service.

As a rule of thumb, plan on a few working days for a typical backyard wood or chain link fence; your written quote gives the real schedule. Posts go in first, and when they're set in concrete, the rails and boards wait until it has firmed up, so the job often spans more than one visit. Underground utilities have to be marked before any digging, which adds a short wait up front. Long runs, slopes, rocky ground, extra gates and tearing out an old fence all add time.

Light rain doesn't stop most fence work, but heavy rain and frozen ground do. Digging post holes in saturated clay makes a mess of the hole and the yard, and post concrete shouldn't go into standing water. Staining waits for dry wood and a dry forecast. In winter, frozen ground makes it hard to dig post holes to the depth frost demands, so new fence lines in the Northland are usually built between thaw and freeze-up. Board, rail and gate repairs can happen in almost any season.

Yes, in many cases. Vinyl fences are built from separate posts, rails and panels or pickets, so a cracked rail, a broken picket or a panel knocked out by a snowblower or a storm can often be replaced on its own. The catch is matching: the new part has to come from the same maker and style, so send a close photo and any brand markings. A post that has heaved or tipped gets reset. When a whole run has turned brittle, replacement is the better value.

You can build close to it, but get a property survey first, since old fences, hedges and stakes don't always match the real line. With the line marked, talk the plan through with your neighbor: which side faces them and who looks after the fence later. A fence entirely on your side is generally yours to maintain; one on the line is usually shared, so check your deed and put any agreement in writing. In Duluth, a fence 4 feet or taller also needs a fence permit.

Chain link and prebuilt wood panels on flat, open ground go up fastest, because the posts are the only part that takes real digging. Board-on-board privacy fences, custom pickets and anything on a slope take longer, since each section is built, then stepped or racked to follow the grade. Whatever the style, the post holes are the hard part up here: they have to go below frost depth, and rocky or clay soil slows that down. Quick to build isn't always cheapest to own, so weigh upkeep too.

Usually repair it rather than replace it, unless it's falling down. Buyers notice a leaning section, a gate that drags and broken boards, and those cost far less to fix than a new fence line. Resetting a few posts, swapping damaged boards and re-hanging the gate makes the yard look cared for. A full replacement makes more sense when most posts have rotted at grade, or when the fence is doing a safety job, such as along a steep drop. Photos are enough to start a repair quote.

Settle the line, then clear it. Mark where you want the fence and gates, and move anything along the route: planters, firewood, play sets and whatever is stored against an old fence. Tell us about buried things a utility locate won't show, such as sprinkler lines, an invisible dog fence, a septic line or wiring to a shed or lamp post. Keep pets inside while posts are going in, and give your neighbor a heads-up before work starts if the fence runs along their yard.

On most residential lots, neither state's partition-fence law makes a neighbor repair a fence or split the cost. Minnesota's equal-shares rule applies when both properties are used for livestock (Minn. Stat. § 344.03), and Wisconsin's applies when either property is used for farming or grazing (Wis. Stat. § 90.03). In town, it comes down to whose land the fence stands on, which a survey shows, and any written agreement. Get written permission before working on a fence on your neighbor's side. This isn't legal advice.

In Duluth, the finished side faces out. The city's zoning code requires fences to be installed with the finished side facing out, so posts and rails aren't on the side facing a neighboring property or a street, unless the design exposes them on both sides (Duluth UDC 50-26.4). That rule is about appearance, not ownership: facing the good side out doesn't make the fence your neighbor's. Styles that look finished from both sides sidestep the question. Other towns set their own rules.

Often, though neither state's landlord statute names fences, so the lease and the facts matter. In Minnesota, every residential landlord covenants to keep the premises and common areas in reasonable repair, except damage the tenant caused, and a tenant can take on specific repairs only in a conspicuous written agreement with fair consideration (Minn. Stat. § 504B.161). In Wisconsin, landlords must keep the parts of the premises they control in reasonable repair and make structural repairs (Wis. Stat. § 704.07). This isn't legal advice.

A repair usually isn't; a new fence is. IRS Publication 523 lists a fence, along with a retaining wall and a swimming pool, among improvements that increase your home's basis, but says repairs that keep a home in good condition without adding value or prolonging its life can't be added. Replacing a few boards is maintenance. The exception is repair work done as part of an extensive remodeling or restoration, which counts with the larger project. Keep your invoices, and ask a tax professional about your situation.

Yes. A dragging gate usually comes down to one of three things: the frame has racked out of square, the hinges have loosened or worn, or the post it hangs on has started to lean. We square the frame and add a brace or anti-sag kit, reset or replace the hinges and latch, and straighten or replace the post if it has moved.