Fence Repair and Installation in Logan, Utah and Cache Valley

A leaning post is usually a problem at the bottom: rotted at the ground line, heaved by frost, or sitting in a footing that was too shallow. The usual fix is to free the post and set it plumb in fresh concrete, or set a new post, with the panels braced while the concrete cures. Logan's code calls a fence more than 20 degrees out of plumb structurally unsafe and makes the owner responsible for repairing it.

Broken boards are the easy part. A board cracked by a branch, a ball or a plowed snow pile gets cut out and replaced, and loose ones get new fasteners. New cedar starts out lighter than its weathered neighbors, so a fresh board will show for a while until it weathers or the fence gets a coat of stain.

A gate that sags usually has one of three causes: hinge screws pulling out of the post, a hinge post that has started to lean, or a gate frame that has pulled out of square. Tightening the hinges helps when the post is solid. A leaning hinge post needs resetting, and a frame out of square needs a diagonal brace or a cable kit to pull it back.

Logan's Land Development Code sets home fence heights at up to 4 feet in a front yard and up to 6 feet in side and rear yards. On a corner lot, a 6-foot fence along the side street has to sit behind the front of the house and outside the 40-foot sight triangle at the intersection. Posts and pillars may rise 12 inches above the limit when they are at least 6 feet apart.

Every fence and wall in Logan needs a permit from the Community Development department before it goes in, with a drawing that shows the layout, height and materials. Height is measured from the highest existing ground within 10 feet, and you can't build the ground up to gain height. Chain link isn't allowed in any yard that faces a street, and no fence may stand within 15 feet of the top of a canal bank without the canal company's written approval. In the Center Street Historic District, a fence also needs a certificate of appropriateness from city staff.

Other Cache Valley and Idaho towns write their own fence rules, so if you live outside Logan, check with your city or county before you build. Our service areas page lists the towns we work in.

Every fence job gets a free quote, and you know the full price before work starts. For a repair, the price follows how many posts need resetting, how many boards or rails need replacing, and what the gate needs. For a new fence, it follows the length and height, the wood, the number of gates, the ground you dig in, the slope, and whether an old fence has to come out and be hauled away.

A new cedar fence can be stained along with a deck; see deck repair and staining. We work on homes across Cache Valley and Southeast Idaho, and more finished jobs are in our project gallery.