Choose the contractor that can put enough crews on your Austin property to replace the fence in phases, prices it from a measurement taken on site with the picket grade, post depth and tear-out written down, and backs the work with a written warranty. Johnson Fence is built for that: over 100 crews, a free on-site estimate and a one-year craftsmanship warranty.
Most managers who hire wrong have already paid for it once. A fence failed too soon, a quote left out the grade, or a crew never came back.
What should an Austin apartment fence bid request spell out?
Spell out the five things that set the price: fence type, materials, length, gates and site conditions. Johnson Fence prices every project by custom quote after a free on-site estimate, with no fixed published price list, because cost depends on exactly those five.
Add the height of every section. The City of Austin Development Services Department (2023) says a fence more than 7 feet high at any point is subject to additional City of Austin regulation. A request that states the height tells every bidder up front whether that applies.
List gates as their own line. We build driveway gates and access control for businesses and developers alongside the fence, so a request that names them gets one number for the whole perimeter. Send every bidder the same request. Quotes only compare when they answer the same questions.
Nobody in Texas builds more fence than Johnson, twenty thousand jobs last year. That volume is why we can read a bid request quickly and tell you what is missing from it.
What do wood, iron and chain link fence cost per foot in Texas?
For a six-foot residential fence on flat ground before tear-out, gates and slope, wood ranges from $18 to $45 a foot (HomeGuide, Angi and HomeAdvisor). Ornamental steel or iron ranges from $45 to $90 (HomeGuide and Angi), and chain link from $12 to $28 (HomeGuide and Angi). An apartment property has gates, slope and an old fence to remove, so those ranges are where a bid starts.
Other 2026 publishers print higher figures. FenceFlow (2026) lists installed 6-foot wood privacy fence at $36 to $50 a foot, residential chain link in 6-foot height at $26 to $36 and ornamental iron at $72 to $102. Ergeon (2026) reports that its booked chain-link installs at 4, 5 and 6 feet cluster around $36 to $43 per linear foot. Its cost steps up at 7 feet (about $75) and 8 feet (about $78). Height is a price decision as much as a code one.
Material also sets what you carry afterward. AT4 Fence & Custom Exteriors says staining every 2-3 years is not optional for wood in Austin. It rates aluminum maintenance as very low and chain link as minimal.
A published range cannot buy a number measured in your yard. We price by custom quote after the on-site estimate, as above, and on wood, nobody buys more fence pickets than Johnson, so nobody in Texas sells a wood fence for less.
Which permits and registrations does an Austin apartment fence need?
Austin sets when a fence needs a permit by its height, its place in a floodplain and its position along a public right-of-way. The city also requires contractors to register before work tied to a building permit. Ask each bidder who pulls the permit and for its registration before you sign.
Under the City of Austin’s Land Development Code Section 25-2-899 and Development Services fencing regulations (2025), a fence of any material to 7 feet is permit-exempt outside floodplains. A permit is required above 7 feet, above 6 feet along a public right-of-way on residential property, or within a floodplain at any height. A solid fence along a property line may not exceed 6 feet from natural grade. It rises to 7 feet only where there is a grade change of at least 1 foot.
Texas has no statewide general-contractor, home-improvement or fence-contractor license, according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (2026). Any licensing sits at the county or city level. Austin Development Services says trade contractors, general contractors and homeowners acting as contractors must register with Building and Trade Contractor Services before beginning any construction associated with a building permit and trade permit(s). A bidder who cannot show that registration should not be pulling your permit.
Does an Austin apartment fence contractor need enough crews for phased work?
Yes. Johnson Fence has over 100 crews in the field and spent two decades fencing entire new neighborhoods for homebuilders. Crew count decides whether a perimeter stays closed, because a contractor with a handful of crews can only work one section at a time.
With over 100 crews, a crew missing a day never stops a job. From 2002 to 2019 we were the top choice for regional and national homebuilders in Houston, and that work ran more like logistics management than a typical fence contractor. We now serve homeowners, businesses, ranches and developers across four metros from seven offices, and one of them is in Round Rock, for your Austin property.
Dick F. described a visit where the crew arrived on the date promised, and wrote in an April 2026 SoTellUs review: “On time, efficient, fence looks good. Matt Roberts was helpful and very patient with my many questions.”
We can work within a budget, and we cannot turn a bad specification into a good fence. That is why the bid request comes first. Ask every bidder for its crew count in writing, and ask what happens to your schedule when one crew is out.
What insurance should an Austin fence contractor show before starting?
Ask for proof of general liability coverage before any crew sets foot on your property. FenceCalc (2026) says the standard general liability policy is $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate, the minimum most general contractors and commercial customers will accept.
Johnson Fence is bonded and insured, and we have replaced fences in Texas since 2002. Whoever you hire, get the certificate in writing and check the limits against that standard before you sign.
