# Automatic gate installation in Allen, TX

> Automatic gate installation in Allen, TX: swing and slide driveway gates with openers, entrapment sensors and the City's alley trash-bin layouts.

URL: https://garthallenfencebuilders.com/automatic-gate-installation/

- **UL 325** the safety standard for gate operators and their entrapment protection
- **2 layouts** City-approved trash-bin options for a sliding gate across an Allen alley drive
- **105 mph** design wind speed in Allen's residential building code
- **$1,500–$4,000** typical DFW-area cost per automated gate, opener included

[Garth Allen Fence Builders](https://garthallenfencebuilders.com/) plans and installs automatic driveway gates in Allen and the nearby Collin County cities: sliding gates across alley drives, swing gates at the end of a front drive, and openers added to a sturdy existing gate. An automated gate is a fence gate, a machine and a safety system at once, and each part has its own failure points. The work is carried out by insured fence contractors registered with the City of Allen, and every project starts with the same question: will this gate move freely and stay square for years before a motor ever touches it? Manual walk and drive gates are covered on the [gate installation](https://garthallenfencebuilders.com/gate-installation/) page.

## Start with a gate that moves well by hand

An opener only moves what it is attached to. If the gate binds, drags on the slab or leans on its latch, the operator works against that resistance on every cycle, and the motor, the arm brackets and the hinges wear out early. Before anything is automated, the gate should open and close with one hand, hold its shape, and land on its stop without being lifted.

That is why most automated wood gates in Allen are built on a welded steel frame, with cedar pickets fastened to the face. A wood-framed drive gate racks under its own weight over time; a steel frame does not, and it gives the operator a solid point to bolt to. Iron and ornamental steel gates are already rigid and suit automation well, which is one reason [iron fencing](https://garthallenfencebuilders.com/iron-fence-installation/) and automated drive gates are often planned together. If an existing gate already sags, the [sagging gate guide](https://garthallenfencebuilders.com/guide/why-is-my-gate-sagging/) explains what is usually behind it.

## Swing or slide on an Allen lot

Many Allen subdivisions are alley-loaded, with the garage at the back and the drive opening onto the alley. Those drives are short, and a swing gate needs a clear arc inside the yard for each leaf. Cars parked close to the gate, a slab that rises toward the garage, or trash bins stored by the drive can all sit in that arc. A slide gate avoids the arc but needs a straight stretch of fence beside the opening where it can park when open, usually a little longer than the opening itself.

Swing gates on alley drives open inward. Allen requires fences to stay on private property without crossing the property line at any point, and a leaf swinging over the alley would do exactly that. Front drives with a long, level approach suit swing gates well and give a classic look in iron. The [swing vs sliding gate guide](https://garthallenfencebuilders.com/guide/swing-vs-sliding-driveway-gates/) walks through the choice in more depth.

## Sliding gates and Allen’s trash-bin layouts

Allen adds a rule specific to automated gates on alleys. A sliding gate across a rear-entry driveway must follow one of two trash-bin pickup layouts drawn in the City’s engineering standard details for electric gates, and the chosen option has to be named on the fence permit application. The reason is practical: collection trucks pick up from the alley, and a closed gate cannot stand between the bins and the truck. The two layouts place bin pads outside the gate line so pickup carries on whether the gate is open or shut.

Choosing the layout early affects where the gate track starts, where the operator sits, and whether a short section of fence has to move to make room for the pad. It is also a permit item, so it gets settled before the gate is fabricated. The [Allen permit rules guide](https://garthallenfencebuilders.com/guide/allen-fence-permit-rules/) covers the rest of the application.

## Posts, clay and wind

A drive gate puts a heavy, moving load on one or two posts, and those posts sit in Houston Black clay, the very high shrink-swell soil mapped across most of Collin County. As the clay swells in a wet spring and shrinks in a dry summer, a footing can shift a fraction of an inch. On a manual gate that shows up as a latch that no longer lines up. On an automated gate the same movement throws off the limit settings and the photo-eye alignment, and the operator may stop and reverse for no visible reason.

Gate posts are steel, as Allen requires for all fencing, and they go well past the City’s 18-inch minimum depth in straight-sided holes, with concrete crowned to shed water. Slide-gate guide posts and the track base get the same care, because a track that tilts as the clay moves will drag the gate. The [clay soil guide](https://garthallenfencebuilders.com/guide/fence-posts-in-clay-soil/) explains why hole shape matters as much as depth.

Wind is the other load. Allen’s residential code uses a 105 mph design wind, and a solid cedar drive gate is a large flat panel. On a swing gate, a gust pushes the leaf against the operator arm and gearbox; on a slide gate, the force spreads across the rollers and guide posts. Solid-faced gates get heavier frames and an operator sized for the leaf, and some owners choose a shadow box or iron design that lets air through.

## Entrapment protection and the standards behind it

Two standards shape a safe automated gate. **UL 325** governs gate operators and calls for monitored entrapment protection: the operator checks that its photo eyes and edge sensors are connected and working, and will not run normally if they are not. **ASTM F2200** covers how the gate itself is built, including guards over slide-gate rollers and limits on openings near moving parts where a hand could be caught.

In practice that means photo eyes across the opening on both sides, edge sensors on leading edges where a gate closes against a post, and a careful look at the zone where a slide gate passes its guide posts. The [automatic gate safety guide](https://garthallenfencebuilders.com/guide/automatic-gate-safety/) goes through each zone and the checks worth repeating every few months.

## Power, controls and outages

An operator needs a power source: a circuit run from the house, or a solar panel charging a battery. Solar avoids a trench across the yard but depends on panel placement and battery size, and shade from a neighbor’s tree or a two-story wall can leave it short in winter. Access controls are chosen next: remotes, a keypad on a post set back from the drive, and often a vehicle exit sensor so a car leaving does not have to stop. Every operator has a manual release, and a battery backup keeps a mains-powered gate running through short outages.

## Cost and permits

Typical DFW-area budgeting for an automated gate runs about $1,500 to $4,000 each with the opener. Width and weight, slide or swing, a steel or cedar-faced frame, the number of sensors, the access controls and the length of the power run decide where a project lands. A manual double drive gate typically runs $400 to $900 on its own, so automation is a meaningful step up. The gate goes on the fence permit with the rest of the fence, and HOA approval comes first where one applies. The [fence cost estimator](https://garthallenfencebuilders.com/tools/fence-cost-estimator/) and the [Allen fence cost guide](https://garthallenfencebuilders.com/guide/how-much-does-a-fence-cost-in-allen/) help put the gate in the context of the whole fence, and a [cedar fence](https://garthallenfencebuilders.com/wood-fence-installation/) or [replacement](https://garthallenfencebuilders.com/fence-replacement/) is the natural time to add one.

## What's included

- Choosing swing or slide for the drive, the grade and the wind
- Steel hinge posts, or slide-gate guide posts and track, on deep footings
- Gate frame in steel, or a steel frame faced with cedar
- Operator mounting, limit setting and force adjustment
- Photo eyes and edge sensors on each entrapment zone
- Keypad, remotes and a vehicle exit sensor
- Manual release for power outages
- City of Allen permit, with the trash-bin option identified for alley slide gates

## Swing or slide for an automated drive gate

| Item | Swing gate | Slide gate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Room it needs | A clear arc inside the yard for each leaf | A straight run of fence beside the opening to park in |
| Drive that rises behind the gate | Leaves can strike the slab | Rolls level on a track or hangs as a cantilever |
| Wind on a solid face | Pushes the leaf against the operator arm | Spread across rollers and guide posts |
| Allen alley drive | Opens inward, since nothing may cross the property line | One of two City trash-bin layouts on the permit |
| Typical DFW-area cost | $1,500–$4,000 per automated gate | $1,500–$4,000 per automated gate |

## What this work looks like

Gate operator arm mounted to a galvanized steel post and a black steel drive gate

Keypad on a pedestal beside a black steel automatic driveway gate

## Automatic gates questions

### Can I put an automatic sliding gate across my alley driveway in Allen?

Yes, if the design follows one of the two trash-bin pickup layouts in the City of Allen engineering details for electric gates. The chosen option has to be identified on the fence permit application, so it is settled before the gate is ordered.

### What safety standards apply to an automatic driveway gate?

UL 325 is the standard for gate operators and calls for monitored entrapment protection such as photo eyes and edge sensors. ASTM F2200 covers the gate itself, including guarding of rollers and openings near moving parts. A sound installation is checked against both.

### Does an automatic gate still work when the power goes out?

Operators have a manual release so the gate can be pushed open by hand. Many also take a battery backup that runs a limited number of cycles. Solar-powered openers rely on the battery all the time, so panel placement and battery size matter.

### Can an existing drive gate be automated?

Sometimes. The gate has to swing or roll freely by hand, hang square, and sit on posts that are not moving. A sagging wood gate on old posts usually needs a new steel frame or new posts first, because an opener will strain against a binding gate.

### How much does an automatic driveway gate cost around Allen?

Typical DFW-area budgeting runs about $1,500 to $4,000 per automated gate with the opener. Gate width, slide versus swing, the frame material, sensors, access controls and the power run decide where a project lands.