What the checklist covers
Each box below is on the printed page. No email or phone number is needed to download it.
Where the fence goes
An old fence does not prove where the property line is. Settle the line first.
- Find the corner pins or the lot dimensions on your survey or plat. If the line is unclear, a surveyor sets it before layout.
- Keep the fence on your own property; Allen does not allow it past the property line.
- In the 3 ft lot-line drainage easement, plan the bottom of the fence at least 3 in above finished grade.
- No fence in a floodplain. A fence in any other easement needs the Engineering Department's permission.
- Corner or alley lot: keep 20 ft of clear vision back from the projected curb line where an alley meets a street, and sight distance at street intersections.
The City of Allen rules
From the City of Allen Residential Fence Guideline and fee schedule.
- Permit required for a new or replacement fence, with a flat City fee, filed through the City's online portal, with inspections.
- Back and side yards: up to 8 ft, measured from adjacent grade. On a retaining wall, fence up to 8 ft and wall plus fence up to 12 ft.
- Accepted materials: brick, wood and wrought iron. Vinyl, chain link and other materials need the Building Official's approval.
- Metal posts on all fencing, with metal caps and hardware, set at least 18 in deep in concrete.
- Pool or hot tub: enclosure at least 4 ft, self-closing and self-latching gates, latch on the pool side at least 4.5 ft up.
- Sliding gate across an alley driveway: one of the City's two trash-bin pickup layouts, named in the permit application.
Read the source: the City of Allen Residential Fence Guideline and the City's residential permit page.
Before the permit and the first hole
Each step has its own lead time, so start them early.
- HOA: check its fence rules and get approval before the City permit is applied for.
- Neighbor: talk through a fence on a shared line before work starts.
- Texas811: have utilities located before any digging.
- Contractor: every contractor working in Allen registers with the City each year.
Your fence plan
Fill this in before asking for quotes, so every quote prices the same job.
- Total length (ft): ___; Height: 4 / 6 / 8 ft
- Style: cedar board-on-board / side-by-side / cap and trim / iron or steel / other
- Gates: walk ___; double drive ___; automatic: yes / no
- Old fence to remove: yes / no; Stain: yes / no
- Slope, corner lot, easement, pool: note which
- HOA: yes / no; Shared with a neighbor: yes / no
Comparing quotes
Two quotes for the same yard often describe different work. Line them up item by item.
- Footage, height and style, and the post size, spacing and footing depth.
- Number, width and hardware of each gate.
- Tear-out and haul-away of the old fence and its concrete.
- Who pulls the permit, handles the HOA paperwork and calls Texas811.
- Cleanup, and how sprinklers and lawn along the line are restored.