Wood Fences & Decks in Fate, TX
Fate is our closest neighbor, about six miles southwest on the I-30 corridor. It has grown from 17,958 residents at the 2020 census to an estimated 29,007 in July 2025, and the Census Bureau ranked it eighth fastest-growing city in the country for 2024. It is also the city where the most common wasted expense is paying to fix a fence that is not yours.
- ✓ Free On-Site Estimates
- ✓ Insured
- ✓ 1-Year Warranty
- ✓ Locally Owned
The fastest way to get a price is to call. We come out to Fate, measure, and give you a written estimate, usually the same day.
Before you pay anyone: check whose fence it is
Fate is built on districts. The city documents five Municipal Utility Districts serving roughly 5,000 existing and entitled homes, and five Public Improvement Districts.
- Fate’s development ordinance requires a mandatory HOA for any development with common amenity areas, and it assigns fence maintenance to that HOA. All required screening walls and fences are maintained by the HOA, with a minimum five-foot Wall Maintenance Easement running the full length.
- What that means in practice: if the fence at the back of your lot is a perimeter or screening fence, it is likely HOA property. You may not be able to replace it, change it, or choose the material, and the HOA may be responsible for repairing it.
- We will tell you which side of that line you are on when we come out. It is the single most common source of wasted money in Fate and it costs nothing to check first.
- The five PIDs are: Williamsburg PID No. 1 (2006), Williamsburg PID No. 2 (2012), Williamsburg East PID at Edgewater (2020), Monterra PID Residential (2022) and Monterra PID Industrial (2022).
Read from the city’s own published code and adopted fee schedule on 22 August 2026. Codes and fees change and city staff interpret them, so we confirm for your address before we pull the permit.
What the City of Fate requires
Permit required when 25 percent or more of the fence length is replaced within an 18-month period, or for a new fence. Fee $75.00.
Eight feet maximum, measured from the highest adjacent grade within ten feet of the fence, and that includes entry gates. Columns may exceed it by no more than 3 inches.
Fence posts for all residential fences must be metal. Approved materials: masonry, ornamental metal rail, cedar or redwood, composite or engineered plastic lumber, and other wooden picket fences only with metal posts, metal brackets, metal caps and pressure-treated horizontal members.
Chain link is prohibited unless replacing an existing lawful chain link fence. Slatted materials used to create opacity are prohibited. So are sheet or corrugated metal, second-hand items, concrete block and razor wire.
Posts face away from the street. A fence on a lot adjacent to a public street must orient the side with exposed posts or rails away from view.
Screening fences are prohibited in front yard setbacks. Decorative fencing not exceeding 3 feet may be permitted there, at least one foot from the front property line.
Maintenance standard: broken, loose or missing parts greater than 8 inches, or a combined area of 20 square feet or more, must be repaired. External bracing instead of repairing posts is not allowed.
On decks, read the exemption properly. Fate follows the International Residential Code unamended, and a deck is exempt only if it meets all four conditions: not over 200 square feet, not more than 30 inches above grade at any point, not attached to the dwelling, and not serving the required egress door. An attached deck needs a permit at any height. Anyone quoting you only the 30-inch figure is giving you half the rule. Fate publishes no separate deck fee line, so we confirm that with the city.
What It Typically Costs
| Typical job | Price range* |
|---|---|
| Cedar privacy fence, installed | $45 – $65 / linear ft |
| Reset / replace a few posts | $300 – $850 |
| Replace a leaning / damaged section | $500 – $1,500 |
| Fence staining | $2 – $4 / sq ft |
| Deck staining | $3 – $6 / sq ft |
*Typical ranges. What pushes a job up: slope, demolition and haul-off of an existing fence, gates over four feet, and lots we cannot get a truck near. Fate’s fence permit is $75.00.
Rockwall County ground, and why Fate requires metal posts
Fate is in Rockwall County, which has the highest shrink-swell exposure of any county we work in: 94 percent of mapped land rated high or very high across the top three feet, and 39.5 percent Houston Black clay.
Houston Black moves about 13 percent of its length between wet and dry, and the USDA documents cracks up to four inches wide at twelve inches deep staying open 90 to 150 days in a typical year.
That is why Fate requires metal posts on every residential fence rather than leaving it to the builder. Wood posts in this ground do not last, and the city stopped pretending otherwise.
Soil figures computed from USDA-NRCS SSURGO county data. These are county-level figures, not parcel-level. A specific address needs its own lookup, which we do before quoting a long run.
Fence & deck contractor in Fate, TX
Fate is about six miles from our shop, so we are here often, and the first thing we do on a Fate call is work out whose fence it actually is. Screening and perimeter fences in most subdivisions here are HOA property under the city’s own ordinance. The second thing is posts. Fate requires metal posts on every residential fence, and it prohibits bracing a leaning fence instead of repairing the post. Both of those are the city being honest about what this ground does.
- County: Rockwall County
- School district: Rockwall ISD and Royse City ISD
- ZIP codes: 75132, 75087
- Major roads: I-30, FM 551, FM 549
Neighborhoods we serve in Fate
From Woodcreek, Williamsburg, Chamberlain Crossing to established streets and brand-new construction, we install and repair fences and decks across Fate. Most of it is zoned to Rockwall ISD, along I-30 and FM 551. Whether you need an HOA-approved cedar privacy fence, a storm-damage repair or a new deck, we bring the same quality work to every Fate yard.
- Woodcreek
- Williamsburg
- Chamberlain Crossing
- Lafayette Crossing
What We Build
Cedar fences, custom decks, repairs and staining for homes throughout Fate.
Fence Installation
Cedar privacy and board-on-board fences built with proper posts, concrete footings and quality lumber.
See fence building →Fence Repair
Leaning sections, broken pickets, rotted posts and storm damage — repaired or replaced fast.
See fence repair →Deck Building
Custom wood and composite decks designed for your yard and framed to code.
See deck building →Solid work, fair prices, no surprises
We set posts deep in concrete, use quality cedar and coated fasteners, and give you a clear written estimate before any work starts. You get the same quality and upfront pricing on every job, big or small.
Fate is in Rockwall County. Nearby we also work Rockwall and Heath. Compare every city on our permit guide or see the full service area.
Fate Fence & Deck FAQs
My back fence is falling down. Is it even mine?
In many Fate subdivisions, no. Perimeter and screening fences are HOA-maintained under the city’s own ordinance, with a five-foot maintenance easement. Check before you pay for it, and we will check for you when we come out.
Do I need a permit to replace part of my fence?
If you are replacing 25 percent or more of the length within 18 months, yes. Fee is $75.
Can I use wood posts?
No. Fate requires metal posts on all residential fences.
Do I need a permit for a low deck?
Yes, unless it clears all four exemption conditions at once: under 200 square feet, under 30 inches above grade, not attached to the house, and not serving the required egress door. Miss any one of them and you need a permit. An attached deck needs a permit at any height.
How fast can you get to Fate?
Very. We are in Royse City, about six miles northeast, and Fate is our closest market.