Wood Fences & Decks in Princeton, TX
The Census Bureau named Princeton the fastest-growing city in the United States for 2024, at 30.6 percent. It went from 17,027 residents in 2020 to an estimated 43,524 in July 2025. It also has a fence ordinance that works the opposite way to how most people assume.
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The fastest way to get a price is to call. We come out to Princeton, measure, and give you a written estimate, usually the same day.
What the City of Princeton requires
Princeton’s fence rules are in Chapter 14, Article III of the city code. The headline is not a height cap. It is a requirement.
- A minimum six-foot fence is required in the required side and back yards of lots in the SF1, SF2, SF-SE, TF, SF-Z and SF-TH districts. Six feet is a floor in Princeton, not a ceiling. If you have heard otherwise, that is the most common mistake made about this ordinance.
- Six feet appears as a maximum only in narrower places: wrought iron, composite, virgin PVC and engineered masonry walls; solid fences in the SFE and A districts; and vinyl color-coated chain link, which is permitted only in SF-E, SF-SE and A.
- Permit required for any work over 20 feet in length, repairs and maintenance included. The city FAQ says “all fences built and repaired,” which drops the threshold and is not the operative rule.
- Fee $75.00, per Ordinance No. 2025-09-22 effective 22 September 2025. If you find a $25 figure, including in the online code or the city FAQ, it is superseded. The new schedule was appended without striking the old row.
- No solid fence in the required front yard or beyond the front building line. That is a materials rule, not a height cap. The only front-yard height figure in the article is 4 feet 6 inches, and only in the SFE district.
- All posts for wood fencing must be schedule 40 steel, buried at least two feet in the ground with concrete support. Wood posts are prohibited outright.
- Barbed wire prohibited citywide. Princeton also registers fence contractors, so it is worth asking any bidder whether they hold a current registration here.
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.
Two things worth knowing if you have just moved here
In a city adding houses this fast, a lot of homeowners are new to the area and reasonably assume North Texas fence rules are uniform. They are not, and Princeton is the clearest example: most neighboring cities cap fences at eight feet, while Princeton starts by telling you to have one at six.
The second thing is jurisdiction. If your address is outside Princeton city limits but inside its ETJ, Collin County requires a Development Permit for a fence. Collin is the only county in our area that permits an ordinary fence on dry ground, and its requirement explicitly reaches into city ETJs. Dallas County permits fences too, but only inside the floodplain. A lot of people in the growth ring assume that being past the city limit sign puts them outside everyone’s jurisdiction. It does not.
Builder-grade fences also go up fast on new lots here, and they start moving within a few years if the posts were not set properly. The schedule 40 and two-foot burial requirements exist for a reason.
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. Princeton’s fence permit is $75.00, and the trigger is any work over 20 feet in length.
The most Houston Black county we work in
Princeton is in Collin County, which is the most Houston Black of the five counties at 43 percent, the highest share in our service area. Collin County is 74 percent high or very high for shrink-swell across the top three feet, with 65.5 percent sitting in the very high band.
Houston Black moves about 13 percent of its length between wet and dry. The USDA documents cracks half an inch to four inches wide at twelve inches deep, staying open 90 to 150 cumulative days in a typical year.
On a six-foot fence with schedule 40 posts, how deep those posts go is what decides whether it is plumb in year six. Princeton’s two-foot minimum is a floor, and on this soil we would generally go deeper.
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 Princeton, TX
Princeton is one of two cities we work in that require you to have a fence rather than merely permitting one. Terrell is the other, and it ties the requirement to the certificate of occupancy on a new build. Princeton also prohibits wood posts outright. Schedule 40 steel, buried at least two feet with concrete support, is the published minimum for wood fencing. On Collin County ground we treat two feet as the floor rather than the target. Princeton registers fence contractors, so whether a bidder holds a current registration here is a fair question to put to them.
- County: Collin County
- School district: Princeton ISD
- ZIP codes: 75407
- Major roads: US 380, SH 78, FM 982
Neighborhoods we serve in Princeton
From Whitewing Trails, Sicily, Ranger Crossing to established streets and brand-new construction, we install and repair fences and decks across Princeton. Most of it is zoned to Princeton ISD, along US 380 and SH 78. 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 Princeton yard.
- Whitewing Trails
- Sicily
- Ranger Crossing
- Arbor Trails
- Princeton Heights
- Lavon Shores Estates
- Eastridge
What We Build
Cedar fences, custom decks, repairs and staining for homes throughout Princeton.
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.
Princeton is in Collin County, the one county here that requires a permit for an ordinary fence outside city limits. Nearby we also work Lucas. Compare every city on our permit guide or see the full service area.
Princeton Fence & Deck FAQs
Do I have to have a fence in Princeton?
On most single-family lots, yes. The ordinance requires a minimum six-foot fence in the required side and back yards of the SF1, SF2, SF-SE, TF, SF-Z and SF-TH districts.
What posts are required?
Schedule 40 steel for wood fencing, buried at least two feet in the ground with concrete support. Wood posts are not allowed at all.
Do I need a permit for a fence repair?
If the work runs more than 20 feet, yes. That threshold is in the ordinance and it applies to repairs and maintenance, not only new fences.
How much is a Princeton fence permit?
$75.00, effective September 2025. A $25 figure still appears in the online code and the city FAQ, but it has been superseded.
I am just outside the city limits. Do I still need a permit?
Probably yes, from Collin County. Their Development Permit covers fences and applies in unincorporated areas and inside city ETJs.