Wood Fences & Decks in Rockwall, TX
We are in Royse City, about ten miles east of you, and Rockwall is our closest full market. This page covers what the City of Rockwall actually requires before you build, what the Take Line changes if you are on the lake, and why 94 percent of the ground in this county is rated high or very high for soil movement.
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The fastest way to get a price is to call. We come out to Rockwall, measure, and give you a written estimate, usually the same day.
What the City of Rockwall requires
Rockwall regulates fences under the Unified Development Code. It is one of the more prescriptive codes in this area and it catches people out, so here is what it actually says.
- A permit is required. The fence permit fee is $75.00. Fence contractors also have to register with the city, which is a separate $100.00.
- Repairs need a permit too. Replacing 25 feet or more of fencing, or five or more posts, requires a fence repair permit. Most nearby cities exempt repairs entirely. Rockwall does not.
- Eight feet maximum, six feet minimum for solid fencing. Both ends are specified.
- Front yard fences are prohibited without an exception from the Planning and Zoning Commission. If one is granted, wood caps at 42 inches and metal at 48 inches, both at 50 percent transparency.
- Solid fencing must be cedar. Spruce is prohibited. Minimum half-inch thick pickets.
- New chain link is prohibited. An existing chain link fence may be replaced with vinyl-coated, four to six feet, in the same location.
- Pickets face out. Cedar pickets go on the public side. Posts and framing face your house.
- Do not paint it. Painting fences is prohibited.
- Decks and patio covers are $100.00. Worth flagging because the city’s own deck handout still says $75.00 and cites a building code edition Rockwall replaced in 2023. The adopted fee schedule governs.
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.
The Take Line changes what you can build
Lake Ray Hubbard forms the west edge of the city, and lakefront lots behind the take line are a different situation entirely. That ground is leased, and building on it requires a Residential Sublease Agreement with the City.
Inside the Take Line Overlay the limits are tight. Fences are capped at 48 inches and must be wrought iron or black tubular steel. Decks are capped at 24 inches above grade and 1,000 square feet, in composite. Patios are capped at 12 inches and 1,000 square feet, in natural stone.
If you are on the water, tell us before we come out. It changes what we can legally build and it changes the paperwork, and we would rather find that out in the driveway than after you are attached to a design.
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. City permit fees are on top: $75.00 for a fence, $100.00 for a deck or patio cover.
The ground under a Rockwall fence
Rockwall County is 39.5 percent Houston Black clay, the Texas state soil and one of the most expansive in the country. Across the whole county, 94 percent of mapped land is rated high or very high for shrink-swell in the top three feet, which is exactly where a fence post lives.
The USDA measures Houston Black moving about 13 percent of its length between wet and dry, and documents cracks half an inch to four inches wide at twelve inches deep staying open 90 to 150 cumulative days in most years.
None of that cares whether your pickets are cedar or composite. What decides whether a fence is straight in year six is how deep the posts go and what they are set in. Rockwall has no sandy lid to disguise the clay, unlike Kaufman and Hunt counties. Here it is right at the surface.
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 Rockwall, TX
Rockwall is among the most prescriptive codes we work under, and it sits on the most active ground we work on, which is not a coincidence. The city tells you the species, the picket thickness, which way the fence faces and whether you may paint it, and it makes you permit a repair that most neighboring cities would wave through. We would rather work under a code like that than one that leaves it all to the bidder. It also means the permit and the contractor registration are real line items, and both are in the number we give you rather than added later.
- County: Rockwall County
- School district: Rockwall ISD
- ZIP codes: 75032, 75087
- Major roads: I-30, SH 205, FM 740
Neighborhoods we serve in Rockwall
From Chandlers Landing, Caruth Lakes and Stone Creek to established streets and brand-new construction, we install and repair fences and decks across Rockwall. Many newer subdivisions run their own architectural review on top of the city permit, so there are usually two sets of rules to satisfy. We help you confirm both before we start.
- Chandlers Landing
- Caruth Lakes
- Stone Creek
- Breezy Hill
- The Shores
- Ladera Rockwall
- Saddle Star
What We Build
Cedar fences, custom decks, repairs and staining for homes throughout Rockwall.
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.
Rockwall is part of our Rockwall County fence & deck service area. Nearby we also serve Heath and Fate. Permit rules differ in every one of them, and we keep a city-by-city permit guide so you can see what applies to you.
Rockwall Fence & Deck FAQs
Do I need a permit to repair my fence in Rockwall?
Often yes, and this surprises people. Replacing 25 feet or more of fence, or five or more posts, requires a fence repair permit. Smaller repairs do not. We handle the permit either way.
Can I put a fence in my front yard?
Not without an exception from the Planning and Zoning Commission. If you get one, it is 42 inches for wood or 48 inches for metal, and it has to be 50 percent transparent. Solid front yard fences are not permitted at all.
Does the fence have to be cedar?
For solid fencing in Rockwall, yes. The code specifies cedar and prohibits spruce. New chain link is also prohibited, though an existing chain link fence can be replaced with vinyl-coated in the same location.
What does a deck permit cost in Rockwall?
$100.00 under the adopted fee schedule. The city’s own deck handout still says $75.00, but that handout dates to 2019 and cites a code edition Rockwall replaced in 2023. The $75.00 figure is the current fence fee, which is what makes the stale handout look right.
My fence leans after every dry summer. New fence or new posts?
Usually posts. Rockwall County ground is rated high or very high for movement across 94 percent of its area, and that movement is what pushes posts out of plumb. If the pickets and rails are sound, posts are the cheaper fix.
How fast can you get here?
We are in Royse City, about ten miles east. Call (469) 887-1100. We come out, measure, and give you a written estimate, usually the same day.