Fence Companies Serving the Asheville Area

Find the line before you get a quote

Here’s the first thing to do, and it’s free if you already have a survey: know exactly where your property line is.

Not the tree line. Not where your mowing stops or where the previous owner’s fence was. The surveyed line, with the corners marked. Fence disputes between neighbors are among the most common property arguments there are, and nearly all of them come back to a fence that went up on a line someone assumed.

North Carolina has no statewide rule on how far a fence has to sit from the line. That comes from local zoning and HOA covenants, and plenty of places allow a fence right on it. But the safer habit is to set the fence a few inches inside your own line, so the posts, the concrete, and the whole fence are unambiguously yours to maintain. If the pins are missing or the survey is decades old, pay for a new one. It costs far less than moving a finished fence.

What 811 won’t mark

North Carolina law requires a locate request before any digging, and fence posts count. The request needs three full working days’ notice, and you can file it at NC 811 or by dialing 811. Most fence companies submit it themselves. Ask to be sure.

What surprises people here is how much 811 doesn’t cover. It marks public utility lines: power, gas, cable, city water. It doesn’t mark private lines, and outside city limits that’s a lot of what’s buried in a yard:

• the water line from a well to the house
• power or water run out to a detached garage, shop, or barn
• the septic tank, its lines, and the drainfield
• irrigation and landscape lighting

A post hole through a well line is a bad afternoon for everyone. Before the crew comes, walk the fence line with whatever you know about your property. That includes the septic permit drawing, which the county usually has on file, and any old plans from the seller.

Slope: step it or rack it

Almost no yard around Asheville is flat, and on a slope a fence can be built one of two ways. They look quite different when they’re done, so pick one before anyone sets a post.

On a steep yard, the gaps under a stepped fence are often the deciding factor. A dog can get under a gap your eye barely registers. On uneven or rolling ground, a wood fence built board by board on site will follow the grade better than prefab panels, which is one reason some local companies still build that way.

Rock is the local surprise

A post hole that takes fifteen minutes in a flat suburb can take an afternoon here. Much of the ground around Asheville has rock close to the surface, and nobody knows exactly where until they dig.

Good fence companies price that honestly. Some include a rock clause in the quote, a set charge per hole that hits rock, and others build the risk into the overall price. Either is fine, as long as you know which one you’re getting. The quote to be careful with is the one that says nothing about rock, because that cost tends to show up later as a change order.

Ask directly: “What happens to the price if you hit rock?”

Deer, dogs, and how tall you can go

Deer are the reason a lot of fences go up around here, and height matters much more than material. Most guidance for keeping deer out calls for about eight feet. A standard six-foot privacy fence around a vegetable garden often won’t stop them.

Inside City of Asheville limits, the height limits are:

• Front setback: up to six feet
• Side and rear setbacks: up to eight feet
• Near streets and driveways: no solid fence over three and a half feet in the sight-visibility triangle drivers need to see around

A fence that also holds back soil as a retaining wall is treated differently, so tell the fence company if that’s part of the job. Outside city limits, the county’s zoning and your HOA’s covenants set the rules, and HOAs are often stricter on both height and style. If you aren’t sure whether you’re inside city limits (plenty of Asheville addresses aren’t), City of Asheville permits vs. the county walks through how to check.

A lot of people end up fencing just the garden at eight feet and putting a lower, better-looking fence around the yard. That’s often cheaper than one tall fence around everything.

Materials in this climate

Wood is still the most common here, and it’s the easiest to build to an uneven grade. The weak spot is shade. On a north-facing lot under trees, wood stays damp and rots from the posts up. Ask what the posts are rated for, since ground-contact lumber is a different product from fence boards, and plan on staining.

Vinyl won’t rot and needs little upkeep, but it comes in rigid panels that mostly don’t rack. That makes a steep yard harder than a gentle one.

Aluminum and steel ornamental fences are the ones most often designed to rack, so they follow a slope cleanly. They’re common around pools, where code has specific rules about height and gates, and on front yards where you want a boundary without a wall.

Chain link is the practical choice for dogs and large areas. Vinyl-coated chain link in black or green disappears into a wooded yard far better than bare galvanized.

Split rail marks a boundary on larger mountain lots without blocking the view. With wire mesh on the inside, it keeps a dog in.

Gates are where fences fail

If a fence is going to give you trouble, it usually starts at the gate. A wide wood gate on a slope sags within a few years unless it’s framed and hung for its weight, and a driveway gate with an operator is closer to a small machine than to a fence.

If a gate matters to you, and on a long gravel drive it often does, ask who designs and services it. On this page, Asheville Fence Company has a Certified Automated Gate Designer on staff. Timberland Fence in Waynesville treats custom manual and automatic gates as its specialty. All Star, NorStar, J & M, and Fence Scapes also install gate operators.

Who covers where

Most of these companies cover much more ground than their home base. All Star goes from Lake Lure to Brevard, EagServ from Hickory to Bryson City. On a fence job, though, the home base still matters. The crew drives in every day of the build and again for any warranty visit.

The companies on this page

Asheville Fence Company in Candler, on Smokey Park Highway. It’s family-owned and woman-owned, now in its second generation, and has been in business since 1966, the longest of any company here. Residential, commercial, and farm fence, along with gate operators and access control, guardrail for private roads and drives, and repairs. They also sell fence supplies from the yard for people doing their own. Their fence work has included City of Asheville and NCDOT projects. They’re licensed as a general contractor.

All Star Fence in Arden. Run by Cody Grindstaff, an Army veteran carrying on a family fence business that goes back more than fifty years. They have the widest farm range here: cattle, goat, horse, field, and electric. They also do wood, chain link, aluminum, picket, split rail, gate operators, guardrail, and decks, and they’re open Saturdays.

Greybeard Fence Solutions in Weaverville. David Ogburn is an American Fence Association Certified Fence Professional who has written fence specifications for architects. They build wood fences stick by stick on site rather than hanging panels, and residential and commercial jobs each have their own project manager. They also know pool code and HOA rules.

J & M Fence in West Asheville, opened in 2017 by Yair and Lily Ambrocio. Wood, vinyl, chain link, aluminum, steel, and automated gates, plus staining and removal of old fence. BBB A+ and back-to-back Best of Asheville gold winners. You can text the main line.

EagServ Construction in Asheville, family-owned and run by Eliud Morales. Wood, vinyl, aluminum, chain link, picket, and farm fence. They take on steep and uneven yards and repair fences other companies installed. BBB A+.

NorStar Fence Company in Asheville. Wood, vinyl, aluminum, iron, chain link, farm, and dog fence, plus gates, decks, and railings. They give a two-year workmanship guarantee in writing, which is worth comparing against what the other quotes offer.

British Standard Fence in Candler, founded in 1997 by James Smith, the son of a third-generation English fence builder. Custom-fabricated wood and metal fence, shadow box, split rail, chain link, and PVC. This is the call if you want a fence designed for your site rather than picked from a catalog.

Fence Scapes in Fletcher, covering Buncombe and Henderson. Chain link, custom wood, ornamental iron and aluminum, vinyl, and farm fence, plus wood and steel guardrail, and gate operator installation and repair.

Horizon Builds in Asheville, with fifteen years of experience. Wood, vinyl, aluminum, chain link, picket, and farm fence, plus decks and carpentry, within about fifty miles of the city. Open Saturday mornings.

Timberland Fence in Waynesville, family-owned and working across Haywood County. Custom gates, both manual and automatic, are the specialty. BBB A+.

Carolina Fence Installation & Repair in Asheville, with more than ten years in the trade. Wood, chain link, vinyl, wire, and split rail, plus repair, staining and sealing, and removal of old fence. A good call when the fence you have needs work more than it needs replacing. Open Saturday mornings.

Newman Services in Weaverville, since 2009. Fence and custom gates alongside retaining walls, drainage, grading, and patios. On a sloped lot where the fence line runs into a drainage or grading problem, this is one crew for both.

How companies get listed here

Every business on this page is independent and based in Western North Carolina. We generally leave out national franchises and chains, not because they can’t build a fence, but because there are already plenty of places to find them.

Listings are free. Businesses can claim a listing to keep their details current, and a few pay for a featured slot, which moves them up the page and is labeled wherever it appears. Nothing else about the order is for sale. We don’t sell your contact information or charge these companies per lead.

When you’re ready, have your survey in hand and ask two or three of these companies the same three questions: step or rack, what happens if you hit rock, and who’s filing the 811 request. If trees along the line need to come down first, start with tree services. If the job needs grading or a retaining wall, start with excavating contractors.

Frequently asked questions

• How far from the property line does a fence have to be in North Carolina?

  North Carolina has no statewide rule. Setbacks for fences come from local zoning and from HOA covenants, and many places allow a fence right on the line. The more important question is where the line actually is. Use the surveyed line, not the tree line or where the mowing stops, and if you don't have a recent survey with the corners marked, get one before you get quotes. Many homeowners set the fence a few inches inside their line so the whole thing, including the footings, is on their own property.

• How tall can a fence be in Asheville?

  Inside City of Asheville limits, a fence in the minimum front setback can be up to six feet tall, and a fence in the side or rear setback can be up to eight feet, unless it's also working as a retaining wall. Near a street or driveway, no solid fence over three and a half feet can sit in the sight-visibility triangle drivers need to see around. Outside city limits, check the county's zoning and any HOA rules, which are often stricter.

• Do I need to call 811 before putting in a fence?

  Yes. North Carolina law requires a locate request before digging, fence posts included, with three full working days' notice. Most fence companies submit it themselves, so ask. Be aware that 811 only marks public utility lines. Private lines, like the water line from a well, a line out to a detached garage, or a septic system, won't be marked, so find those yourself before the crew arrives.

• What is the best time of year to put in a fence in Asheville?

  A fence can go in for most of the year here. What changes is how busy the crews are. Searches for fence companies around Asheville peak in October and November, so fall calendars fill up. If you want a fence by a particular date, like before a new dog comes home or before spring planting, get quotes a couple of months ahead.

• How tall does a deer fence need to be?

  Most guidance for deer calls for about eight feet, which is taller than a standard six-foot privacy fence. That's why a privacy fence around a garden often doesn't stop deer. Inside Asheville city limits, eight feet is allowed in side and rear setbacks but not in the front setback, where the limit is six. A lot of people fence the garden rather than the whole yard for exactly that reason.

• Should the good side of the fence face my neighbor?

  By convention, the finished side faces out, toward the neighbor or the street, and the posts and rails face in. It isn't a legal requirement in Asheville, but some HOAs require it, and it's the courteous choice. If you want both sides finished, ask about board-on-board or shadow box styles, which look good from either side.

• Which Asheville fence companies do farm fencing?

  All Star Fence in Arden does the widest range of farm work on this page: cattle, goat, horse, field, and electric fence. Asheville Fence Company in Candler, Fence Scapes, Greybeard, EagServ, and Horizon Builds also list farm fence. On a larger property, ask whether they have the equipment to drive posts in rocky ground, because it changes the price more than the wire does.