Fence Contractors in Jersey City, NJ

Fence Contractors in Jersey City is our home market, and the first thing we tell every owner is that a fence here is really three projects. The short run between the stoop and the sidewalk, the side passage, and the long backyard each fall under different limits in the city's zoning rules. We plan, quote and build each section to fit its own rules instead of running one fence style around the whole lot.

Three yards, three sets of rules

Jersey City's zoning code treats the front yard, the side yards and the rear yard differently, and it also regulates which fence materials and styles can go where. We do not quote specific height limits on this page, because the current ordinance text is what counts and it can change. The city's Division of Zoning confirms what applies to your lot, and we check with it before we design anything. One number does come straight from the city: a fence taller than six feet needs a building permit on top of zoning approval. Height is measured from grade, so on a sloped Heights lot we measure at several points before committing to panel sizes. We build with the finished face toward the street and the neighbors, and every post stays on your side of the property line.

Permits versus zoning approval

The Construction Code office says a building permit is not needed to install or repair a fence unless the fence works as a pool barrier or stands taller than six feet. Zoning approval is still required. Jersey City handles zoning review through its online permitting portal and does not take zoning applications in person. Before you file, we give you a written layout showing fence lengths, heights, materials and gate swings, which is the kind of detail a reviewer will want to see.

Fences between the sidewalk and the street

Many blocks have a run of low iron fencing along the walk in front of the stoops. Fences at the front of the lot, and anything close to the public sidewalk, get the closest look in zoning review, and the city has its own standards there for height, material, finish and gate swing. Ask the zoning office what applies before you settle on a design. For these runs we usually recommend powder-coated aluminum or steel in black, matched to the neighbors' pickets, with gates that open into the yard rather than over the sidewalk.

Brownstone blocks and historic review

Brownstones in Paulus Hook, Van Vorst Park, Hamilton Park, Harsimus Cove and Bergen Hill have been restored since the 1980s, and a number of these streets sit within designated historic districts. The city's Division of Zoning keeps a separate historic checklist for its zoning review, and work that needs Historic Preservation Office approval runs through that same process. If your block is in a district, plan on a front fence that respects the original ironwork pattern. Rear-yard privacy fences, out of street view, are usually simpler.

What we install across the city

• Privacy fences in cedar or vinyl for rear yards, at the height your zoning approval allows
• Aluminum and ornamental fencing for front yards and sidewalk-side railings
• Wood fence installation, including board-on-board for gap-free side and rear privacy
• Vinyl fence installation for low-upkeep rear and side runs
• Chain link fence installation for rear yards, alleys and side lots
• Fence repair and gates, from re-setting a leaning post to building a matching gate for a neighbor-access opening

Freeze, thaw and posts in Hudson County ground

Jersey City sits in USDA hardiness zone 7b, and January lows average about 27 degrees. Winter brings repeated freezing and thawing, which can lift shallow posts and loosen gates over a few seasons. We set posts below the frost line in concrete, crown the concrete so water runs off, and hang gates on posts sized for their width. Near the Hudson and the bay, where the city has 30.7 miles of waterfront, we steer clients toward aluminum, vinyl and stainless or coated hardware, which hold up better in salt air than bare steel.

Renters, landlords and condo boards

Only about 27.9 percent of homes here are owner-occupied, according to Census estimates, so landlords, two-family owners and condo associations make many of the city's fence decisions. We write quotes in a format you can forward to a co-owner or a board, list every run by length and height, and schedule around tenants who still need to get through the side gate.

Free estimates

Call (551) 212-8142 or

Get a Free Estimate

. We measure on site, mark each run's planned height on the plan, request the 811 mark-out before digging and give you a written, itemized quote.