Fence and block wall installation, step by step

Why the order matters

Most of the things that go wrong on a fence job go wrong because a step was skipped or done out of order: a fence built before the line was confirmed, holes dug before the utility marks were down, gates hung on posts that had not set, final payment made before the walkthrough. None of those are hard to avoid if you know the sequence. This page is the sequence, written for the homeowner rather than the crew, with the waiting steps called out so a quiet week after signing does not look like a problem.

One thing this page deliberately does not do is promise a timeline. No sourced figure for "how long a fence takes in Visalia" exists, and the real answer swings on permit review, the 811 window, cure time and the contractor's calendar. Ask for a start window and a work-day estimate in writing; then use the steps below to see where a delay is normal and where it is not.

Before the crew arrives

1. Confirm the property line

Before anything is staked, the line the fence will follow has to be agreed on. A recent survey, existing pins, or a recorded plat settles it; the contractor's tape measure from the curb does not. A fence on the neighbor's side of the line is the most expensive mistake on this list, and it is made before a single hole is dug.

2. Handle the neighbor, if the fence is shared

If the fence sits on a boundary, California Civil Code § 841 sets up a 30-day written-notice process for sharing the cost. That clock runs before the contract is signed, not after — the written quote is one of the notice's required contents. The shared-fence law page covers the five things the notice has to say.

3. Sign a contract that matches the quote

Footage, height, material, post spec, gate count, demolition, permit responsibility, 811 locate, payment terms, start window. The quote checklist covers each. If the contract is thinner than the quote, ask why. The quote checklist is the line-by-line version. And confirm the license lane one more time — C-13 Fencing Contractor for the fence, C-29 Masonry Contractor for a block or retaining wall — at cslb.ca.gov; the licensing page shows how.

4. Permit, where required

Whether the project needs a permit depends on height, placement and jurisdiction — the city building department inside Visalia, Tulare, Exeter, Porterville or Hanford city limits; Tulare or Kings County outside. Thresholds are not yet published on this site. Retaining walls are the most likely to need one, and may need engineered drawings first. This step can be the longest wait on the list.

5. The 811 locate

The contractor notifies USA North 811 at least 2 working days and not more than 14 calendar days before digging (California Government Code § 4216.2); utility owners then mark their lines with paint and flags. The ticket is good for 28 days. Do not let anyone dig before the marks are down, and do not remove the marks until the posts are in.

On site

6. Demolition and haul-away

The old fence or wall comes out, posts and footings included — a post cut at grade with its concrete left in the ground is a shortcut that shows up when the new post needs to go in the same spot. Debris is hauled, not left in a pile for you.

7. Layout

String lines are pulled along the agreed property line, and post locations are marked at the spacing the quote specified, with corners, ends and gate posts marked separately. This is the last cheap moment to change anything.

8. Post holes, or footings

For a fence: holes are augered or dug to the depth and diameter in the contract, and posts are set — in concrete if that is what was quoted — plumb and to a line. On Visalia, Tulare and Exeter valley-floor lots the NRCS mapping shows sandy loams with hardpan in places, so the question to have asked already is what the contractor does when the auger hits hardpan. For a block wall: a trench is dug, forms and rebar are set, and a concrete footing is poured and allowed to cure before any block is laid.

9. Curing

Concrete around posts and in footings needs time before it carries load. A contractor who hangs panels the same afternoon the posts were set in wet concrete is racing the material. The wait is short, but it is a wait.

10. Rails and panels, or block courses

Fence: rails are attached, then boards, pickets or vinyl panels, working along the line with the string as reference. Wall: block is laid in courses on the footing, cells are reinforced and grouted as the plans specify, and any cap or pilaster detail is finished last. Material-specific detail — how vinyl panels lock, how wood boards are fastened, how chain link is stretched and tied — lives on the vinyl, wood and chain link pages; block detail on the block wall page.

11. Gates

Gates are hung last, after the posts have fully set, because a gate post that moves even slightly makes a gate that drags. Hardware is adjusted so the gate swings, latches and — if specified — self-closes.

Closing out

12. Cleanup and walkthrough

Excess concrete, cut-offs, packaging and dirt spoil are removed; the yard is left as it was found, less the old fence. Walk the whole line with the contractor before final payment: sight down it, push every post, swing every gate, check that the marks and flags are gone and any sprinkler lines are working.

13. Inspection, where a permit was pulled

If the job was permitted, the jurisdiction's final inspection closes it out. Final payment is commonly tied to that sign-off; the contract should say so.

Where the block wall path differs

Steps 1 through 7 are the same. From step 8 on, a wall is a different trade: a continuous footing rather than individual post holes, a cure before any block is laid, courses rather than panels, grout and reinforcement rather than rails and fasteners. It is C-29 Masonry Contractor work, and a retaining wall — one that holds back earth rather than just marking a line — is the project on this site most likely to need engineering, a permit and a final inspection. The block wall page covers footings and reinforcement; the block wall vs. wood fence page covers whether you want one at all.

What to watch, in one list

1. Confirm the property line.
2. Handle the neighbor, if the fence is shared.
3. Sign a contract that matches the quote.
4. Permit, where required.
5. The 811 locate.
6. Demolition and haul-away.
7. Layout.
8. Post holes, or footings.
9. Curing.
10. Rails and panels, or block courses.
11. Gates.
12. Cleanup and walkthrough.
13. Inspection, where a permit was pulled.