Fence costs, rules & contractor matching — Des Moines metro
Sourced price ranges, the City of Des Moines fence rules, and how to check a contractor’s Iowa registration before anyone digs — then (once our request form opens) we connect you with an independent local fence contractor who quotes your job. No cost, no obligation.
Serving Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Johnston, Clive, Waukee, Altoona, Pleasant Hill, Grimes, Norwalk · Des Moines metro, Iowa
Start here
Central Iowa’s ground freezes for a good part of the year, so the right first step depends on the calendar. Each season below says what a local contractor can realistically do now and takes you to the page with the prices, the City rules, and the matching request.
How it works
New fence, replacement, a repair, or a gate — the material you have in mind, and your neighborhood.
Once the request form opens, your request goes to an independent Des Moines-area fence contractor that covers your area.
The contractor contacts you directly, measures the line, and prices the work in writing.
Serving Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Johnston, Clive, Waukee, Altoona, Pleasant Hill, Grimes, Norwalk and the rest of the Des Moines metro. Read how matching works or see the service area.
Usually, yes. The City of Des Moines Residential Fence FAQ says a permit is required for any chain-link fence taller than 4 feet and for any other fence taller than 3 feet, which covers nearly every privacy fence. Applications take 7–10 days to process, you submit a simple plan showing property lines, the house and the fence line with height and style, and the City inspects the finished fence. In a local historic district a Certificate of Appropriateness is required too. Our permit and rules page quotes the City page item by item.
Per the City's fence FAQ: up to 6 feet in a side or rear yard and up to 3 feet in a front yard, where only picket or metal fences are allowed. Privacy and chain-link fences are limited to 6 feet and are not allowed in the front yard, a fence less than 5 feet from the house is limited to 4 feet, chain link is not allowed in local historic districts, and fences must stay out of the public right-of-way and the vision-clearance triangles at intersections and alleys. Other materials, taller fences and setback changes go through the City planning office as a variance.
Iowa has no fence-specific license. What the state requires is contractor registration: under Iowa Code chapter 91C, anyone in the business of construction who earns at least $2,000 a year from it must register with the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing, with evidence of workers' compensation coverage (or a statement that it isn't required). The registration is public, so you can look a company up before you hire — our verification guide walks through the state's search step by step.
National cost guides read in October 2026 put an installed wood fence at $20–$50 per linear foot, vinyl at $30–$60 per linear foot and chain link at $9–$30 per linear foot — roughly $3,000–$9,000 for a 150-foot backyard in wood or vinyl. No Des Moines company publishes a price list, so our cost guide shows the ranges by material, length and height, plus what adds to a quote here.
Nothing. You tell us what you need and where you are; we pass that to an independent, local fence contractor that covers your area, and they contact you to look at the yard and quote the job in writing. We don't do the work and we're not a contractor.
Repairs that don't need new post holes often can. New posts generally wait for the ground to thaw, which in central Iowa means most installations run from April into November. The season calendar above shows what a local contractor can realistically do in each month, and the permit paperwork can be pulled together at any time of year.