i30 Builders · Kaufman County
Fence, Deck and Patio Cover Contractor in Terrell, TX
Fences, decks, patio covers and additions across Terrell, TX.
Published rates · Permits handled · Written scope before any deposit
What the City of Terrell requires
Terrell’s fence ordinance is Appendix 2, Section 36 of the zoning ordinance. Two things in it are unusual, and both are worth knowing before you get quotes. Every new home must have a fence. Section 36.3(A) requires all new single-family construction, townhouses included, to erect an approved fence enclosing the entire rear yard as a condition of final inspection and certificate of occupancy. The house does not get its CO without one. Repairs need a permit, but it is free. The fee schedule lists fence replacement as permit required at no charge. Ordinance 3121 left the exempt-work section unchanged, so this still stands. Eight feet maximum behind the front yard line. No fence in the required front yard. Decorative fences at 4 feet or under with at least 50 percent openings are allowed, and no residential fence may be closer than 15 feet to a public street . Long prohibited materials list: chain link as non-decorative, welded and wire fabrics, corrugated and metal panels, and used or second-hand material . Special purpose fencing such as tennis court fencing is permit-only, 12 feet maximum. Vehicular gates set back 25 feet minimum. No published fee for a brand-new fence. There is no line item, and there never was one. We call the city at 972-551-6600 and put the real figure on your estimate. Terrell adopts the 2021 International Residential Code, via Ordinance No. 2906 of 17 May 2022. If you find a source saying 2015, it is a third-party mirror that stopped updating in 2017. 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. If you are buying or building new
The fence is a condition of your certificate of occupancy
This catches buyers out. Builders sometimes leave the rear yard fence to the purchaser, and because Terrell ties it to the CO, it has to happen before the house can be occupied. It is worth asking, before you close, who is covering it and whether it is in the build contract. If it is landing on you, we will give you a written number for it up front rather than after you have moved in. Terrell is also growing fast, from 17,465 residents in 2020 to an estimated 23,921 in July 2025, and the Terra Nova development zoned in November 2025 covers over 1,500 acres with roughly 3,600 more single-family homes planned. That is a lot of houses that will each need a fence by ordinance. Pricing
Sandy on top, clay underneath
Terrell is in Kaufman County, which is only 9.4 percent Houston Black. The dominant soils here are Crockett, Wilson, Mabank and Lufkin, all claypan. That means a fine sandy loam surface, easy digging, and then clay. The sand stops at seven to nine inches. Crockett subsoil runs 46 percent clay. Lufkin is the outlier, measuring 17 percent linear extensibility at that horizon against Houston Black’s 12. Measured over the full three feet a post occupies, Kaufman County ground moves less than Rockwall County ground, around 6 to 7 percent against 13. That is not the reassurance it sounds like. The USDA rates anything over 6 percent as high and expects structural damage there, and Kaufman County comes out at 73 percent high or very high across the post zone. The easy digging in Terrell is a thin lid, and it is the reason fences here get built on posts that are too shallow. 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.
Our Services in Terrell
What we build.
Fence Installation and Repair
Board-on-board, horizontal, and ornamental steel. Priced by the foot, quoted on the run.
From $40/LF
Deck Building and Restoration
New builds, rebuilds, and bringing a weathered deck back rather than replacing it.
Quoted from the walk
Patio Covers, Pavilions and Pergolas
Roofed cedar pavilions and open-top pergolas, on flatwork built to carry them.
From $2,200
Room Additions and Patio Enclosures
Closing in a covered patio, or building from the slab up to a Certificate of Occupancy.
From $95/SF
Neighborhoods we serve in Terrell
From Terrell Heights, Wildcat Ranch to established streets and brand-new construction, we install and repair fences and decks across Terrell. Most of it is zoned to Terrell ISD, along US 80 and I-20. Whether you need an HOA-approved cedar privacy fence, a storm-damage repair or a new deck, we bring the same quality work to every Terrell yard.
- Terrell Heights
- Wildcat Ranch
Terrell Questions
Do I have to fence my new build in Terrell?
Yes. The city requires a fence enclosing the entire rear yard as a condition of final inspection and certificate of occupancy. It is worth confirming before you close whether the builder or you is covering it.
Do I need a permit to repair my existing fence?
Yes, but Terrell does not charge for it. The fee schedule lists fence replacement as permit required at no charge.
What does a permit for a brand-new fence cost?
Terrell publishes no fee for one. We are not going to invent a number, so we call the city and put the real figure on your written estimate.
Can I use chain link?
Not as a non-decorative fence. Terrell’s prohibited materials list also rules out welded and wire fabrics, corrugated and metal panels, and used or second-hand material.
Why is my ground sandy if everyone says it is clay here?
Because in Terrell it is both. Sandy loam on top for seven to nine inches, then expansive clay. The easy digging is what leads people to set posts too shallow.
Get a Written Scope in Terrell
Tell us what you are looking at and roughly how much of it. We price the scope, and the price does not move unless the scope does.
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