A fence usually gets removed for one of three reasons. It has rotted and is leaning into the neighbor’s yard, a new one is going in, or the landscaping is changing and the fence is in the way.
Whichever it is, the quote comes down to the same handful of things: how long the run is, what it is made of, how the posts are set, and what has grown into it over the years. This guide explains each of them, plus the one thing worth checking before you take a boundary fence down.
Key Takeaways
- Fence removal is priced by the linear foot of the run, adjusted for the material and how the posts are set.
- Posts set in concrete are the single biggest variable. Each one has to come out with its footing or be cut below grade.
- Chain link is quicker to remove than timber, but the posts are almost always concreted in.
- Check who owns a boundary fence before removing it. Taking down a shared fence without agreement causes disputes.
- Vegetation growing through a fence slows the job considerably and is worth cutting back first.
The Short Answer
Fence removal is quoted on the length of the run and the work involved in getting it out, then the debris is hauled away as part of the same job. You get a firm price before anything comes down, covering the takedown, the loading and the disposal.
The two fences that look identical from the street can be very different jobs. A six-foot timber fence with posts in spiked metal anchors comes out quickly. The same fence with every post set in a deep concrete footing takes considerably longer, and that difference is most of the price.
What Sets the Price?
1. The Length of the Run
The baseline measure. Pace it out or measure it, and give the figure in feet when you ask for a quote. A rough number is fine. Fence jobs are one of the few where a customer can usually measure accurately enough over the phone.
2. What It Is Made Of
| Material | What It Means for Removal |
|---|---|
| Timber panel or board | The most common and generally straightforward. Panels come off, posts come out, and rails and boards are stacked for hauling. |
| Chain link | The fabric rolls up quickly, which makes the fence itself fast. The posts are almost always set in concrete. |
| Vinyl or composite | Light and quick to dismantle. Posts are usually concreted in, and the material cannot be recycled with timber. |
| Wrought iron or metal | Heavy, often set in substantial footings, and usually needs cutting. The metal itself is recyclable as scrap. |
3. How the Posts Are Set
This is where fence jobs separate. A post in a metal spike or an anchor comes out with the fence. A post set in a concrete footing either comes out with the footing attached or is cut off below grade and the footing left in the ground.
Those are genuinely different amounts of work, and they have different consequences. Concrete footings left in place will get in the way if a new fence is going in along the same line. Say when you book whether the footings are coming out or staying, because it changes both the time and what goes in the truck.
4. What Has Grown Into It
Ivy, blackberry, climbing roses and established shrubs grow through fence panels and bind them to the ground. A heavily overgrown run can take twice as long as a clear one of the same length, and the vegetation itself becomes part of the load.
5. Access and the Carry
Where the vehicle can park and how far the material has to be carried. A front boundary fence beside the driveway is the easy case. A back fence at the end of a long garden, reached through a side gate, means every panel and post is carried the length of the property.
Check Who Owns the Fence First
Worth a paragraph of its own, because it causes more trouble than the removal does.
A fence on a boundary may be yours, your neighbor’s, or shared. Before you take down anything on a boundary line, check your property documents and speak to the neighbor. Removing a fence that turns out to be theirs, or jointly owned, turns a straightforward job into a dispute that outlasts the fence by years.
If a new fence is going in afterwards, that conversation is worth having anyway, since the neighbor is going to be looking at it. It also avoids the awkward version where the fence comes down on a Tuesday and the new one does not arrive until the following week.
Interior fences, pet runs and anything well inside your own boundary do not raise this question.
Removal or Repair?
Sometimes worth asking before booking anything.
| Situation | Worth Considering |
|---|---|
| A few damaged boards on a sound frame | Repair. Replacing boards is far cheaper than replacing a run. |
| Posts sound, panels failing | Partial replacement. The posts are the expensive part, and if they are good, keep them. |
| Posts rotted at ground level | Removal. A fence is only as sound as its posts, and rot at grade means the rest follows. |
| Leaning more than slightly | Removal. Leaning is usually a post problem rather than a panel problem. |
| Changing the layout or the material | Removal. No point repairing something that is being replaced anyway. |
What Happens to the Material?
- Clean untreated timber goes for recycling or chipping.
- Metal posts, chain link fabric and wrought iron go to scrap metal recycling.
- Concrete footings go to masonry recycling where the quantity allows.
- Vegetation goes to green waste disposal.
- Treated and painted timber has disposal restrictions that vary by facility, so it is routed separately.
What We Cannot Take
If a fence has been painted at any point and the property predates 1978, flag it. Lead-based paint was banned for residential use that year, and debris from older painted timber may need handling under lead-safe rules rather than going into a general load.
Spa, pool and garden chemicals stored alongside a fence line are hazardous waste and need a household hazardous waste drop-off rather than a truck.
How to Get an Accurate Quote
- Measure the run in feet. A pace is about three feet if you have nothing else.
- Say what it is made of and roughly how tall.
- Say how the posts are set, if you know. Concrete or not is the single most useful detail you can give.
- Say whether the footings are coming out or being cut below grade.
- Photograph both ends of the run and anything growing through it.
- Say where a vehicle can park and how the material gets there.
How The Top Junk Can Help
Taking a fence down is straightforward work that is a great deal less pleasant than it looks from the kitchen window, particularly once you reach the posts. We do fence takedown and removal across Campbell and the South Bay, and the material leaves with us rather than sitting in a pile until the weekend after.
What We Handle
- The takedown. Panels, boards, rails, posts and gates.
- The posts. Pulled with the footing attached where that is the plan, or cut off below grade where the footings are staying.
- Whatever has grown into it. Ivy, blackberry and established climbers come out with the fence and go as green waste.
- The haul. Timber, metal posts, chain link fabric and vegetation are all routed to the right place rather than one skip.
- Clearing the line, so the ground is ready for whatever is going in next.
How It Works
- Measure the run and photograph both ends. A rough figure in feet is enough, and a pace is about three feet.
- Tell us about the posts. Concrete or not, and whether the footings are coming out. It is the most useful detail you can give.
- Get a firm price. Given before anything comes down, covering the takedown, the loading and the disposal.
Worth Doing at the Same Time
Fences rarely fail on their own. If a deck, an old shed or a run of overgrown yard waste is going the same way, doing it all in one visit costs less than booking twice and means one lot of disruption instead of two. Mention everything when you ask for the quote and it will be priced together.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Is Fence Removal Priced?
By the length of the run, adjusted for the material and how the posts are set. The quote covers taking it down, loading it and hauling the material away, and it is given before anything comes down.
Do the Concrete Footings Have to Come Out?
Not necessarily. They can be dug out with the post or cut off below grade and left in the ground. If a new fence is going in along the same line, removing them usually makes sense. If the ground is being landscaped over, leaving them may be fine. Decide before you book, because it affects both the time and the load.
Can You Take a Chain Link Fence Down?
Yes. The fabric itself rolls up quickly, which makes chain link one of the faster materials. The posts are almost always concreted in, so the footing question above is the main variable.
What If the Fence Is on the Boundary with My Neighbor?
Check who owns it before anything comes down. Property documents usually say, and a conversation with the neighbor is worth having regardless if a new fence is going in. Removing a shared fence without agreement causes disputes that are far more trouble than the job itself.
Can You Remove the Fence and the Old Shed at the Same Time?
Yes, and doing both in one visit costs less than two separate bookings. Mention everything that is going when you ask for the quote so the right crew and vehicle are allocated.
What About the Plants Growing Through It?
Vegetation comes with the fence and goes as green waste. A heavily overgrown run takes longer, so cutting back the worst of it beforehand will show up in the price.
Getting a Price for Your Fence
The Top Junk takes down and hauls away old fencing across Campbell and the South Bay. We handle the posts, the panels, the footings where they are coming out, and whatever has grown through it, and we clear the ground before we leave.
Measure the run, photograph both ends, and tell us whether the posts are in concrete. Call or text (669) 327-6688. If a deck or an old shed is going at the same time, say so and we will quote it together.
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