Find a trusted fencer in Sydney

Boundary fences and your neighbour

Most Sydney fencing jobs start with a conversation over the old one. Under the NSW Dividing Fences Act, neighbours generally share the cost of a sufficient dividing fence. If you want your neighbour to chip in, the usual first step is a written fencing notice that describes the fence, the material and the cost, ideally with the fencer’s quote attached. When agreement fails, free mediation is available through Community Justice Centres, with the Local Court as the last resort. Want something fancier than a standard fence? Expect to pay the difference yourself.

Council rules matter too. Side and back fences of a standard height are often exempt development in NSW, but front fences, corner blocks, heritage conservation areas and fences sitting on retaining walls come with extra conditions. Check with your council before a new front fence goes up.

Slopes, salt, bushfire and pools

Sydney’s ground makes fencing harder than it looks. Sloping blocks on the North Shore and Northern Beaches need stepped panels or plinths to stop gaps opening underneath, and sandstone just below the surface can mean drilling post holes into rock rather than digging them.

Near the coast, salt is the issue. A few streets from the beach in the eastern suburbs, the Northern Beaches and Cronulla, ordinary steel finishes and screws corrode faster, and warranty conditions for steel fencing can depend on how close you are to the surf. Ask which product and fixings suit your site.

If your block backs onto bushland and is mapped as bush fire prone land, the NSW Rural Fire Service favours non-combustible fencing close to the house, which usually means metal rather than timber.

Pools bring a separate set of rules. In NSW, a pool must be listed on the NSW Swimming Pool Register, the barrier has to meet the Australian Standard, and selling or leasing a property with a pool needs barrier paperwork, usually a certificate of compliance. A fencer who builds pool barriers often will know the non-climbable zones and gate rules.

Licence checks for NSW fencers

A fence or gate worth more than $5,000 including GST needs a fencing contractor licence from Building Commission NSW, whether it’s Colorbond, timber, aluminium or glass. A long boundary run or a glass pool fence can pass that figure. Search the fencer on the Verify NSW licence check and confirm the licence is current and covers fencing. Our NSW licence checks guide shows what a valid result looks like.

Fencing costs in Sydney

Expect to pay toward the upper end of national fencing prices here. A 1.8 m Colorbond fence typically costs around $120 to $200 a metre supplied and installed, treated pine paling $100 to $180, and hardwood lapped and capped $150 to $250. For a glass pool barrier, budget roughly $350 to $800 per metre. A 30 m Colorbond back fence comes to about $3,600 to $6,000, often split with the neighbour. Every other material and gate is priced in our fencing price guide, which is a guide rather than a quote.

One fencer, matched to your job

Share the fence details and your part of Sydney, and we’ll find you one local fencer who has passed our licence, insurance, ABN and review checks. Your details aren’t sold or sent to a pile of businesses. Once the neighbour’s on board, get a free quote; until then, there’s more on fencing and on other trades in Sydney.