The typical repair call in San Jose is a ranch-tract back fence that has started to lean toward one yard. The boards are grey but whole. The trouble is below ground, where the posts have rotted at the soil line or the footing has worked loose in adobe clay. That clay shrinks in the dry months until there is a gap you can put a hand in beside the concrete, then swells when the rain returns. We pull the failed posts with their footings, set new ones deeper, and hang the existing rails and boards back on when they are worth saving.
Summer does a different kind of damage. Months of sun with no rain dry out the west and south faces, so boards cup, split and pull their nails, and gate frames drop out of square. Winter storms then find the weak posts: after several days of rain the clay is soft, and a strong wind lays a tall section flat. On hillside streets in Almaden and the east foothills, fallen limbs and slow downhill creep add to the list. We can close a gap the same visit when dogs or a pool are involved, then return for the lasting repair.
Because so many fences here sit on a shared line, a repair usually involves the people next door. Speak with them before the work, and put the plan in writing. We can price the shared run on its own line so each owner sees the same numbers. We also test every post in the run by hand, including the ones that look fine, and we tell you when patching no longer makes sense. The repair-or-replace guide on this site explains the rule we use.
Fence repair in San Jose: common questions
Do I need a permit to repair a fence in San Jose?
Swapping boards, rails or a few posts in the same spot at the same height is ordinary upkeep. The city says a fence needs a building permit only when it exceeds the maximum heights in the Municipal Code (Chapter 20.30, Part 6), so raising or moving a fence is what brings the rules into play. Ask us or the Planning Division of San Jose's Planning, Building and Code Enforcement Department before changing height or location.
The back fence is shared with my neighbor. Who pays for the repair?
California Civil Code section 841 presumes that owners on each side of a boundary fence are equally responsible for the reasonable cost of keeping it up, and it asks for 30 days' written notice before one owner bills the other. This is general information, not legal advice. We can hand both owners the same written scope.
Why do my fence posts loosen every summer?
Adobe clay shrinks as it dries and pulls away from the concrete, so a shallow footing ends up standing in a loose socket. When the rains return the clay swells and shoves it sideways. A deeper footing reaches soil that changes less through the year, and it holds far better.
How it works
- Free estimate: Call, text or book online. We visit, measure and talk through options.
- Written quote: Clear pricing with material choices side by side.
- Permits & planning: We check local rules and help with permits before we dig.
- Install & clean-up: Our crew installs, cleans up and walks the finished fence with you.