What a fence costs in Melbourne

What drives the price

Length, material and height. Melbourne guides price a 1.8 m treated pine paling fence at about $84 to $200 per metre installed, hardwood paling at $105 to $200, Colorbond steel at $84 to $200 (and $125 to $260 at 2.1 m), and a front picket fence at $63 to $260 depending on the detail. The spread is mostly location and access: inner suburbs with tight side access price higher than outer suburbs with a clear run, and guides put a sloping or stepped block at 15% to 40% more.

Taking the old fence down and disposing of it runs about $15 to $52 per metre, more for concreted steel posts. Gates are priced each: a pedestrian gate at roughly $260 to $840, a manual double or driveway gate at $600 to $2,625, and an automated gate well beyond that. The thing a fencer can’t price from a photo is the ground: rock, roots and old footings turn an auger job into a hand-dig.

• Length and height, lattice included
• Material: pine paling, hardwood, Colorbond, picket
• Gates, and whether any are automated
• Removing the old fence, and what its posts are set in
• Slope, steps in the ground, and access to the boundary

Who pays: the Fences Act

Under Victoria’s Fences Act, neighbours share the cost of a sufficient dividing fence equally, and the Department of Justice gives a 1.8 m timber paling fence as the typical residential example. Agree in writing first, or serve a fencing notice using the standard form and allow 30 days; without an agreement or the notice process, the neighbour doesn’t have to pay. Whoever wants something better than sufficient pays the difference, a neighbour who damaged the fence pays for the repair, and renters generally don’t contribute. The estimator shows your half as a note when you tick the shared-fence box. The dividing fences guide has the notice process and what to do after a storm.

Permits by height and position

The Building Regulations 2018 exempt a fence from a building permit when it is no more than 2 m high; within 3 m of the street the limit is 1.5 m (1.2 m for masonry), and within 9 m of a street intersection it is 1 m above the footpath. Height is measured from natural ground, so a retaining wall under the fence counts towards it, and some zones and heritage overlays set lower front-fence limits or need a planning permit. Over 2 m, or taller than the limit at the front, you need a building permit from a registered building surveyor and usually your council’s consent; the Building and Plumbing Commission says most fences need a permit, with these exemptions, so ask before work starts.

An old fence in a home built before 1990 can be asbestos cement sheeting; don’t let anyone break it up or cut it until it’s been checked. New posts mean digging, so use Before You Dig Australia first.

What the fencer’s quote should cover

• The fence’s length, height and material, and the gates
• Removing and disposing of the old fence, including asbestos if it applies
• Posts: material, depth and footings
• Any retaining under the fence where the ground levels differ
• The building permit, if the fence isn’t exempt
• How the cost is split between the neighbours, if the fencer bills you both

Example brief

“Replace 24 m of old timber paling fence between two houses in Springvale with a new 1.8 m treated pine paling fence; the neighbours have agreed to share the cost. The ground steps down about 30 cm along the run. Please quote removal and disposal, new posts and palings, a pedestrian gate near the house, and show the price per household.”

Before you ask for quotes

• Measure the run, and note where the ground steps or slopes
• Talk to the neighbour before getting quotes, and agree the fence in writing
• Check the height limit if it’s a front fence or a corner block
• Ask what the old posts are set in before assuming removal is easy
• Compare quotes on post depth and footings, and get the split shown per household

The estimator’s Get quotes button carries your details into the job form as a draft. You can also start a job request from scratch, read the dividing fences guide, or compare the written quotes once they arrive. Availability depends on real postings, and registration must be enabled to submit.

How this estimate is built

Each line multiplies a per-unit range from the named sources by the quantity you entered, fixed items are added as their own lines, and the total is widened to round numbers. The sources were checked on 2 November 2026. It is an indicative range for comparing written quotes from a carpenter who has seen the job, not a quote. See all cost guides for how the ranges are made.