# Fence Installation in Hammond, LA > Fence installation in Hammond, LA: wood, vinyl, chain link, aluminum and steel fences laid out to the city's rules, with posts planned for wet ground and wind. URL: https://palisadeshammondfence.com/fence-installation/ Service New wood, vinyl, chain link, aluminum and steel fences, laid out to the local rules and built on a post plan for wet ground and storm wind. Get an Estimate [(985) 866-3827](tel:+19858663827) Last Updated: November 1, 2026 Posts go in first and are braced plumb along a string line. Rails, boards and gates wait until the footings have cured. On a new fence, the post plan is the part you never see again and the part that decides how long it stands. Mon to Fri 8 to 6 · Sat and Sun 9 to 2 A new fence is planned from the ground up: the line, the rules that apply to it, and the posts that will carry it. [Palisades Hammond Fence](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/) installs wood, vinyl, chain link, aluminum and steel fences in Hammond and the towns around it in Tangipahoa, western St. Tammany and eastern Livingston parishes. Installation is carried out by licensed and insured fence contractors. Every job starts the same way, whether it is a backyard privacy fence, a front-yard picket or a perimeter fence around a whole lot: with a walk of the line. This page is the overview. It covers how a fence is matched to its purpose, what the first visit records, the permits and the utility locate, the post plan, slopes and the order the work happens in. The material pages, such as [wood fence installation](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/wood-fence-installation/) and [vinyl fence installation](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/vinyl-fence-installation/), go deeper on each system. ## Start with what the fence has to do The purpose sets the material, the height and how solid the face is, and those three set the post plan. A fence that has to hide a back yard is a different structure from one that only marks the line. - **Privacy for a back yard.** A 6 ft solid face in wood or vinyl; see [privacy fences](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/privacy-fence-installation/). - **Keeping a dog in.** Height, no gaps at the bottom and a latch that holds; the [dog fence guide](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/guide/best-fence-for-dogs/) compares options. - **A pool barrier.** Height, openings and self-closing gates are set by code; see [pool fences](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/pool-fence-installation/). - **Marking a front yard.** Low and open, 4 ft at most in Hammond; see [picket fences](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/picket-fence-installation/) and [aluminum fences](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/aluminum-fence-installation/). - **Enclosing acreage.** Wire or board on long runs; see [farm fences](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/farm-fence-installation/). - **Securing a business.** Taller chain link or steel with wider gates; see [commercial fences](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/commercial-fence-installation/). A perimeter fence often mixes these. A lot might take 4 ft aluminum across the front, 6 ft wood privacy down the sides and back, and a double gate for a trailer. Each run is priced and built as what it is. ## What the first visit records The first visit walks and measures the line. Corners, ends and gate openings are marked, and the run is measured in each section. Grade changes are noted along the way, because a fence that crosses a low spot or climbs a bank needs a different panel layout and loses height on the high side. Soil and drainage get as much attention as length. Where water stands after rain, where a swale or ditch crosses the line, and where roots or old footings sit in the way all change how the posts go in. Gate positions are settled at the same time, with the swing direction and the clear width each gate needs. Property questions come up here too, before the price is final. An old fence or a hedge is not proof of the boundary. A fence built on the line is presumed common to both owners under Louisiana Civil Code article 685, and fixing a disputed boundary is governed by articles 784 to 792. Setting the fence a few inches inside the line keeps it yours. The [Louisiana fence laws guide](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/guide/louisiana-fence-laws/) explains the trade-off, and the [fence planning guide](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/guide/fence-planning-guide/) covers the decisions to make before the visit. ## Permits, height limits and the utility locate Inside the City of Hammond, a fence permit from the Building Department comes before any fence is placed, and the city approves the design and the location shown on a survey or parcel map (UDC 4.1.8). The residential fee is $10 and the commercial fee $50, and the fee doubles if work starts before the permit. The rules that shape a design: - **Front yard:** 4 ft maximum, in wood, metal other than chain link or barbed wire, wrought iron or masonry. - **From the front of the house back:** solid fences up to 8 ft, with height measured from the lower side of the fence. - **Near intersections:** nothing over 3 ft within 30 ft of a street intersection. - **Wire fences:** galvanized pipe supports at least 1.5 in, no more than 7 ft apart; barbed wire is not allowed in residential districts. - **Overlay districts:** the Hyer-Cate overlay and the Historic District add their own review. Outside Hammond the rule changes with the address. Covington asks for a $5 permit and a drawing with property lines, streets, fence heights and the building footprint; the [Covington page](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/service-areas/covington/) has the details. [Mandeville](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/service-areas/mandeville/) allows 7 ft in side and rear yards under its land use code, and the current text is confirmed per address. Recorded subdivision restrictions can be stricter than any city code. The [fence permit guide](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/guide/fence-permits/) walks through each step. Once the permit is in hand, the locate request goes in. Louisiana law counts an augered or hand-dug post hole as excavation and requires notice to Louisiana 811 at least 48 and no more than 120 hours before digging, not counting weekends and holidays (La. R.S. 40:1749.13). A plat may also show drainage or utility servitudes, and Hammond’s code bars a fence that blocks one; the [drainage easement guide](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/guide/fence-drainage-easements/) covers what that means for a line. ## The post plan Posts do the structural work of every fence, so they are planned before anything else is ordered. The plan sets post size, spacing and footing for each run, and it changes with the conditions at that address rather than following one depth for every job. ### What decides depth and size Height and face come first. A 6 ft solid panel between posts 8 ft apart puts 48 square feet of face against the wind, and that load levers against the post at the ground line. An open picket or aluminum fence catches a fraction of it. Gate posts carry the weight of a leaf hanging off one side, and corner and end posts take the pull of a whole run, so all three are heavier and deeper than line posts. Soil comes next. USDA soil survey data around Hammond maps mostly poorly drained silt loams, with a seasonal high water table around 9 inches below the surface at the median point sampled. NOAA’s normals put about 64 inches of rain a year on the Hammond station and only about 31 nights at or below freezing, so frost does not set depth here. Wet, soft ground and wind do. The [wet clay post guide](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/guide/fence-posts-in-wet-clay-soil/) explains footing choices in detail. ### Digging and setting Holes are dug with an auger or by hand after the locate marks are down. A hole that fills with water is common here, and it changes the footing: gravel at the base lets the post end drain, and concrete is finished above grade and sloped away so rain runs off instead of collecting against the wood. Wood posts carry a ground-contact treatment rating; galvanized steel posts are the alternative where wind or wet ground is the bigger risk. Each post is set to a string line, plumbed and braced. The footings then cure before any rail, panel or gate is hung, because a gate pulling on a soft footing in its first week starts the sag it will have for years. ## Slopes: stepped or racked sections Few lots are dead flat, and the fence has to handle the grade in one of two ways. A **stepped** fence keeps each section level and drops it at each post, like stairs. It works with any material, including rigid vinyl panels, but leaves triangular gaps under the low end of each section that may need a kick board where a dog has to stay in. A **racked** fence tilts each section to follow the ground, so the bottom stays an even distance above grade. Site-built wood racks easily, and many aluminum and steel panels are made rackable within a set limit. On a steep or uneven run, the two are often combined. Because Hammond measures fence height from the lower side, a stepped section on a bank has to be checked at its tallest point, not its average. ## Rails, panels and gates go on last With the posts cured, the frame goes on. Wood fences get rails between posts, three on a 6 ft fence, and boards fastened with hot-dip galvanized or stainless fasteners, since the copper in modern pine treatments corrodes plain steel. Vinyl panels slide into routed posts, often with aluminum stiffeners in posts that carry gates. Chain link gets its top rail, tension bars and fabric stretched between terminal posts. Aluminum and steel panels bolt into brackets on their posts. Gates are hung last, on posts sized for them, with hinges and latches matched to the leaf’s weight. The [gate installation](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/gate-installation/) page covers gate posts, frames and drop rods. ## The process from first visit to final walk 1. **First visit:** the line, gates, slopes, soil and drainage are walked and measured. 2. **Price and plan:** material, post plan, gates and any tear-out are set out line by line. 3. **Permit:** the drawing goes to the city or town where one is required. 4. **Locate:** Louisiana 811 is notified before any hole is dug. 5. **Posts:** holes are dug, posts set and plumbed, and footings allowed to cure. 6. **Tear-out:** an old fence comes out and is hauled away when the quote includes it. 7. **Frame and face:** rails, boards, panels or fabric go on, and gates are hung. 8. **Finish:** gates are adjusted, the site is cleaned up and the line is walked with you. ## What a new fence costs around Hammond Typical Hammond-area ranges, installed: about $15 to $45 per linear foot for a 6 ft pressure-treated pine privacy fence, $22 to $55 for cedar privacy, $20 to $60 for vinyl privacy, $10 to $30 for residential chain link, $25 to $55 for aluminum, and $30 to $100 or more for steel or wrought iron. Walk gates add about $150 to $600 each, and removing an old fence about $2 to $8 per foot. These are budgeting ranges, not quotes. Labor here costs less than the national figure. BLS does not publish a fence-erector wage for the Hammond metro; Louisiana fence erectors earn a mean $19.92 an hour, about 18% below the $24.29 national mean ([BLS OEWS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes474031.htm)). A wage is not a billing rate, since an installed price also carries materials, insurance, vehicles, disposal and overhead. No rebates or grants exist for fences. The [fence installation cost guide](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/guide/fence-installation-cost/) breaks the price down, and the [fence cost estimator](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/tools/fence-cost-estimator/) gives a range for your length and options. ## What's included - A first visit that walks and measures the line, gates, slopes, soil and drainage - Boundary, servitude and shared-fence questions raised before the price is final - The permit drawing from your survey or parcel map - The Louisiana 811 locate request before any hole is dug - A post plan sized for the height, the face, the gates and the soil at the address - Posts set, plumbed and allowed to cure before rails, panels or gates go on - Stepped or racked sections where the ground slopes - Tear-out and haul-away of an old fence when it is part of the quote - Gate adjustment, cleanup and a final walkthrough of the line ## Fence materials for Hammond-area ground | | Wood | Vinyl | Chain link | Aluminum | Steel or iron | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Privacy | Full, in privacy styles | Full, in privacy panels | None without slats | None | None | | Weak point here | Posts rotting at grade | Panels in high wind; posts in soft soil | Zinc wearing off at grade | Hardware and footings | Rust at welds and scratches | | Hammond front yard (4 ft max) | Allowed | Not on the front-yard list | Not allowed | Allowed | Allowed | | Typical Hammond-area range | $15 to $45 per foot (6 ft pine privacy) | $20 to $60 per foot (privacy) | $10 to $30 per foot (residential) | $25 to $55 per foot | $30 to $100 or more per foot | ## Related resources Decision Guide How Do You Plan a Fence Around Hammond, LA? The order that keeps a fence project from stalling: where the line is, which rules apply, how the run and gates are laid out, what gets located before digging and what the ground asks of the posts. Cost Guide How Much Does Fence Installation Cost in Hammond, LA? Typical installed ranges for every common fence type, the site conditions that move a job within them, and the public figures that sit inside a Hammond fence price. Learn Do You Need a Permit to Build a Fence in Louisiana? Louisiana leaves fence permits to each city and parish. Here is what Hammond and Covington require, what is known about Mandeville, and how heights, setbacks and corner lots shape the application. Learn How Should Fence Posts Be Set in Wet Clay Soil? What the ground under a Hammond-area fence is actually like, why posts rotate in it, how footing depth and type are chosen, and how a post hole that fills with water is handled. Learn What Are Louisiana's Fence Laws for Property Lines and Neighbors? What the Louisiana Civil Code says about enclosing land, fences on a shared line, boundary markers and long possession, and where city codes take over for height and front yards. Learn Can You Put a Fence in a Drainage Easement? What a drainage or utility servitude on your plat means for a fence, who answers for a ditch between two lots, why a solid fence can't dam natural runoff, and how fences are planned on flood-prone ground. Learn Why Do Fences Lean, Rot and Blow Down Around Hammond? How fences are built here, the ways they fail in wet ground and storm wind, how to read the symptoms, and what a repair or a rebuild should change. ## From the first call to the last gate 1. First call You describe the fence, the yard and the timing, and set a visit. 2. Site visit The line is walked and measured, gates and slopes noted, and the soil and drainage checked. 3. Permit and 811 The permit drawing goes to the city or parish, and utilities are located before any digging. 4. Build Posts are set and allowed to cure, then rails, panels or fabric and gates go up. 5. Walkthrough Gates are adjusted, the site is cleaned, and you check the finished line. ## What this work looks like A straight orange string line stretched between two wooden stakes along a back property line, with small orange flags marking post locations on the grass, a brick ranch house behind A one-person gas post hole auger standing upright on the lawn beside a freshly dug round post hole and a small pile of gray silty soil, a row of marked post locations New pine fence posts being held plumb by diagonal wooden braces staked into the grass while their footings cure, the row of posts running out of the frame along the back of A finished six-foot pine privacy fence with a walk gate runs along a flat back yard beside a shallow grassy drainage swale, a brick ranch house at the side ## Questions about fence installation ### Is chain link allowed in a Hammond front yard? No. Inside the City of Hammond, a fence in front of the house can be wood, metal other than chain link or barbed wire, decorative or simulated wrought iron, or masonry, and no taller than 4 ft. Woven wire is also prohibited past the front building line. Chain link is fine from the front of the house back, up to the 8 ft limit. ### Can a new fence follow a sloping yard without gaps underneath? Yes, in one of two ways. A stepped fence keeps each section level and drops it at each post, which leaves triangles of open space under the low end that may need a kick board. A racked fence tilts each section to follow the grade, which closes the gaps but needs a material that can rack, such as site-built wood or rackable metal panels. Most vinyl privacy panels have to step. ### Can a fence go across a drainage ditch or servitude? Not in a way that blocks it. Hammond's standard plat note bars any fence built within or over a servitude so that it interferes with the purpose the servitude was granted for, and a ditch between two lots is presumed common under Civil Code article 686. The usual answer is to stop the fence short of the ditch or bring it inside the servitude line, as the plat shows. ### How long does it take to get a new fence in the ground? The calendar depends on steps outside the build itself: the permit approval, the Louisiana 811 notice of 48 to 120 hours before digging (weekends and holidays excluded), and the cure time for the post footings before rails and gates go on. The schedule for a specific job is set at the first visit, once the permit route and the line are known. ### What information speeds up a fence installation quote? The address, a rough length for each run, the height, the material and style you are weighing, the number and width of gates, and whether an old fence has to come out. A survey or parcel map helps most, since the City of Hammond approves a fence's location from one. Photos of the corners, low spots and any ditches along the line help too. ## Related services ### Wood fences → Pressure-treated pine, cedar and cypress fences in dog-ear, board-on-board, shadowbox, picket and horizontal styles, on posts set for wet ground. ### Vinyl fences → PVC privacy, semi-privacy and picket fences with reinforced bottom rails and gate posts, laid out in panel modules and set for heat, wind and wet soil. ### Gates → Walk, garden and double gates in wood, vinyl, chain link and metal, sized to what passes through and hung on posts built to carry them.