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For fence contractors

The Fence Line, Its Length, Its Distance to the Lot Line.

A fence permit is the simplest drawing a building department asks for and the one most often sent back: the fence has to be on the lot, at its real length, with its distance to the property line and its height stated. PlotForge™ loads the recorded lot from the address, you click along the fence run, and the fence-to-property-line callouts and the lengths label themselves. Draw it, export it, submit it.

What does a site plan for a fence permit need to show?

A site plan for a fence permit shows the property lines with their lengths, the existing house and driveway, the fence run drawn where it will stand, each fence segment's length, the fence height, and the distance from the fence to the property line. Corner lots usually also need the sight triangle at the intersection. PlotForge™ draws it from the address.

What the plan reviewer looks for on a fence site plan

Fence permits turn on the distance from the fence to the property line and on the height in the front yard versus the side and rear yards. The drawing has to make both obvious at a glance:

The lot, dimensioned — the recorded property lines with every side's length, so the reviewer can see the fence is inside the lot

The fence run — click along the line; every segment shows its length in feet and inches while you draw and on the sheet

Fence-to-property-line callouts — automatic callouts from the fence to the nearest lot line, the number the fence ordinance is about

Gates and height notes — a note or a pointer at each gate, and the height per yard (front, side, rear) written where the reviewer looks

The house and the driveway — placed from public footprint records and traced over the aerial, so the fence relates to what is there

Easements and the sight triangle — draw a recorded utility easement at its width, and a corner-lot sight triangle as a labeled zone

How a fence contractor draws the permit site plan

Type the address

The recorded lot loads to scale on the aerial with the owner and parcel number filled in.

Add the house and drive

One click places the existing house and garage; trace the driveway over the concrete in a few clicks.

Click the fence line

Pick the fence tool and click corner to corner. Each run shows its length, and the fence-to-property-line callouts place themselves.

Note and export

Add the height note and the gate pointers, then export the to-scale PDF with the title block and north arrow.

The tools fence contractors use

Fence, wall & pool toolsFences and retaining walls with live measurements, automatic fence-to-property-line callouts, and your line style carried into the DXF.How it works → Address → parcel, automaticallyThe recorded lot from the address, every side dimensioned, so the fence is measured from the real line.How it works → Automatic setbacksSetbacks compute from the lot the moment it loads; hide the far ones on a big lot and keep the ones the office cares about.How it works → Easement toolA recorded utility or drainage easement draws at its width with a plat-style label, so a fence through it is a known conversation, not a surprise.How it works → Text notes & calloutsHeight per yard, gate locations, material: notes and arrow callouts where the reviewer looks.How it works → Freeform zones & areasTrace a corner-lot sight triangle or a no-fence zone as a labeled area with a dashed outline.How it works →

Which plan fits a fence contractor

Permits every week

Contractor, $199/mo

Twenty permit-ready plans a month, every drawing tool and every export, plans saved in your account so a reviewer's change is a reopen. See Contractor.

A dozen jobs a season

Job Pack, 12 plans for $144

Twelve clean exports at $12 a plan, no subscription, credits that never expire. Build the first one free on the 30-day trial. Compare plans.

One fence, one permit

Single Plan, $29

Draw it on the free trial, then export the clean permit-ready sheet for $29. Or let us draw it: done-for-you, $149.

▶ Watch the lessonHow to Draw a Fence Plan for a Permit ▶ Watch the lessonHow to Find Your Property Lines by Address ▶ Watch the lessonHow to Draw an Easement on a Site Plan

Fence contractors FAQ

Does a fence need a permit?

It depends on the jurisdiction and the height. Many cities permit any fence over a set height (often six feet in the rear and lower in the front yard) and some permit every fence. Where a permit is required, the application almost always asks for a site plan showing the fence location and its distance to the property line. Check the building department's fence page or checklist for the threshold.

Can I put the fence on the property line?

That is a local rule, not a drawing rule. Some jurisdictions allow a fence on the line, some require a setback, and most require the fence to be inside your lot. PlotForge measures the fence to the recorded property line and prints the distance, so whatever the office requires, the number is on the sheet.

How do I show fence height on the site plan?

Add a text note or a pointer at each run ("6' privacy, cedar", "4' picket in front yard"). Most offices want the height called out per yard because the front-yard limit is usually lower than the side and rear limit.

Can I show a retaining wall on the same drawing?

Yes. The wall tool draws retaining walls the same way as fences, with live lengths, and walls total in linear feet in the on-sheet takeoff. Many retaining-wall permits key on height and distance to the line, the same two numbers.

What about a corner lot and the sight triangle?

Trace the sight triangle at the intersection as a labeled zone with a dashed outline, using the distances your ordinance specifies, and keep the fence outside it. The zone prints with its label and exports to CAD on its own layer.

Is a PlotForge™ site plan a survey?

No. The property lines are the recorded parcel lines from public records, drawn to scale over an aerial photo. That is what most building departments accept for a permit site plan, and it is not a boundary survey or an engineered drawing. If your office requires a sealed survey for this project, PlotForge can trace that recorded survey as the boundary and the sheet prints a notice saying so.

Does it work where I am?

PlotForge™ covers all 50 states and Washington, D.C.; the only exceptions in the country are named on the coverage page. It is also expanding into Canada, starting with select counties in Ontario and Alberta. The most reliable check is free: sign up, type the address, and watch the lot load.

Draw the fence permit site plan in minutes

Load the lot, click the fence line, read the callouts. Free for 30 days, no credit card required; a clean, permit-ready export is $29.

Start a Fence Site Plan Free → See Every Drawing Tool