Hire a Fencer Central Coast NSW - Get Local Quotes

Fencing Jobs on the Central Coast and the Laws Behind Them

A boundary fence belongs to two neighbouring owners who split the bill, so following the legal steps matters as much as choosing the material. The Dividing Fences Act 1991 sets how neighbours split the cost, while the Swimming Pools Act 1992 sets separate rules for any fence that also keeps children away from a pool. Council planning rules and the state exempt development code then decide how high a fence can go without an application. For 2027, a 1.8 metre Colorbond steel boundary fence on the Coast is estimated at $95 to $155 per metre installed, and treated pine palings at $85 to $140. You can compare those figures with the statewide ranges for each material in our NSW fencing guide.

Before calling anyone, work out which of three jobs you have, because each one follows its own rules. Dividing fences between two homes are shared work, so the neighbour needs to agree in writing or receive a formal notice before the fencer starts. Pool barriers are the pool owner's responsibility and must meet AS 1926.1, the Australian Standard for pool safety barriers, whoever paid for them. Front fences and gates on the street boundary are paid for by you alone, and their exempt height limit is lower than for side and rear fences.

Central Coast Fence and Gate Estimates for 2027

These 2027 estimates are for supply and installation on an ordinary residential lot with clear access along the fence line. For a 1.8 metre Colorbond steel fence the estimate is $95 to $155 per metre, and a treated pine paling fence of the same height is estimated at $85 to $140. Hardwood palings are estimated at $140 to $210 per metre, while horizontal slat screens in timber or aluminium are estimated at $160 to $300. For pool barriers, aluminium tubular fencing is estimated at $120 to $280 per metre and frameless glass at $300 to $650. Each pedestrian gate adds $300 to $900, and a manual driveway gate adds $1,500 to $4,500 before any motor is fitted. Removing an old timber or steel fence is estimated at $20 to $45 per metre, plus tip fees.

These bands overlap the regional ranges on our NSW fencing pages, so a local quote far outside them should be questioned before you accept it. Timber prices can be checked against our NSW timber fence cost ranges for paling, picket and slat designs. Where fencer labour is charged by the hour, for repairs or small gate jobs, the 2027 estimate is $70 to $110 per hour. For a few broken palings or a sagging rail, compare that hourly figure with our fence repair cost ranges before agreeing to a call-out. Small fixes like a loose latch or a single replaced paling may also suit a Central Coast handyman booked for a short visit.

How Fencers Build a Price Per Metre

Metre rates for a new fence normally include posts, rails, sheeting or palings, concrete for the post holes and the labour to set them out. Gates, end posts, corner posts and removal of the old fence are then added as separate items. Rock in the post holes is priced per post, with core drilling, which cuts a round hole through the rock, estimated at $80 to $200 for each affected hole in 2027. Before any digging, request free plans of mapped pipes and cables from Before You Dig Australia, since a post hole can strike a service line. Private pipes on your own land are not on those plans, so a Central Coast plumber can trace them when a fence runs near the house drain.

BlueScope makes Colorbond steel, the prepainted steel sheet used for steel fencing panels. Colorbond panels come in several factory colours, so agree the colour with the neighbour before anything is ordered. Fencers dig post holes with powered augers, and Makita makes cordless earth augers for this work. Paslode makes the Impulse CoilMaster cordless coil nailer, which fixes palings to rails without a hose or compressor. Where a fence joins a timber screen, deck or pergola, a Central Coast carpenter can quote the framing beside it.

A quote for a timber fence should name the materials as well as the price. The timber species, the post size, the paling grade (the quality of the upright boards) and whether a flat capping rail runs along the top all change the price per metre. Cabot's makes Deck and Exterior Stain and Intergrain makes NaturalStain, both used to coat exterior timber after it is installed. Staining can be priced separately, so check whether the quote includes a first coat or leaves the timber bare.

The NSW Fencing Licence and Neighbouring Licence Categories

NSW has its own fencing licence category, and the NSW Government defines fencing as putting up fences and gates within or on residential boundary lines, whatever the material. Residential fencing valued at more than $5,000 in labour and materials, including GST (goods and services tax), needs a contractor licence. The same threshold applies to advertising and contracting for the work, not only to carrying it out. Under the Home Building Act 1989, unlicensed work can draw fines of $22,000 for an individual and $110,000 for a company. The fencing work page on the NSW Government website also lists the qualifications a fencer needs before that licence is issued.

Some fences sit under other licence categories, and the same government page names them. Timber, metal and prefabricated glass fencing can fall under carpentry, glass and acrylic under glazing, and metal fencing under metal fabrication. Brick and stone fences, with the footings of freestanding brick or stone fences, fall under bricklaying and stonemasonry. So a glass pool barrier quote from a business holding a glazing licence, without a fencing licence, is not automatically a problem. The licence card needs to list a category that covers every part of the job you are paying for. If your design includes brick piers, the sewer clearances and front fence controls for masonry are in our Central Coast bricklayer guide.

Fencing jobs above $5,000, including GST, also need a written contract under NSW home building law. The deposit cannot be more than 10 per cent, and on jobs over $20,000 the contractor must hold home building compensation cover before you pay anything. That cover is insurance that protects owners if the contractor dies, disappears or becomes insolvent. Long boundary runs with two gates and a pool section can pass $20,000, so check the total before you sign. You can check what small and large job contracts must contain in our Central Coast painter guide, which applies the same law.

Sufficient Fences, Equal Shares and Owners Who Are Excluded

The Dividing Fences Act 1991 makes adjoining owners liable to contribute in equal proportions to a sufficient dividing fence. Section 4 says what is sufficient depends on all the circumstances, including the existing fence, the kind of fence usual in the locality and the privacy concerns of both owners. Land use, council policies and planning instruments are listed as factors too. In practice, this points to the ordinary fence for your street, not the most expensive design either owner would like. Under section 7, an owner who wants a higher standard pays for the part of the work that goes beyond a sufficient fence. So if a neighbour wants aluminium slats where a plain steel fence would do, they can be asked to cover the difference.

Council's development control plan, the document that sets its local design rules for building work, notes that the Dividing Fences Act applies whenever a fence is a dividing fence. The same chapter says fencing should suit the colour scheme and design of the house, and match adjoining fencing where possible. That guidance gives two neighbours a starting point when one wants a dark steel finish and the other prefers a light one. Even a fence built on a line other than the common boundary is a dividing fence under section 3 of the Act, so a fence set back to avoid a tree remains a shared cost. Record the agreed line in writing, since the fence position can later be mistaken for the boundary.

If your back fence adjoins a park, bush reserve or road, the neighbour may be a public body that the Act treats differently. Section 25 says the Act imposes no liability on the Crown, or on a council for land vested in it as a public reserve or public park. Roads authorities and some other public bodies are also excluded, although any of them can agree to contribute voluntarily. Write to the land manager before ordering materials, and plan to fund the fence yourself if no contribution is offered.

Writing and Serving a Fencing Notice

When a neighbour has not agreed in writing, a fencing notice under section 11 is the formal way to start. The notice must be in writing and must specify the boundary line, the type of fencing work proposed and its estimated cost. Legal Aid NSW says a notice usually includes a copy of a fencer's quote and how the cost will be shared, and it publishes an online guide to resolving fencing disputes. Under section 11(5), an owner is generally not liable for work done before the notice is served, so serve it before the fencer starts.

Keep the notice plain and factual, and attach one or two written quotes that use the same fence height and material. Name the fence line precisely, for example along the existing posts or along the surveyed boundary marked by pegs. State how you propose to split the cost, which will be half each unless one of you wants more than a sufficient fence. Deliver it in a way you can prove later, such as registered post or by hand with a dated note of who received it. Tenants on an ordinary lease are not owners, although section 3 can treat a lease holder with at least five years left as one. Keep a copy, because NCAT requires the notice to be attached to any application it later receives.

Mediation, NCAT or the Local Court

Central Coast Council treats dividing fences as a civil matter between neighbours, so its officers will not decide who pays. On the Central Coast Council website, council still suggests a Community Justice Centre when neighbours cannot agree on fencing. However, the NSW Department of Communities and Justice says that since 1 July 2025 the centres mediate only disputes referred by NSW courts and those involving incorporated associations. Neighbours can still discuss the job directly, or agree to share the cost of a private mediator. If no agreement is reached within one month after a notice is served, section 12 lets either owner apply to the Local Court or the Tribunal.

The Tribunal is the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), where fence cases are managed by the Consumer and Commercial Division. Under section 14, NCAT or the Local Court can decide the line for the work, the kind of fence, how costs are shared and the time allowed to build it. They can also award compensation for loss of use of land, or declare that no dividing fence is needed. NCAT matters start with conciliation, a guided discussion aimed at agreement, and can move to a contested hearing if that fails. Legal Aid NSW notes that at NCAT each side pays its own legal costs, while a successful party in the Local Court can seek costs. NCAT cannot decide a matter where one party does not live in NSW, so a neighbour living in another state can mean applying to the Local Court instead.

The full text of the Act is on the NSW legislation website, and section numbers help when filling in an application. NCAT asks applicants to quote the section number for each order they want and to attach the quote and a description of the existing fence. Concession card holders can apply for a reduced NCAT fee when they show their card at lodgement. Appeals to the NCAT Appeal Panel must be lodged within 28 days, according to Legal Aid NSW.

Urgent Work and Fences Damaged by One Side

Section 9 covers urgent fencing work, where it is impracticable to serve a notice before the fence has to be repaired. In that case an owner can carry out the urgent work first, and the other owner is liable for half the cost. That liability can be reviewed within one month after the work is completed. Waiting a month may not be practical when a fence is flattened along a pool boundary or a gap lets a dog reach the street. Keep photos of the damage taken before the repair, and invoices showing only the work needed to make the fence safe.

Section 8 deals with damage caused by one owner, or by someone on their land with their consent. That owner can be liable for up to the whole cost of restoring the fence to a reasonable standard, having regard to its earlier state. Legal Aid NSW notes a six-year limit, counted from the date of property damage, for legal action in negligence, nuisance or trespass. Storm damage to a shared fence can also be a claim for each owner's home insurer, so tell your insurer before the fencer removes anything. Lysaght makes Smartascreen steel fencing and Stratco makes Good Neighbour fencing, so note which system you have before ordering sheets for one damaged section. If the same storm lifted roof sheets or gutters, a Central Coast roofer can make the roof safe while the fencer secures the boundary.

Survey Pegs, Fences Off the Boundary Line and Retaining Walls

Under section 3, fencing work includes surveying and preparing the land along the boundary, including trimming or removing vegetation, so survey fees can form part of the shared cost. Existing fence posts are not proof of where the title boundary runs, and older fences may have been built off the line. A registered surveyor can mark the title boundary with pegs before the old fence comes down. Where owners still disagree about the line, NSW Land Registry Services can determine it through the Registrar General, using form 14TB. The Registrar General may ask for further costs if more survey work or investigation is needed.

Retaining walls, which hold back soil where the ground level changes, follow separate rules, because section 3 says a fence does not include a retaining wall. Orders under the Act can cover a retaining wall only where the wall is needed to support and maintain the fence, according to Legal Aid NSW. Other retaining wall disputes are usually heard in the Supreme Court of NSW, Legal Aid NSW adds. Council's plan requires an engineer's design for walls more than 600 millimetres high within 1 metre of a boundary. If a wall has to be built before the fence, our Central Coast landscaper guide helps you brief the person building it. Hilti makes the HIT-HY 200 adhesive anchor and Ramset makes ChemSet chemical anchors, so ask the engineer which anchor suits fence brackets fixed to the wall.

Clearing a hedge or garden bed along the line is part of the job, and the garden behind it may need work once the fence is up. Reinstating beds, turf and paths after the fencer leaves can be priced using our Central Coast landscaping cost ranges. Agree in writing who removes the cleared plants and soil, because tip fees for green waste add up on a long boundary. Photograph both sides of the line before work starts, so you have a record if anyone later disputes damage to plants.

Fence Heights Allowed Without Council Approval

Residential fences can go up without council approval if they meet the exempt development standards in the State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008, called the Codes SEPP. On the NSW Department of Planning fence page, side and rear fences in residential zones are limited to 1.8 metres, or 1.2 metres if built from masonry. Fences along a primary road (the street the house faces) or a secondary road (the side street of a corner lot), or within the required setback from it, are limited to 1.2 metres. On a corner lot, a solid fence up to 1.8 metres is allowed along the rear 50 per cent of the secondary frontage. On sloping ground, a stepped fence may reach 2.2 metres above existing ground level at each step. Any metal parts must be low reflective, factory pre-coloured materials.

Fencing above 400 millimetres along a secondary road frontage must be at least 20 per cent transparent, and solid piers or posts cannot be wider than 350 millimetres. Electric fencing and barbed wire are not exempt in residential zones, apart from the R5 large lot residential zone. On bush fire prone land, an exempt fence must be built from non-combustible materials or hardwood. If your house is close to mapped bushland, read the Rural Fire Service fence conditions in our Central Coast bricklayer guide before choosing timber. Council's development control plan says any fence that departs from the Codes SEPP standards needs a development application, which is a formal request for council approval.

Foreshore, Flood, Heritage and Rural Lots

The exempt standards do not apply everywhere, and several exclusions matter on the Coast's waterfront and older streets. Fences in foreshore areas and on flood control lots, where council applies flood rules to building work, cannot be exempt development in most residential zones. The Central Coast Local Environmental Plan 2022 limits development on mapped foreshore land, so check whether your waterfront lot is mapped. If a fence is planned in the mapped foreshore area, it needs an application, even when the same fence would be exempt elsewhere. Council's plan also requires a 100 millimetre gap under the bottom rail of any fence on a flood control lot.

Fences on, or along the boundary of, a lot with a heritage item cannot be exempt. Road-facing fences in a heritage conservation area cannot be exempt either, and the same applies on land mapped as critical habitat or a declared wilderness area. Check your lot for heritage, foreshore and flood mapping before quotes are prepared, so every fencer prices the same approval path. Fences that need consent can take longer to start, so raise the mapping at the first site visit.

Rural and environmental zones follow a different exempt standard, which matters on acreage lots in the hinterland. There, exempt fences must not exceed 1.8 metres and must be post and wire or post and rail construction. Masonry is limited to 3 metres either side of the driveway entrance from the primary road. Electric fencing in those zones must meet AS/NZS 3014:2003, the Australian and New Zealand standard for electric fence safety. Stihl makes the BT 131 petrol earth auger, which drills post holes where no mains power is close by. Rural post and wire fencing is estimated at $14 to $32 per metre in 2027, depending on post spacing and the number of wires.

Pool Barrier Measurements Under AS 1926.1

Central Coast Council requires a pool or spa to be surrounded at all times by a complying child-resistant barrier that is kept in good repair. NSW Government guidance ties the standard to the build date, with AS 1926-1986 for pools built before September 2008 and AS 1926.1-2007 from then until 30 April 2013. Pools built after 1 May 2013 follow AS 1926.1-2012, and so does any older barrier once it is modified, which also ends earlier exemptions. Under that guidance, the barrier must be at least 1,200 millimetres high from finished ground level, with no gap over 100 millimetres at the bottom. Where a boundary fence forms part of the barrier, it must be at least 1,800 millimetres high. Pot plants, ladders, chairs and other climbable objects must stay out of a 900 millimetre zone measured from the top of the fence, called the non-climbable zone.

NSW Government guidance says that zone also takes in 300 millimetres on the inside of the pool area. Pot plants, barbecues and garden edging placed against the outside of a pool fence can create a foothold inside that zone. If someone else looks after the beds near the pool, give your Central Coast gardener the zone measurements so new plantings stay clear. Where the pool surround is being retiled, book the Central Coast tiler and fencer together so the holes for spigots, the metal posts that grip each glass panel, are planned before the tiles go down. Stratco makes aluminium pool fencing panels and gates, and Viridian makes VTough toughened safety glass, so check which system each quote uses.

Using a boundary fence as part of a pool barrier changes the cost split as well as the height. Legal Aid NSW notes that the usual sharing between neighbours does not apply where the dividing fence acts as a pool barrier. Talk to the neighbour before you build, since their side of the fence also has to stay free of climbable objects. Their garden shed, compost bin or firewood stack against the fence can affect your compliance. For aluminium or glass barrier prices and installation steps, compare quotes with our pool fencing installation ranges.

Central Coast Council Pool Inspections and Fees

Every pool or spa must be entered on the NSW Swimming Pool Register by its owner. Under council guidance, the premises also need either a valid occupation certificate less than three years old or a certificate of compliance. Council's certification team issues certificates of compliance after an inspection, and a private certifier can be used instead. Council's listed fees for 2026-27 are $150 for the first inspection and $100 for each further inspection if one is needed. Each certificate of compliance stays valid for three years from the day it is issued, unless council gives a direction under section 23. If council has not decided an application within six weeks after inspecting, it is taken to have refused it.

Appeals against a refusal go to the Land and Environment Court within 28 days of the decision, according to council's application form. Council must inspect pools at least every three years where the property has tourist or visitor accommodation or more than two dwellings, unless a valid certificate is in force. Some older exemptions for waterfront lots, land over two hectares and lots of 230 square metres or less continue only while the barrier stays compliant. Owners unsure whether an exemption applies can lodge council's swimming pool barrier exemption form to find out. Pool owners must also display a resuscitation chart and warning notice near the pool, legible from at least three metres away.

Selling a house with a pool requires its registration certificate in the contract, plus a certificate of compliance, an occupation certificate under three years old, or a certificate of non-compliance. Under the Swimming Pools Regulation 2018, a buyer who accepts a certificate of non-compliance has 90 days after the purchase to bring the barrier into compliance. That period does not apply if the certificate says the pool poses a significant risk to public safety, and the certificate is not valid while the home is rented. Repairs found during an inspection can be priced against our pool fence repairs and compliance ranges before you decide who will fix them.

Old Fibro Fences, Asbestos and the 10 Square Metre Limit

Older fibro fences are made from corrugated asbestos cement sheets, and SafeWork NSW lists Super 6 fencing, a trade name for these corrugated sheets, among the asbestos hazards found outside homes. SafeWork NSW says buildings from before the late 1980s may contain asbestos, so treat an old corrugated fence as asbestos until a test says otherwise. Its list of prohibited methods includes high-pressure water spray and compressed air, and power tools are allowed only with enclosures or dust capture designed for asbestos. Unlicensed removal of non-friable asbestos, meaning bonded sheeting that has not crumbled, is allowed only where the total area does not exceed 10 square metres. Even then, SafeWork NSW recommends using a licensed asbestos removalist for any amount. The same page links to an asbestos finder tool that shows where asbestos products can turn up around a home.

A 20 metre run of 1.8 metre sheeting is about 36 square metres, well over that limit, so the removal falls to a licensed removalist. Removing it is Class B work, meaning it needs a Class B asbestos removal licence, and a supervisor must be present or readily available. Licensed removal of a fibro fence is estimated at $85 to $160 per metre in 2027, before the new fence goes up. Testing a sample, estimated at $50 to $150 per sample in 2027, confirms whether the sheets contain asbestos before anyone quotes. Replacing a fibro dividing fence is still fencing work under the Act, so the usual half share applies to a sufficient replacement. The national Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency publishes a guide on asbestos safety for householders and home renovators.

Fencers without an asbestos removal licence should not quote to pull out a full fibro fence themselves. Any combined quote should name the licensed removalist doing that stage and show their price on its own line. You can compare removal stages and NSW prices on our asbestos fence removal page before the site visits. Where a sample needs testing first, book it through asbestos testing and inspection before the fencer measures up.

Which Way a Gate Swings, and the Hardware That Closes It

Under the Codes SEPP, a gate on an exempt fence must not open outwards, so a front or driveway gate has to swing into your own lot. Pool gates work the other way, since NSW Government guidance says they must swing outwards, away from the pool. Pool gates must also close and latch by themselves from any position, and council's page sets the latch release at 1,500 millimetres above the ground unless a shield is fitted. The same page says double gates are not allowed in a pool barrier. So a pool gate set in a street fence must swing into the yard and away from the pool at the same time, which takes planning. Mark both swing directions on the plan before the gate posts are concreted in.

D&D Technologies makes MagnaLatch magnetic pool gate latches and TruClose self-closing hinges. Locinox makes gate closers and spring hinges for pedestrian gates. Check a pool gate after the hinges are tensioned, since it must still shut and latch from any open position. Naming the latch and hinge models on the quote lets a later repairer find matching parts.

Motorised driveway gates need a power supply installed by a licensed electrician before the fencer hangs the gate. Book that work early using our Central Coast electrician rates, and compare gate kits on our automatic and driveway gate page. Timber gates can sag as the frame ages, and a diagonal brace running from the lower hinge side to the upper latch side helps carry the weight. For a timber gate, the single and double gate ranges on our timber gate cost page help you check a quote.

What to Look Out For Before Signing a Fencer's Quote

Reject any quote for a new boundary fence over $5,000 that has no contractor licence number on it. Any deposit request above 10 per cent of the price is another warning, because NSW home building law caps the deposit at that figure. Watch for a pool barrier quote that does not mention AS 1926.1, the latch height or the latch model, such as a D&D Technologies MagnaLatch. Treat any offer from an unlicensed fencer to pressure clean, cut or pull down an old fibro fence as a safety problem, not a saving. Be wary of a fencer keen to start before the neighbour has agreed in writing or the one-month notice period has passed.

Read the local site details on each quote too, to see whether the fencer has looked properly at your lot. Quotes for a waterfront or flood control lot that say nothing about council consent have left out the approval question. Metre rates with no allowance for rock or removal of the old fence may rise once digging starts. For a fence along a public reserve, the quote should note whether council has agreed to contribute, since the Act does not require it.

Collecting Fence Quotes Both Neighbours Can Read

Start with one written brief that you can send to every fencer and share with the neighbour. Give the length of each side, the height, the material and colour, the number and width of gates, and photos of the old fence and the ground along it. Mention any pool, any fibro sheeting, any retaining wall the fence will sit on, and whether the lot is waterfront or a flood control lot. Two or three quotes from licensed fencers give a fair spread for a full boundary, and the neighbour can add a quote of their own. Ask each fencer to price the shared section separately from gates, pool sections or extra height that only one owner wants. That split makes the half share easy to calculate and easy to attach to a fencing notice.

Compare the quotes line by line, looking at post size and spacing, footing depth, sheeting or paling type and the removal method. Confirm how long each price holds, since a neighbour's agreement can take weeks and material prices can change in that time. For the installation steps behind each material, read our fence and gate installation guide before the site visits. If the job also includes a slab, path or driveway along the new fence, a Central Coast concreter can quote that work at the same time. Keep the brief, quotes, notice and signed contract together until the work is finished and both owners have paid their share.