What a fence gate costs

Ohio fence contractors publish $200 to $600 for a walk gate and $600 to $2,500 for a double drive gate, installed. Real job data from a company that has completed more than forty thousand wood fences puts the averages at $399 for a walk gate and $735 for a double drive gate, which sits comfortably inside those bands.

No Toledo company publishes a gate price. The one local contractor with a public rate card prices fence by the foot and does not break out gates, so the numbers on this page are Ohio and national contractor prices used as a guide.

What gates do to a fence quote

These use the Toledo published rate of $25 to $35 a foot for 6 foot treated wood privacy fence, then add gates at the Ohio bands.

If an old fence has to come out as well, add $5 to $10 a foot on top, which is the published Toledo rate for tear out and haul away.

Why a gate costs more than the fence beside it

A gate is the only part of a fence that moves, and everything about it is built heavier.

The posts go deeper. Ohio practice is to set gate posts 6 to 12 inches below the depth of the line posts, and the local contractor who publishes his specs digs to 42 inches on the tallest privacy fences. Toledo sits on a 36 inch frost line, so a gate post here is often 42 inches or more in the ground, in a bigger hole, with more concrete.

The frame has to resist sagging. Most wood gates here are built on a steel frame kit rather than a wood Z brace. The manufacturer’s own prices run from about $80 for a light universal kit to $115 for a standard 36 to 60 inch frame, $155 for a wide 60 to 96 inch frame, and $290 and up for a double drive kit. A drop rod, which holds one leaf of a double gate still while the other swings, is about $35 on top.

Then hardware. A pair of heavy hinges runs from about $9 to $25, a simple gravity latch from about $6 to $12, and a lockable latch from about $18 to $41. Designer hinges go as high as $365 a pair. An anti-sag cable and turnbuckle kit is $8 to $24 and is worth having on any wood gate wider than about 4 feet.

And finally the hours. One national guide says a garden gate can take two workers a full day. That is the real reason a 4 foot gate does not cost the same as 4 feet of fence.

Sizes worth knowing before you ask for a quote

A walk gate is usually 3 to 4 feet wide. That is enough for people, a wheelbarrow and most mowers.

Double drive gates are quoted in Ohio for openings of 10 to 16 feet, and nationally for 8 to 12 feet. Measure the widest thing that has to go through, then add room for the frame, and check which way the gates can swing. A gate that has to open uphill is a design problem, so mention any slope when you ask.

If a gate is the only way into the back yard, think about what will need to pass through it later. A trailer, a hot tub, a mini digger for a future project. Widening a gate afterwards means moving posts.

Pool gates

Rules differ by city and they are not optional.

Perrysburg’s fence permit form states that all fencing for pools shall have self-latching, self-closing, lockable gates. In Toledo, a pool over 24 inches deep needs a Certificate of Zoning Compliance in its own right. Oregon does not require a fence permit at all unless a pool is involved, in which case it does.

Self-closing hinges and self-latching hardware cost more than standard, so tell the installer about the pool when you ask for the quote rather than when the gate is already hung.

Automatic gates

Several Toledo companies advertise gate automation and one regional distributor fabricates gates and carries gate operators. None of them publish a price, and we found no local figure for an automated gate, so we will not put one here. Treat automation as a separate quote and ask what the opener, the wiring and the safety devices cost as their own line.

Sales tax

A gate hung as part of a fence is part of an improvement to real property. Under Ohio Administrative Code 5703-9-14, the contractor pays sales tax on the frame kit, the hinges and the lumber when he buys them, and does not charge tax on your invoice. Your quote should be one lump sum with no tax line.

Questions worth asking

How deep do the gate posts go, and what size are they. What is the frame made of. What hinges and latch are included, and are they lockable. What happens if the gate sags in a year, and is that covered by the workmanship warranty.

A gate that drops half an inch is the single most common complaint on a wood fence, and every one of those questions is aimed at it.

See your price range

Add your gates in the estimator along with your fence runs and you will see them priced into the range for your own yard. If the number looks right, request a quote and up to three local fence pros will come and measure.