Fence or deck costs in Augusta

Augusta's building rules go easy on fences. The consolidated government's permit FAQ lists fences no taller than six feet among the work that needs no building permit. A retaining wall gets a pass up to four feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top, unless it's holding back a surcharge. Decks don't appear on that exemption list.

The historic districts are another matter. Augusta recognizes three, Summerville, Downtown and Olde Towne, and the city requires a Certificate of Appropriateness for all exterior building work inside them. To start one, you go through Planning & Zoning on Telfair Street.

You may not need a full hearing. Under a list of staff approvals the Historic Preservation Commission dated October 2006, staff can approve a backyard fence when the lot isn't a corner lot and the fence's height and materials fit the design guidelines and the zoning ordinance. A backyard deck can be staff-approved if it doesn't require altering the house and can't be seen from the street. Even a front-yard wood picket fence can go through staff, if it looks like others in the district, stands four feet or less, and skips extras like a trellis or an arbor.

Staff can still send any of these to the full commission. And a backyard fence on a corner lot, or a deck you can see from the street, isn't on the staff list at all.