Fence or deck costs in Canton

Canton lets a fence get taller as it moves back on the lot. In a residential area, the limit is four feet in the front yard, six feet along the side of the house, and eight feet in the back yard. That means a low fence out front and a full eight-foot privacy screen behind the house can sit on the same lot.

You don't need your neighbor's permission to put up a fence, as long as it's properly installed.

Paperwork comes in a set order. Canton's zoning office requires a zoning permit before you build a deck, a fence, a shed or a swimming pool. The building department also lists decks and fences among the structural improvements that need a building permit before work starts, and it won't issue one until the zoning permit is in hand. Plan on up to 15 days for the first zoning review and up to 30 days for a building plan review.

Check the license of whoever you hire. A contractor doing remodeling work on a one-, two- or three-family home has to be licensed with the City of Canton Building Department, and so does a salesman selling that work. If the person isn't the homeowner living there, they need that license to pull the permit.