Fence or deck costs in Fayetteville

In the City of Fayetteville, a fence 7 feet tall or less doesn't need a building permit. Go taller and you apply to the Building Safety Division. A shorter fence can still be stopped, though. The Planning Division decides whether it blocks the view between cars and people on foot, and fences in the Downtown Design Overlay District or the I-540 Overlay District may face extra restrictions. Springdale, Rogers and Bentonville each keep their own codes, so a move across the metro can change the answer.

Winter is the bigger test for what you build. NOAA's 30-year record for Drake Field in Fayetteville shows about 93 nights a year at or below freezing and about 6.5 inches of snow. Water that soaks into a post hole or the end grain of a board freezes and expands. Over a few winters, that can lift a post, loosen a rail and split a deck board at the screws.

The fixes are mostly underground. Set posts and deck footings deep enough for the local frost line, and give the bottom of each hole a way to drain so water doesn't sit and freeze around the post. Seal cut ends on pressure-treated lumber. On a deck, leave gaps between boards so snowmelt runs through instead of sitting on top.