Fence or deck costs in Portland

Portland's long wet season is hard on any wood that sits near the dirt, and the city's rules reflect it. Portland Permitting & Development's guide to fences and decks says any part of a wood fence touching concrete, or within six inches of the ground, has to be pressure-treated or a naturally decay-resistant species such as cedar or redwood. For a deck, every part of the wood has to meet that standard.

Where the fence goes decides how tall it can be. In many zones, a fence in the front building setback stops at three and a half feet. In side and rear setbacks, it can reach eight feet. If you're on a corner lot, your front is the shortest side that faces a street. If both street sides are the same length, you pick.

Measure the way the city does. Height runs from where the posts enter the ground to the top of the fence, and lattice, post caps or anything else added on top counts. A five-and-a-half-foot fence with a foot of lattice is a six-and-a-half-foot fence.

Low decks come with a condition. A deck can skip the building permit when no part of the walking surface is more than 30 inches above the ground, but only if it also sits at least three feet from the property line.