Fence or deck costs in Poughkeepsie

Around Poughkeepsie, the fence rulebook you follow is your town's. East Fishkill, in southern Dutchess County, shows how specific it gets. A fence 4 feet or under needs no permit and can sit right on the property line. Go taller and you need a permit, and a fence between 4 and 6 feet can only go behind the front line of the house or within 10 feet of it. Past 6 feet, it takes a Zoning Board variance.

East Fishkill also limits chain link to 4 feet in any yard of a residential district, and anything over 4 feet has to be decorative. So if you were picturing a tall chain-link run to keep the dog in, you'll be choosing wood, vinyl or metal instead.

The application has its own checklist. The town wants a brochure or spec sheet for the fence you picked. It wants insurance forms from your contractor, or from you if you're doing the work yourself, filed with the application and not by fax or email.

Rock gets its own line on the deck sheet. The town's deck sheet calls for footings 42 inches below grade or pinned to rock. It also notes that the 42-inch figure assumes stable soil, and fill or expansive soil may need an engineer's soil analysis. If your digger hits ledge before 42 inches, pinning to it is an approved option, not a dead end.