Fence or deck costs in Washington

Few homes in Washington stand alone. Only about one home in nine in the District is a detached house. If yours is attached, your fence probably runs along a line you share with a neighbor, or out to the alley. Talk to the neighbor before the crew shows up.

Out front, find out who owns the grass before you fence it. In many cases, the strip between your house and the sidewalk is public space. DDOT calls it public parking. Front-yard fences and retaining walls in residential neighborhoods often sit inside the right-of-way or behind a building restriction line. Either way, public space rules apply, and a fence there needs a permit that DDOT approves.

Inside your own lot, the Department of Buildings handles it. DOB lists new fences, porches and decks, including changes to an existing deck, as work that needs a building permit. Fixing an old fence with matching materials doesn't, unless your house is in a historic district. There, even a like-for-like repair needs a permit.

In Washington, the paperwork is part of the job. Plan for a DOB permit for the fence or deck itself. If any of the fence touches public space, DDOT's approval comes on top of that.