Fence Company in Grand Rapids, MI
West Michigan’s preferred fence installer
Request a Free Fence Quote
Whether you’re planning a residential fence, or just exploring your options, we’ll help you understand what makes sense for your property, your goals, and your budget.
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Current Project Start
About 2 weeks
Next Available Estimate
Within 48 hours
Local Permit Wait Time
About 2 weeks (if necessary)
Why Grand Rapids Homeowners Call Fence Brothers
For homeowners planning a new fence in Grand Rapids, Fence Brothers recommends starting with a property walk and a permit check before choosing a material, because site conditions here vary enough from one neighborhood to the next to change the plan. We’re the owner-operated fence contractor West Michigan has called on since 2013, installing wood, vinyl, aluminum, and chain link fencing across the city and throughout Kent County. Every job leaves with a written five-year workmanship warranty that covers wood, a guarantee most fence companies don’t offer.
Call (616) 348-9988 or request your free fence estimate online.
WHAT WE INSTALL
Residential & Commercial Fence Installation Across Grand Rapids
Our team handles both commercial and residential projects across this area. Most of our residential projects include privacy fences for backyards, pet containment, pool enclosures, and replacements for fences that started leaning within a few years of installation.
Our commercial clients include schools, athletic fields, storage yards, and property managers who need chain-link fencing, bollards, or temporary fence rentals on a deadline.
Handling both sides of that work allows us to bring our commercial expertise to residential projects. The techniques that keep a 200-foot chain-link run standing against a snowplow berm are the same foundational principles we bring to a six-foot cedar privacy fence in Alger Heights.
Wood Fence Installation
Cedar and pine, board-on-board, dog-ear, shadowbox, custom horizontal builds.
Vinyl Fencing
Privacy, semi-privacy, lattice-top, scallop spaced picket
Aluminum Fencing
Pool enclosures, ornamental front yard, athletic facilities.
Chain Link Fencing
Galvanized, vinyl-coated, slatted for privacy.
Commercial fence company
Temporary fence, bollards, mechanical gate operators, athletic field perimeters.
Whatever the material, our installation method remains consistent: built piece by piece on-site, posts set to match your specific soil conditions, and permits pulled before we break ground.
Get a Free Fence Estimate in Grand Rapids
Your estimate takes about 10 minutes. We come to your property, walk the yard, and give you a written price on the spot. No pressure, no follow-up sales calls.
Call (616) 348-9988 or fill out the form below.
Fence Permits, Zoning Rules, and MISS DIG in Kent County
The City of Grand Rapids permit process is more straightforward than most homeowners expect, and it moves faster, too. Here’s what applies before you build a fence within city limits.
Permit required
Yes, for all new fence construction on residential and commercial properties, per the City of Grand Rapids fence permit page.
Permit fee
Not published online. Call the Development Center at 616-456-4100 for the current amount.
Processing time
1–2 business days for online applications.
Height limits
Minimum 30 inches, maximum 6 feet, applied across the property unless a variance is granted.
Placement
Installed on your property only, never in a public right-of-way, with the finished side facing outward.
Site plan
Required with the application and must show property lines, buildings, driveways, streets, and alleys.
Prohibited materials
Per the City’s Zoning Ordinance, the following aren’t allowed:
- Chain link in the front yard
- Barbed wire, razor wire, concertina wire, or electrified wire
- Slats woven into a chain link fence
- Used materials or found objects, such as old doors or salvaged panels
Where to apply
Online through the City of Grand Rapids Citizen Access portal, or in person at the Development Center, 1120 Monroe Ave. NW, 3rd Floor, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. Hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Phone: 616-456-4100.
MISS DIG 811: Required Before Any Post Hole
Michigan law requires a MISS DIG 811 utility locate ticket before any excavation, including fence posts. Three rules matter most:
- Three business-day notice: You can’t dig before the start time on your ticket, even if every utility is already marked. A working day runs from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
- 14-day ticket window: Excavation has to start within 14 calendar days of the dig start date, or the ticket expires, and a new one is needed.
- Positive Response required: You’re required to check the Positive Response status before digging, not just wait out the three days.
We pull the MISS DIG ticket on every job and confirm the Positive Response before our crew breaks ground, so you don’t need to call the City or MISS DIG yourself.
What East Grand Rapids Neighbors Are Saying About Fence Brothers
HOW IT WORKS
How Your Fence Gets Built — From Estimate to Warranty
1
Free On-Site Estimate
Alec or a crew lead walks your property, measures the runs, and provides a written estimate. We review property lines, talk through material options, and flag anything that affects the build before you commit, including grade changes, root systems, or HOA requirements.
2
Permits, HOA, and MISS DIG
We handle the paperwork: the local zoning permit, an HOA application if one is required, and the MISS DIG utility locate.
Permit and HOA review run at the same time whenever possible, so they don’t stack into a longer wait.
3
Installation
Posts go in below the frost line in concrete, and the fence goes up piece by piece on-site. We address grade changes and anything flagged during the estimate as we go, so there are no surprises on installation day.
4
Final Walkthrough and 5-Year Warranty
We check every gate latch, confirm every post is plumb, and hand you the warranty before we leave. Our five-year workmanship warranty covers post movement, picket separation, and structural issues from installation, including on wood fences.
RECENT WORK
Fence Materials Built for West Michigan Weather
In Michigan, freeze-thaw cycles are the main factor in how long a fence post holds its line, which is why every material conversation we have starts with the post rather than the panel. That same soil-specific approach to setting posts applies whether you choose wood, vinyl, aluminum, or chain-link fence installation, and each of those pages covers styles, pricing, and what to expect from the material in more detail.
FENCE EXPERIENCE
What Sets Fence Brothers Apart
Many fence companies will quote you a fence. Fewer will quote the right fence for your yard, your soil, and your HOA. Here’s where that difference actually shows up.
Full-dimension rails and thicker pickets.
Industry-standard rails are nominal, meaning they measure closer to 1.5 by 3.5 inches rather than a true two-by-four. Ours are full-dimension, and our pickets run nearly three-quarters of an inch thick instead of the 5/8-inch you’ll find on a big-box panel.
Site-by-site post depth.
We don’t use a one-size-fits-all post plan. Sandy soil near the river corridor calls for a different approach than the clay-heavy ground in the higher elevations, so we pour concrete where that’s the right call and drive posts where that’s the right call instead.
Owners involved at every step.
Alec answers the phone, sends the quote, and walks the property, while Kyle runs the field crew and is on-site for the installations that matter most. It’s two brothers running the business, not a rotating sales team.
Five-year workmanship warranty, wood included.
Most contractors exclude wood from their workmanship coverage. We don’t. If a post moves or a picket separates due to an installation defect, we come back and fix it.
WHERE WE WORK
Neighborhoods We Serve in Grand Rapids
We’ve installed fences across most of the city, and the plan changes block by block. What works in Heritage Hill rarely looks the same in Creston.
Heritage Hill: Older Lots and Historic Review
Heritage Hill has some of the oldest property lines in the city and some of its largest mature trees. Before quoting a fence here, we check with the City to see whether a parcel falls under historic district review, since those rules can affect material choices, height, and how close the fence sits to the front of the house. We handle that coordination directly, so you’re not the one calling the Planning Department.
East Hills and Eastown: Mature Canopy and Tight Lots
These established neighborhoods sit on a plateau east of downtown, where lots run tight, and the tree canopy is dense enough that root systems become part of the plan. Post holes in these blocks often hit major roots within the first 18 inches, and when that happens, we hand-dig around them or shift a post location by a few inches rather than cut through a root that’s been holding up a 60-year-old maple. That kind of judgment call is hard to price sight unseen, which is one reason we walk every property before quoting it.
Creston: Grade Changes Near the River
The terrain running from Creston toward the Grand River corridor is rarely flat. We’ve measured 8 to 14 inches of grade change across a single 60-foot backyard run, and that difference changes the post depth, the panel layout, and sometimes which material makes more sense, since a stepped vinyl fence reads differently than a stepped wood fence. We’ll show you both before you commit to either.
Alger Heights: Corner Lots and Tight Setbacks
Much of Alger Heights sits on corner lots with narrow side yards, and the City’s permit requires a site plan showing exact property lines, driveways, and setbacks. On these blocks, the margin for error is small, so we measure twice and confirm with you before submitting anything. A fence built three inches over the property line is a fence that gets rebuilt.
We also serve homeowners across the broader Kent County area and in neighboring Cascade Township. If you’re outside city limits, the permit process changes slightly, and we’ll walk you through what’s different.
Request a Free Fence Estimate
A fence in Grand Rapids has to work with your yard, your neighborhood, and the City’s permit process, and that’s the job we handle on every estimate. Call, fill out the form, or send a text, and we’ll come walk your property, measure the runs, and leave a written quote the same visit, with no obligation to decide before we’re gone.
Financing available through Wisetack — low monthly payments, short-term options.
Call (616) 348-9988 or fill out the form.
Request a Free Estimate
Frequently Asked Questions
Common Questions About Our Fencing Services, Pricing, and Process.
Do I need a permit to build a fence in Grand Rapids?
Yes, every new fence in the City of Grand Rapids requires a permit, whether it’s residential or commercial. The City reviews your site plan to confirm property lines, height, and setback. We pull the permit as part of every job, and online applications usually get a response within 1–2 business days through the Citizen Access portal.
How tall can a fence be in Grand Rapids?
Minimum 30 inches, maximum 6 feet, across the city. Taller fences require a variance through the Planning Department, which is a separate process and takes longer. If you need more than 6 feet for a specific reason, such as privacy from a commercial parking lot or livestock containment, we can walk you through the variance application.
How much does a fence cost in Grand Rapids?
Pricing depends on material, linear footage, and site conditions, but here’s the relative range. Wood and vinyl land in the same general price band ($). Aluminum costs a bit more ($$). Chain link sits on the lower end ($). A typical residential project includes the fence, posts, gates, permit, MISS DIG coordination, and warranty, with no surprise line items added later. We provide a written, fixed-price estimate before any work starts. Read this guide how much does the fence cost in Grand Rapids.
How long does it take to get a fence permit in Grand Rapids?
About 1–2 business days for online applications. We submit the application within 24 hours of your signed estimate, and the time from permit approval to installation start is usually about two weeks, depending on our current schedule.
Can I put up a chain-link fence in my front yard in Grand Rapids?
No, the City’s Zoning Ordinance prohibits chain link in front yards. The same rule applies to barbed wire, razor wire, electrified wire, slats woven into chain link, and used or salvaged materials. Side and backyard chain-link fencing is allowed, and we can install vinyl-coated chain-link fencing if you’d like it to read more cleanly against your landscaping.
Do I have to call MISS DIG before installing a fence?
You don’t; we do. Michigan law requires a MISS DIG 811 ticket before any excavation, including fence posts. We file the ticket, wait out the three business days, and confirm Positive Response status before our crew breaks ground, so you never have to manage that timeline yourself.