Most fence repairs cost $300 to $900 in 2026, going by national figures. Small fixes such as a board, a latch or a gate adjustment run $100 to $300. Large ones, with several posts or a section lying flat, run $900 to $2,500.
Price ranges are national figures published by HomeGuide for 2026, not our own quotes. Peninsula labor rates, lumber and metal prices and the conditions on your lot move the real number up or down. Last checked October 2026.
| Repair | Typical cost | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Minor | $100 to $300 | One board, loose hardware, small gate adjustment |
| Standard | $300 to $900 | A panel, one or two posts, gate hinges |
| Major | $900 to $2,500 | Several posts, a fallen section, structural damage |
How much does it cost to fix a leaning fence?
The price follows the number of failed posts. A lean caused by one or two posts is a standard repair in the table. If half the posts along a shared back fence are gone, it is usually cheaper to rebuild that run in one visit than to chase posts year after year.
Why is my fence leaning, and can it be fixed without replacing it?
In most cases it can be fixed. The usual cause here is a post that has rotted at the soil line. The second is valley clay, which swells in the rainy months and shrinks in the dry ones until a shallow footing works loose. Sprinklers that wet the same post every morning speed both up. If the rails and boards are sound, they go back on new posts.
How much does it cost to replace a rotted fence post?
A post or two normally falls in the $300 to $900 band of the national figures. The work is to break out the old footing, set a new post in concrete that slopes away from the wood, and refasten the rails. A post beside a tree trunk, a foundation or a paved patio takes longer.
My gate sags and will not latch. Repair or replace?
Repair it, most of the time. Check the hinge post first. If that post has tipped, the gate has dropped with it. Loose hinges and a frame that has gone out of square are the other common causes. We reset the post, brace the frame corner to corner and reposition the latch. A gate with a rotted frame gets rebuilt.
How much does a contractor charge to fix a broken gate latch?
That is a minor repair, $100 to $300 in the national 2026 figures. Most fence companies have a minimum charge for coming out, so it makes sense to have loose boards or a sticking gate seen to on the same trip.
My fence posts shifted over the winter and the gate will not close. Can they be reset?
Yes, though pushing a post upright and packing dirt around it will not last. There is no frost on the valley floor, so the ground did not heave. The clay went soft in the rain and let go of the footing. The fix is to take out the post and its concrete and set a new one deeper, with the top of the footing shaped to drain.
My fence line goes wavy every winter. Is it the soil or a bad installation?
Usually some of each. Clay in the Santa Clara Valley moves with the seasons, and a fence with shallow footings moves with it. Posts set deep enough, in footings that do not hold water, stay much straighter. If the same line is rebuilt at the same depth, the wave will come back.
A branch bent my aluminum fence. Do I need a whole new panel?
Not always. Some aluminum fences are assembled from separate rails and pickets, and a bent piece can be changed. Many are sold as welded or pre-assembled panels, and then the damaged panel is replaced whole. A photo of the damage and of a post connection usually tells us which you have.
We can only give a real price after seeing the yard. The on-site estimate is free. Call (408) 539-2396 or text us a photo of the fence line.