An acre is a lot of fence. Before any quote, one number decides the price: how many feet of fence the land needs. This guide works that out for a quarter acre up to 5 acres and prices it with the same numbers as our fence cost calculator.
How many feet of fence is an acre?
An acre is 43,560 square feet. If the land is a perfect square, its perimeter is four times the square root of the area:
| Area | Side of a square | Perimeter |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 acre | 104 ft | 417 ft |
| 1/2 acre | 148 ft | 590 ft |
| 1 acre | 209 ft | 835 ft |
| 2 acres | 295 ft | 1,181 ft |
| 5 acres | 467 ft | 1,867 ft |
A square has the shortest boundary of any four-sided lot, so these are minimums. Real lots are usually deeper than they are wide: a 1-acre lot twice as deep as it is wide needs 885 ft of fence, and one four times as deep needs 1,044 ft. Measure your own boundary on the county plat map or with the distance tool in Google Maps before you trust any per-acre number.
What it costs to fence an acre
Installed prices for the full perimeter of a square lot, materials and labor included, without gates:
| Area | Fence length | Split rail | Chain link | Wood (pine) | Vinyl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 acre | 417 ft | $5,004 - $12,510 | $6,255 - $16,680 | $7,089 - $18,765 | $10,425 - $25,020 |
| 1/2 acre | 590 ft | $7,080 - $17,700 | $8,850 - $23,600 | $10,030 - $26,550 | $14,750 - $35,400 |
| 1 acre | 835 ft | $10,020 - $25,050 | $12,525 - $33,400 | $14,195 - $37,575 | $20,875 - $50,100 |
| 2 acres | 1,181 ft | $14,172 - $35,430 | $17,715 - $47,240 | $20,077 - $53,145 | $29,525 - $70,860 |
| 5 acres | 1,867 ft | $22,404 - $56,010 | $28,005 - $74,680 | $31,739 - $84,015 | $46,675 - $112,020 |
Split rail and chain link are what most people use to enclose a whole acre: they are the cheapest per foot and keep the view open. A full-height privacy fence around an acre is rare, because it costs as much as a new car and walls the property in. Where your number lands inside a range depends mostly on local labor rates, so check the prices for your state too.
Fence only the part you need
Most owners of an acre lot do not fence all of it. The usual pattern is a privacy fence around the backyard next to the house and something cheaper, or nothing, on the rest. A 150 ft pine privacy fence around the yard plus 700 ft of split rail on the outer line costs $10,950-$27,750, against $14,450-$38,250 for 850 ft of privacy fence. The house, a neighbor's fence or a tree line often closes one side for free.
Farm fencing for larger acreage
For pasture and livestock, people use barbed wire, woven wire or high-tensile wire instead of residential fence. It costs a fraction of the prices above per foot, needs fewer posts and goes up quickly over long straight runs. This guide covers residential materials only; if you are fencing animals in on several acres, get quotes from a farm fence contractor.
Gates, corners and slopes
- Gates: a walk gate adds $150-$400 and a double drive gate $300-$800. Sliding driveway gates cost $500-$1,500 before any automation.
- Corners: every corner needs a heavier braced post, so an irregular lot with many corners costs more than a rectangle with the same perimeter.
- Slopes and rock: sloped ground adds about 15% to the job and rocky ground about 35%, because post holes take longer to dig.
Before you build on a property line
On larger lots the boundary is often less obvious than in a subdivision. If the old fence or the corner markers are uncertain, a boundary survey before building is cheaper than moving a fence later. Also check whether your county needs a permit for the fence height you want: our permit guide has the rules for each state.