# Fence Replacement in Temecula > Fence replacement in Temecula: tear-out of the old fence and its concrete, haul-away, survey pins left in place, neighbor notice and HOA approval for a new style. URL: https://caskfencetemecula.com/fence-replacement/ Service Old fence out, concrete footings removed, boundary markers protected, and a new wood, vinyl, metal or chain-link fence built on a fresh post plan. Get an Estimate [(951) 944-2778](tel:+19519442778) Last Updated: October 31, 2026 A replacement is a chance to change what failed. If the old posts rotted at the ground line, the new fence shouldn't be built the same way. a old concrete plugs come out with the posts b a stake marks the corner pin so it isn't disturbed c the neighbor's side stays closed until the new panels go up 1. **a** old concrete plugs come out with the posts 2. **b** a stake marks the corner pin so it isn't disturbed 3. **c** the neighbor's side stays closed until the new panels go up Most of the work in a replacement nobody sees: getting the old posts and their concrete out of the ground without losing the line. [Cask Fence Temecula](https://caskfencetemecula.com/) manages fence replacement for homes across Temecula and southwest Riverside County, from tear-out to the final walk, with the work carried out by licensed and insured contractors. Replacement is the right call when a fence is failing as a system: posts soft or loose along the run, rails pulling away in several places, or a fence that leans as a whole. If the damage is in one spot, the [fence repair page](https://caskfencetemecula.com/fence-repair/) is the better place to start, and the [repair or replace guide](https://caskfencetemecula.com/guide/fence-repair-or-replace/) helps you tell the two apart. ## When replacement is the right call A fence is due for replacement when the parts that hold it up are giving out in many places at once. Wood posts usually go first, at the ground line where moisture, fungi and termites meet. Once several posts on a run rock in their holes, replacing them one at a time costs more and still leaves a fence of mixed age. Vinyl fences reach the same point when panels crack or turn brittle across a run and the original profile is no longer made. Chain link reaches it when posts and rail are rusted through, not just when fabric sags. Age alone isn’t the test. A twenty-year-old redwood fence on steel posts may need only boards, while a much younger fence on untreated posts may be done. The [fence repair assessment](https://caskfencetemecula.com/tools/fence-repair-assessment/) gives a quick read on your own fence. The housing stock shapes demand too. Census figures show only about 15% of Canyon Lake homes and under 20% of Fallbrook homes were built in 2000 or later, against roughly 90% in French Valley. Older neighborhoods have more fences at the end of their life, while newer tracts tend to start with block walls and vinyl. The [Canyon Lake page](https://caskfencetemecula.com/service-areas/canyon-lake/) and the [Fallbrook page](https://caskfencetemecula.com/service-areas/fallbrook/) cover those areas. ## Before anything comes down: the line and the paperwork ### Survey pins and the true boundary An old fence shows where someone built, not where the property line is. If the line matters to you or a neighbor, the time to confirm it is before the old fence is removed, while its position is still visible. California Civil Code 841 makes adjoining owners jointly responsible for boundaries and monuments, and tear-out is when survey pins and corner markers get disturbed. Any pin found along the line is flagged and left in place. Moving one is a surveyor’s job. The [property line survey guide](https://caskfencetemecula.com/guide/property-line-survey-fence/) explains when a survey is worth paying for. ### Written notice to neighbors For a fence on a shared line, Civil Code 841 calls for 30 days’ written notice to each affected neighbor. The notice describes the problem, the proposed solution, the estimated cost, how the cost would be split and the timeline. The statute presumes equal benefit and equal responsibility for reasonable costs unless there’s a written agreement saying otherwise. If you’re changing material or height, say so in the notice, since that’s part of the proposed solution. Homeowners report the cost split as the hardest part of a shared fence, so a scope that shows each side’s share clearly does a lot of the work. The [good neighbor fence law guide](https://caskfencetemecula.com/guide/good-neighbor-fence-law/) goes deeper. ### HOA approval for a new style In a planned community, a replacement that changes the look of the fence, such as a switch from wood to vinyl, a new color or a different height, is usually the kind of change an association reviews. California Civil Code 4765 requires those decisions in writing, within the timelines in the association’s own documents, with a way to ask for reconsideration if the answer is no. Even a like-for-like replacement may need a submittal, depending on the CC&Rs. The [HOA approval guide](https://caskfencetemecula.com/guide/hoa-fence-approval/) lists what to send, and in Canyon Lake, the property owners association’s architectural committee is the body to ask. ### Height and permits The 2025 California Residential Code exempts fences not over 7 feet from a building permit, but zoning sets the height allowed in each yard. A replacement taller than the fence it replaces, or one in a front yard or on a corner lot, gets its height confirmed for your address first. The City of Temecula’s fee schedule lists a non-masonry fence from 6 to 10 feet at $384 ($131 plan check plus $253 inspection), plus $91 per additional 100 linear feet. Replacing a fence with a block wall is masonry work with its own standard and fees; see the [block wall page](https://caskfencetemecula.com/block-wall-installation/). The [height and permit guide](https://caskfencetemecula.com/guide/temecula-fence-height-permit-rules/) covers the rules. ## Tear-out: boards, posts and the concrete under them Tear-out runs in a set order. Boards or panels come off first, then rails, then posts. Posts set in soil pull out. Posts set in concrete come out with their plug, which can weigh a lot more than the post, or get cut at grade with the concrete broken out below. Where the new posts can sit a few inches off the old ones, the old concrete is sometimes left in the ground and the new holes offset, which saves time but has to be agreed in advance, because it shifts the post layout. On lots with cemented hardpan, which federal soil surveys place roughly 2 to 3 feet down at points around Temecula, Menifee and French Valley, old footings are often wedged into the hardpan and slow to break out. The [fence posts and Temecula soil guide](https://caskfencetemecula.com/guide/fence-posts-temecula-soil/) explains what that layer does to digging. Before new holes are dug, a DigAlert ticket has to be opened at least two working days ahead, and no more than 14 calendar days ahead, under California Government Code 4216.2. Utility operators mark their own lines only, usually to the meter. Sprinkler lines, low-voltage lighting and the lines to a pool heater or spa aren’t marked, and old fence lines often run right beside them. Haul-away covers boards, rails, posts, concrete and spoil. Old pressure-treated lumber shouldn’t be burned or chipped for mulch, so it leaves with the rest of the debris. ## Changing materials: wood to vinyl and other switches Replacement is the natural time to change material. The common local switch is wood to vinyl, for a fence that won’t rot or feed termites and doesn’t need stain. It brings its own trade-offs. Vinyl panels come in fixed widths, so the post layout follows the system, not the old fence. Vinyl expands in heat, and the nearest NOAA station records about 60 days a year at or above 90°F, so panels and rails need their expansion room. Vinyl can crack on impact and isn’t unbreakable. The [wood vs vinyl guide](https://caskfencetemecula.com/guide/wood-vs-vinyl-fence/) and the [vinyl fence page](https://caskfencetemecula.com/vinyl-fence-installation/) cover the comparison, and the [vinyl heat and fire guide](https://caskfencetemecula.com/guide/vinyl-fence-heat-fire/) explains how it behaves in hot weather. Staying with wood can still mean changing what failed. A new wood fence on galvanized steel posts takes the rot-prone part out of the ground; the [wood fence page](https://caskfencetemecula.com/wood-fence-installation/) explains that approach. In a Very High fire hazard zone, replacement is also the cheapest moment to put a metal section or gate where the fence meets the house, as the [fire-resistant fence page](https://caskfencetemecula.com/fire-resistant-fence-installation/) describes. ## How a replacement runs After a first call about the fence, the length and what’s next door, there’s a site visit that walks the line, notes pins and survey marks, grade, rock, drainage and access, and looks at how the old fence was built. Paperwork comes next: the HOA submittal, written notice for a shared fence, any permit, and the DigAlert ticket. Then the build: tear-out, new posts set and cured, rails and boards or panels hung, gates hung and adjusted. The job ends with a final walk to check that posts are plumb, gates swing and latch, and the debris is gone. ## What fence replacement costs Replacement is the new fence plus getting rid of the old one. A national budgeting range for old fence tear-out and haul-away runs about $3 to $7 per linear foot. On top of that sits the new fence: about $10 to $50 per linear foot for a 6 ft pressure-treated or fir privacy fence, $15 to $85 for vinyl privacy fencing, and $8 to $40 for galvanized chain link, each as a national budgeting range. Where a job lands depends on length, height, the old fence’s concrete, hardpan or rock, slope, gates, access for removal, and whether a neighbor is sharing the cost. The [Temecula fence cost guide](https://caskfencetemecula.com/guide/fence-cost-temecula/) breaks those down, and the [fence cost estimator](https://caskfencetemecula.com/tools/fence-cost-estimator/) gives a range for your own length and material. When you’re ready for a written scope, [get in touch](https://caskfencetemecula.com/contact/). ## What's included - A walk of the old line to record gates, corners, pins and the grade before anything comes down - A written scope that names the new material, height, post type and gates - Help preparing the written neighbor notice and the HOA submittal when either applies - A DigAlert ticket before new holes are dug - Removal of boards, rails, posts and their concrete footings - Protection of survey pins and monuments found along the line - Haul-away of the old fence, concrete and spoil - The new fence built, gates hung and adjusted, and a final walk of the line ## Keeping the old style or switching material | | Like-for-like wood | Wood to vinyl | Wood to metal or block | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Post plan | Can follow the old spacing if the holes are clean | Set by the vinyl system's panel width | Set by the panel or the block wall standard | | Old concrete | Removed or new holes offset | Usually removed so posts land where the panels need them | Removed; block walls need a new continuous footing | | HOA review | May still be needed; check the CC&Rs | Usually counts as a change that needs approval | Usually counts as a change that needs approval | | Neighbor notice | Describes the work and the cost split | Should name the new material | Should name the new material and footing | | Budget | National range for the material plus tear-out | National vinyl range plus tear-out | Metal ranges plus tear-out; block priced per project | ## Related resources Decision Guide Should you repair or replace a fence? One broken post and a fence that is failing post after post look alike from the patio. Here is how to tell them apart, and what changes the answer in Temecula. Learn How does California's good neighbor fence law work? Civil Code 841 read line by line: who it covers, what the notice has to contain, how a neighbor can rebut an even split, and the questions it leaves for a surveyor or an attorney. Learn How do you get HOA approval for a fence in Temecula? What the association owes you under state law, what to put in the application so it isn't sent back, and how approval fits around the neighbor notice, permits and the build. Decision Guide Do you need a survey for a fence? How to tell whether the corner pins and the recorded map are enough to set a fence line, and when a licensed land surveyor is the cheaper answer in the long run. Decision Guide Wood vs. vinyl fence: which is better for a Temecula yard? How the two most common privacy fences behave in inland heat, wind and termite country, and the yard conditions that should decide between them. Cost Guide How much does fence installation cost in Temecula? Per-foot budgeting ranges for every common fence, the local conditions that push a Temecula job up or down, and the public figures that sit inside the price. ## From the first call to the last latch 1. The call Length, material, height, slope, how many gates, and anything the HOA has already said. 2. The site visit Walk the line, look for corner pins or a survey, and check grade, rock, drainage and access for equipment. 3. Paperwork HOA submittal, written notice to a neighbor where a fence is shared, any permit, and a DigAlert ticket at least two working days before digging. 4. The build Posts set and the concrete cured, then rails and boards or panels, then gates hung and adjusted on their own heavier posts. 5. The walk Check plumb and line, gate swing and latch, and the gap at the bottom, then clear debris and leftover concrete. ## What this work looks like Old fence boards, rails and posts with concrete plugs stacked on a tarp for haul-away. New fence frame of posts and three rails along a back property line, before the boards go on. Old rotted post with its concrete plug lying beside a new pressure-treated post. Finished new cedar privacy fence along the back of a yard, with the neighbor's roof beyond. Before After ## Fence Replacement questions ### Can the new fence reuse the old fence posts? Only when they're sound and in the right place for the new fence. Old wood posts that look fine above ground are often soft just below it, and a new fence hung on them inherits their remaining life. Reuse is most realistic with galvanized steel posts that are straight, solidly footed and spaced to suit the new panels. A switch to vinyl or a different panel width usually rules it out, because the posts have to land where the new system needs them. ### My neighbor hasn't answered about replacing our shared fence. What now? Put it in writing if you haven't. California Civil Code 841 doesn't require the neighbor's agreement, but it does require 30 days' written notice to each affected neighbor before the work, describing the problem, the proposed fix, the estimated cost, how you propose to split it and the timeline. Neighbors are presumed to share reasonable costs equally unless a written agreement says otherwise, and that presumption can be rebutted. When a neighbor hasn't replied, the notice and its date are the record that matters. ### Is it worth replacing a fence before selling the house? There is no guaranteed return either way. A fence with a few broken boards or one leaning post is usually better repaired, since buyers mostly notice damage, not age. A fence that leans along the run or has rotted posts throughout will show up on a buyer's walk-through and in their inspection, and a repair won't hide that. In an HOA, check whether the existing fence still meets the association's standards before you list. ### What happens to the old fence and its concrete after tear-out? Boards, rails, posts and spoil are hauled away with the job. The concrete usually comes out too, though not always. A new post can be set beside an old plug when the fence style tolerates a shifted post. When the new posts need to sit exactly where the old ones were, or when switching to a system with a different panel width, the old concrete is broken out and hauled away. Removing it takes longer on hardpan or rocky lots and is part of the tear-out cost. ## Related services ### Fence Repair → Leaning and rotted posts, broken boards and panels, wind damage, sagging gates and slack chain link, repaired where the rest of the fence is still sound. ### Vinyl Fences → Vinyl privacy, semi-privacy and ranch rail fences, with gate posts reinforced for the load and rails fitted to move with Temecula's summer heat. ### Wood Fences → Redwood, cedar, fir or treated pine privacy fences, on wood or galvanized steel posts, planned around Temecula's soil, sun and wind.