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Privacy fence installation

A backyard that’s actually yours across New Jersey

Vinyl, cedar and pressure-treated privacy fencing — built gap-free to the height your town allows, on posts set below the frost line.

Get a free estimate → Call (973) 259-5354
200+ five-star Google reviews
Permits filed for you
0% financing available
Where privacy fences go wrong

Two things decide this, and neither is the material

Almost everyone starts a privacy fence conversation at the material — vinyl or wood, and which wood. It is the least important question. The two things that actually determine whether you end up happy are what your town will let you build, and what is holding the fence up.

Height comes first because it is not negotiable. Most northern New Jersey ordinances allow 6 feet along side and rear yards and cap the front at 4, but the exceptions bite: Clifton holds side and rear to 5 feet, and towns including Clifton and Pompton Lakes require front-yard fences to be at least half open, which means a solid privacy panel is not permitted out front at all. Building first and asking later is how homeowners end up ordered to modify a brand-new fence. We check the ordinance for your address before we put a number on paper.

The second is underground. A full-height gapless panel is a sail — it catches wind that an open picket never feels, and every bit of that load goes into the posts. Post depth below the 36-inch frost line, footings sized to the panel and spacing set for the load are what separate a fence that is straight in fifteen years from one leaning in three. It is invisible work, it is the part a low bid cuts, and it is the part we do not.

Licensed & insured
Lifetime workmanship warranty
Your town’s code verified before we quote
Our own crew, never subcontracted
How we build it

The four things that decide a privacy fence

Two are set by your municipality, two by the crew. Material choice sits underneath all four.

6 ft

Height is your town’s decision, not yours

Most northern New Jersey ordinances allow up to 6 feet along side and rear yards and cap the front yard at 4 feet. A few are stricter — Clifton holds side and rear to 5 feet, and several towns require front-yard fences to be at least 50% open, which rules out a solid panel in front entirely. We confirm the code for your address before quoting.

No gaps

What actually blocks the view

A fence gives real privacy when the boards sit close enough that there is no sightline at a normal viewing angle. Stockade sets flat boards edge to edge. Board-on-board overlaps them on alternating sides, so the fence stays solid even after the wood shrinks and gaps open. Vinyl privacy panels interlock tongue-and-groove with no gap at all.

Wind load

A solid fence is a sail

This is the part that fails on cheap installs. A full-height gapless panel catches wind that an open picket never sees, so post depth, post spacing and bracing matter more here than on any other style. Every post goes below the 36-inch frost line on a proper footing — a privacy fence that leans is almost always a footing problem.

Both sides

The finished face has to point out

Most ordinances here — Wayne’s among them — require the smooth side to face the street and your neighbors, leaving you the rails. If you would rather not choose, board-on-board, shadowbox and virtually all vinyl privacy panels read identically from either yard.

Our process

From walking the line to a finished screen

Four steps, permits and utility markout included, with a lifetime workmanship warranty at the end.

1

Walk the line and check the code

We measure the run, look at the grade and what you are actually screening — a neighbor’s deck, a road, a pool — and confirm your town’s height limits and setbacks for that exact address. Free written itemized estimate.

2

Choose the material and the style

Vinyl, cedar or pressure-treated pine, and the panel style that fits: stockade, board-on-board, shadowbox or flush vinyl panel. Budget, upkeep tolerance and how the fence looks from both yards decide it, and we lay out the tradeoffs plainly.

3

Permits, markout and posts

We prepare and file the zoning application with your survey, call in the utility markout, then set every post below the frost line on a compacted gravel base and concrete footing, spaced for the wind load a solid panel carries.

4

Panels, gates and walkthrough

Panels hung to a consistent line, gates set on reinforced posts with adjustable hinges, finished side facing out. We walk the run with you, clear the site, and hand over your written lifetime workmanship warranty.

Why us

What you get when Fence Pro by Bruno builds your privacy fence

We check your ordinance before quoting

Height caps, front-yard openness rules and corner-lot sight triangles vary town by town across the 180 New Jersey towns we serve. We quote what your town will actually approve, not what sounds good on the phone.

Every privacy material, honestly compared

Vinyl for lowest upkeep, cedar for looks and stain-ability, pressure-treated pine for budget. We tell you which one fits how you actually live rather than steering you to the highest ticket.

Built for the wind a solid fence catches

Posts below the 36-inch frost line, footings sized for the panel, spacing set for the load. The difference between a privacy fence at fifteen years and one leaning at three is entirely underground.

We handle the neighbor conversation

Property lines, which side faces out, notice requirements where the town has them. Most privacy-fence disputes come from surprise, not from the fence — a walkthrough before the crew arrives prevents nearly all of them.

200+ five-star Google reviews

Family-owned in Wayne, 15+ years across northern New Jersey, with the same crew and the same written warranty on a 40-foot screen as on a full perimeter.

Straight about what a fence will not do

A privacy fence blocks sightlines. It will not meaningfully block traffic noise, and it will not stop deer. We say so rather than let you find out after paying.

★★★★★
"We wanted six feet the whole way around and Bruno told us straight that the front couldn't go over four in our town. He showed us the ordinance. The fence went up exactly as drawn, passed inspection first time, and the backyard finally feels like ours."
A Fence Pro by Bruno customer — Passaic County, New Jersey Privacy fence
Where we install

Privacy fence installation across northern New Jersey

Height limits, front-yard rules and setbacks change from town to town. Each county page covers its towns and the local permit rules that apply.

Privacy fence fence in Bergen County 955,000+ residents · county seat Hackensack Privacy fence fence in Passaic County 525,000+ residents · county seat Paterson Privacy fence fence in Essex County 860,000+ residents · county seat Newark Privacy fence fence in Morris County 515,000+ residents · county seat Morristown Privacy fence fence in Somerset County 350,000+ residents · county seat Somerville Privacy fence fence in Sussex County 145,000+ residents · county seat Newton
See every New Jersey town we serve →
Financing

0% interest financing available

Do the whole run at once instead of in stages — a privacy fence with a gap in it is not a privacy fence.

See financing options
  • 0% interest for qualified buyers
  • Quick approval through our financing partner
  • Pay over 12, 24 or 36 months
  • No prepayment penalty if you pay off early
FAQ

Privacy fence questions, answered

Height limits, materials, which side faces out, cost, permits — and the one thing a privacy fence will not do for you.

How tall can a privacy fence be in New Jersey?
In most northern New Jersey towns, up to 6 feet along side and rear yards, and 4 feet in the front. The exceptions are where people get caught out: Clifton caps side and rear fences at 5 feet, and towns including Clifton and Pompton Lakes require front-yard fences to be at least 50% open — which means a solid privacy panel is not permitted in a front yard there at all. Corner lots are stricter almost everywhere, because a property touching two streets has two front yards in the eyes of the code. We verify the ordinance for your specific address before we quote, and file the permit as part of the job.
What is the best material for a privacy fence?
Vinyl is the lowest-maintenance solid option — tongue-and-groove panels with no gap, no staining or sealing, and no rot. Cedar gives you the most design range and takes stain, so it is the easiest to match to a specific look, at the cost of periodic upkeep. Pressure-treated pine is the budget entry and needs the most attention. There is no universally right answer: it comes down to how much maintenance you are willing to do and whether you want the fence to look like wood. We quote more than one option so you can compare real numbers rather than argue about materials in the abstract.
What is the difference between stockade, board-on-board and shadowbox?
Stockade is the classic tight-board privacy fence — flat boards set edge to edge with little or no gap, and the least expensive of the three. Board-on-board overlaps boards on alternating sides of the rails, so there is no sightline from either yard and the fence stays solid even as the wood naturally shrinks and gaps open over the years. Shadowbox alternates boards on opposite sides with a deliberate gap between, which looks identical from both sides and lets air through — useful on windy runs, though it gives partial rather than total privacy at an angle.
Which side of a privacy fence faces the neighbor?
The finished side. Most northern New Jersey ordinances, Wayne’s included, require the smooth face to point outward toward the street and adjoining properties, which leaves the rails and posts on your side. It is a code requirement in most of the towns we serve, not a courtesy, and it is the kind of thing a zoning officer notices from the street. If you would rather not give up the good side, choose a style that is identical from both yards — board-on-board, shadowbox or a vinyl privacy panel.
How much does a privacy fence cost in New Jersey?
It depends on material, length, height, the number of gates, the terrain and whether an old fence has to come out. Pressure-treated pine sits at the budget end, vinyl and cedar higher. Gates, sloped or rocky yards and old-fence removal are the line items that move a quote most. We measure on site and give you a free written itemized estimate — material, labor, gates, removal and permit broken out separately — so you can compare it line by line against anyone else. 0% financing is available.
Will a privacy fence block noise from the road?
Not meaningfully, and we would rather tell you before you spend the money. Sound goes over and around a fence, and blocking traffic noise in a way you can actually hear takes mass and height well beyond what a residential fence provides and what your town would permit. A solid fence does take the edge off perceived noise, partly because you stop seeing the source, but if noise reduction is your main goal a fence alone will disappoint you. Dense planting alongside the fence does more than the fence does.
Do I need a permit for a privacy fence?
In almost every New Jersey town, yes — a zoning permit, even when you are replacing an existing fence in the same spot. The application typically wants a copy of your property survey marked with the fence location, height and setback from the property line. We prepare it, file it and handle any questions from the code office, so you never deal with the permit desk. It is included in our estimates rather than added later.
How close to the property line can a privacy fence go?
Your town decides. Many northern New Jersey ordinances let a fence go right up to the boundary, some require a setback of a few inches to a foot, and corner lots carry extra sight-triangle rules. We set fences a few inches inside the line even where building on it is permitted, so the footings, the maintenance and the ownership stay unambiguous and you never need a neighbor’s permission to work on your own fence. Our guide to property line rules in New Jersey covers surveys, ownership and disputes in detail.

Ready to close in your backyard?

Free written estimates. Your town’s code checked first. Permits filed for you, anywhere in northern New Jersey.

Get your free estimate Call (973) 259-5354

Available Monday – Saturday, 8am – 8pm

Related

Choosing the material

Privacy panels come in vinyl and wood, or see the full material comparison. Further reading: best privacy fence options for NJ backyards, permit and height rules by town and how close to the property line you can build.

See all residential fencing →