Is now a good time to replace my fence in Nepean?

We found too few published prices to say how the season affects a fence quote, so the useful question is what each installer you speak with says about your timing. Ask whether the season or the ground conditions change their schedule or their price, and get that in writing with the quote.

On the cost side, published 2025-26 Ontario installer pricing for a replacement fence runs roughly $30 to $65 per linear foot for pressure-treated wood, $45 to $85 for cedar, $45 to $90 for vinyl, and $15 to $50 for coated chain link. Removing and disposing of the old fence adds roughly $5 to $15 per linear foot, and posts set in concrete cost more to pull. Gates are priced separately: a walk gate is roughly $500 to $1,500 and a driveway gate roughly $800 to $2,200. What moves the total for your job is the length of the run, the material and style, the number and size of gates, whether the old posts are in concrete, and the condition of the ground.

Under the City of Ottawa Fence By-law No. 2003-462, a replacement fence in a side or rear yard can be up to 213 cm (about 7 feet) tall, and a front yard fence is limited to 1 m. The by-law also requires that the finished side face the street and neighbouring properties, and that any residential chain link be vinyl or powder coated. No building permit is needed for a fence that does not enclose a pool.

Before anyone digs a post hole, the Underground Infrastructure Notification System Act, 2012 requires a locate request, whether your installer digs or you do; Ontario Dig Authority says locates are needed for any project that breaks ground, no matter the depth, and asks for the request at least 5 business days before the dig. Also ask about any private lines on your property, such as a line running to a garage or shed; we found no statement either way on whether those will be marked.

Before the work starts, check the approximate property line on geoOttawa and review your title documents for any easements along the fence line; if anything is unclear, an Ontario Land Surveyor can confirm the exact boundary. Check whether any trees are close to the planned post locations, since the City's guide says you cannot dig within a tree's critical root zone without Forestry Services' approval.