Why is my fence leaning after winter in Ottawa?

A leaning fence after winter is something an installer needs to look at in person, because the cause can only be confirmed by checking the posts, the footings, and the ground around them. What the installer examines will shape what the repair actually involves and what it costs.

The things that show up in a fence repair quote for a leaning post include how many posts are affected, whether the posts need to be pulled and reset or can be braced, whether the footings are intact or need to be broken out and replaced, the condition of the boards or panels attached to those posts, and whether the fence is wood, vinyl, chain link or another material. Published installer pages say posts set in concrete cost more to pull, so ask the installer to specify what the quote assumes about the existing footings.

Before any post is pulled or any new hole is dug, a locate is required. Under Ontario's Underground Infrastructure Notification System Act, 2012, anyone who digs, including with a hand shovel, is an excavator and must submit a locate request before breaking ground. Ontario Dig Authority handles the request, and the utilities have five business days to respond. Ontario Dig Authority does not mark lines itself; each utility sends its own locator. Ask about any private lines on your property, such as a line running to a garage or shed, as we found no statement either way on whether those will be marked.

If the fence is being rebuilt rather than just repaired, the City of Ottawa Fence By-law, as published on ottawa.ca, applies. In a rear or side yard the limit is 213 cm (about 7 feet); in a front yard, 1 m. Height is measured from the grade at the base of the fence, and where the ground is higher on one side, from the higher side. A berm does not raise the allowable height. The Fence By-law also requires that a fence be stable, vertical and kept in good repair.

For the repair quote itself, ask the installer to list each post being reset as a separate line, to state whether old concrete is included in the removal price, and to put the warranty for the reset posts in writing.

The form on this page sends your repair details to Ottawa fence installers listed in the Ottawa Construction Network directory, and they reply by email with quotes.