A fence drawn on paper before it is built
A fence project can start as a picture in your head: a screened patio, a yard the dog stays inside, a neat row of pickets along the front walk. Turning that picture into a drawing early can help, since a drawing gives each company the same thing to price. In Cape Girardeau, the city's own fence paperwork hints at what that drawing might show.
What the city's fence application asks for
Cape Girardeau's fence permit application asks for two copies of a site plan showing easements, setbacks and the depth and diameter of postholes. The city says all fence work must be inspected before any concrete is placed, and the permit expires 6 months from the date of issue.
Those lines can become questions about your own yard:
- Does an easement cross the ground you plan to enclose, and where is it shown on your plat or survey?
- What setback applies along the route you have in mind, and who can confirm it?
- How deep and how wide will each posthole be, and who puts those measurements on the drawing?
- Does this particular fence call for a permit? Ask the contractor, and ask the city.
Then ask each bidder who prepares the site plan, who files the application, and whether that time and any fee sit inside the quoted price or on top of it.
Fitting the inspection into the schedule
If your fence does call for a permit, ask each company how its schedule handles the inspection the city describes: who requests it, what the crew does between digging and the inspector's visit, and what happens if a hole has to be changed. Ask, too, how the planned start and finish dates sit within the permit's term, and who keeps track of that date.
Cape Girardeau's Inspection Services Division
Cape Girardeau's Inspection Services Division handles building inspection, plan and site layout review, and enforcement of the International Code Council (ICC) construction standards and local construction codes adopted by the City Council.
If you are unsure which of those codes reach a residential fence, ask the division which ones apply to a fence like yours and where you can read them. Ask each bidder the same thing, and compare the answers.
Purpose first, then height and openness
Write down the main reason you want a fence, and then the second reason. A fence meant to hold a dog in may need a bottom edge close to the soil along the whole run. One meant to give a deck some privacy might only need full height on a single side. A fence that simply marks the front of the lot can stay low and open. Hand the same written purpose to every company so each design answers the same brief.
If a pool or hot tub will sit inside the fenced area, ask the city what it expects of the barrier and its gates before you settle on a style.
Where the lot ends
A fence that strays onto a neighbor's land can be hard to sort out later. Find your plat or survey and look for the corner markers it shows. If they are missing, or they disagree with an old fence line, a land surveyor can locate and flag the corners. Ask each bidder how far inside the line the posts will stand and who checks the stakes on the first morning. Showing the neighbors your drawing before work starts can head off questions about which face of the fence points their way.
Under the grass
Postholes can reach deeper than ordinary garden digging. Ask who will request a utility locate before any digging starts, and how much lead time that request takes. Then think about the lines you own yourself, which a public locate may leave unmarked: sprinkler pipe, wiring to a shed or a yard light, a gas line to a grill, a buried pet-containment wire. Mark the ones you know about and walk the route with the crew lead.
Posts and gates, spelled out
Ask each company to put in writing:
- the post material and size, and for wood, whether it is rated for ground contact;
- how each post will be set, and how the base is kept from holding water;
- the spacing between line posts, and whether corner, end and gate posts are heavier;
- each gate's width, hinges, latch, swing direction and bracing against sag.
Drinking water: the city's hardness figure
Cape Girardeau's 2025 Annual Water Quality Report lists carbonate hardness ranging from 121 to 155 mg/L, from a sample collected January 21, 2025.
Choosing among bidders
Put the same questions to every company and note each answer on its proposal:
- "What state license or registration, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?"
- Can you show proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation?
- Will your own crew do the work, or a subcontractor?
- What happens to the price if a hole meets rock, roots or an old slab?
Call your own insurer if you have a question about how your policy treats work in the yard.
When the written proposals arrive, check that each one shows the route, the height and style, the posts and how they are set, every gate and its hardware, removal of any old fence, cleanup, warranty terms for materials and labor, the payment steps and a start window. Ask any company that leaves a line out to fill it in, and compare totals only once the proposals describe the same fence.