The costs the city publishes
A fence's price mostly reflects materials, length and labor, which only a quote can tell you. But the City of Sioux Falls publishes its fees clearly. Its 2026 fee schedule charges a flat $40 permit fee for swimming pool fence enclosures. For other permitted work, the residential fee starts at $40.00 for work valued up to $4,000 and rises with valuation, for example $80.50 for a job valued at $9,001 to $10,000. Ask the city whether your fence needs a permit, and check any neighborhood rules on height and placement.
The license rule
The City of Sioux Falls requires a Residential Building Contractor license of anyone doing work on one- and two-family homes and townhomes that needs a building permit. Homeowners working on their own homes need no license but must get the permits. If you hire out a permitted fence, ask for the contractor's license number.
Building against frost heave
NOAA's engineering weather data for Sioux Falls lists a 50-year frost depth of 102 inches and about 75 freeze-thaw cycles a year. Frost can lift fence posts out of the ground over a few winters. Ask each contractor:
- how deep posts will be set and what backfill will be used;
- whether posts will be set in concrete or gravel, and how water will drain away;
- how gate posts will be braced so gates do not sag after a winter;
- how they handle posts that heave in future years.
Step-by-step
1. Confirm your property line with a survey or plat. 2. Call South Dakota's one-call service so utilities are marked. 3. Check permit needs and neighborhood rules. 4. Collect quotes on the same layout. 5. Install, confirming the line before the first post. 6. Walk the finished fence and test every gate.
Comparing quotes
Ask every contractor to list:
- length, height and material;
- post size, spacing, depth and setting method;
- gate count and hardware;
- removal and disposal of an old fence;
- permit, if needed.
Snow and wind
Solid fences catch drifting snow and wind. Ask whether the layout will cause drifts across a driveway or walk, and whether a gap between boards would reduce wind load.
Pool fences
Pool enclosures have strict safety rules on height, gaps and self-closing, self-latching gates. Ask the city for the current requirements before choosing a design.
Records
Keep the survey, permit, contract and warranty together.