Chain link, from a dog run to a twelve foot enclosure
Chain link is the fence that gets specified when the fence has to do a job rather than make a statement: keep a ball in, keep a dog in, keep a yard secure, hold up for twenty years with nothing done to it. Willard Fence Co. installs galvanized and vinyl coated chain link across Butte, Glenn, and Tehama counties, from a 4-foot side yard to a 12-foot court enclosure.
The parts that decide how long it lasts
Every chain link fence is the same four things: posts, framework, fabric, and fittings. What separates a fence that stands for twenty-five years from one that leans in five is which weight of each one got used, and how deep the posts went.
- Fabric gauge: 11.5 gauge is standard residential, 11 and 9 gauge are heavier and go on commercial, court, and security fence. Lower number, thicker wire.
- Mesh size: 2-inch diamond is standard. Tennis and pickleball enclosures use 1-3/4 inch so a ball cannot wedge in it.
- Post size: line posts run 1-5/8 to 2-3/8 inch, terminal and gate posts step up from there. Height and wind load set the size, not the price sheet.
- Coating: hot dip galvanized is the baseline. Black, green, and brown vinyl coated over a galvanized core costs more and disappears into landscaping.
- Top: top rail on most fences, top wire on tall runs, barbed arms where a commercial yard needs them.
Vinyl coated, when you would rather not see it
Black vinyl coated chain link is the quiet answer for a homeowner who needs the function of chain link and does not want the look of it. Against a hedge or a treeline it reads as almost nothing from twenty feet away, which is exactly why it is the standard for tennis courts and park perimeters.
The coating is bonded over galvanized wire, so the corrosion protection is still underneath it. Posts, rails, and fittings all come in the matching color, and a job where only the fabric is coated is a job that will look wrong in a year.
Gates that still close in five years
Most chain link complaints are gate complaints. A gate sags because the hinge post was undersized, the footing was shallow, or the frame was assembled instead of welded. We size the gate post to the leaf it has to carry, set it deeper than the line posts, and use a welded frame on anything wide.
- Walk gates 3 to 6 feet, single leaf, on a post sized for the swing
- Double drive gates to 20 feet, with a drop rod and a center stop
- Cantilever slide gates where there is no room to swing and no track to jam
- Panic hardware, closers, and code compliant pool gate latches where required
What we stock and install
| Heights | 4', 5', 6', 8', 10', 12' (taller on spec) |
|---|---|
| Fabric | 11.5, 11, and 9 gauge; 2" and 1-3/4" mesh |
| Finish | Galvanized, or black, green, and brown vinyl coated |
| Framework | 1-3/8" to 2-7/8" galvanized pipe, sized to height |
| Tops | Top rail, top wire, barbed arm, or bare |
| Bottoms | Tension wire, bottom rail, or concrete mow strip |
| Privacy | Slats and windscreen, where you want the fence to block a view |
Post sizes and footing depths get set from the height and the wind exposure on your site, not from a catalog default.
What chain link runs, installed
| 4 to 6 foot residential galvanized | $18 to $35 per linear foot |
|---|---|
| Black vinyl coated residential | $28 to $50 per linear foot |
| 8 to 12 foot commercial or court enclosure | $45 to $90 per linear foot |
| Walk gate, installed | $350 to $900 |
| Double drive gate, 12 to 20 feet | $1,200 to $3,500 |
These are typical installed ranges for this part of Northern California, published so you can budget. They are not a quote. What a run actually costs is decided by the site: access, grade, what has to come out first, and how many corners and gates are in it.
Questions we get
California requires a pool barrier at least 60 inches high with no gaps a 4-inch sphere can pass through, and a self-closing, self-latching gate with the latch at least 60 inches up or shielded on the inside. Standard 2-inch chain link mesh does not meet the gap rule on its own for a pool barrier, so pool enclosures are usually ornamental iron with 4-inch picket spacing, or chain link with the correct fabric and hardware.
For a backyard or a dog run, 11.5 gauge is fine. For a school, a park, a court, or anything a person might climb, 9 gauge. The heavier fabric costs more up front and is the reason a public fence still looks like a fence after twenty years.
Yes, if the fabric is in good shape. Slats slide vertically through the mesh and cut most of the sight line. They also turn the fence into a sail, so on a tall run in an exposed spot we check whether the posts can take the new wind load first.
Yes, panel fence for job sites and events, and permanent chain link around a yard that needs to be secure while a project runs.
Get an estimate: chain link
Roughly how many feet, what is there now, how many gates, and which town. Photos help. Someone will call back to walk the line and put a real number on it.