Fence & Gate Repair Cost LA

Sagging gate hinge re-set: $120–$220

About half the gate calls in Los Angeles are some version of 'the gate doesn't close anymore.' The cause is almost always one of two things: the hinge-side post has shifted, or the gate frame itself has racked out of square from years of opening and closing. The fix on a wood fence gate is typically $120–$220 — the pro pulls the gate, checks the post for plumb (often the post has tilted ½ to 2 inches off vertical), resets the post if needed, replaces the hinges with heavier hardware, and rehangs.

On flat lots in Sherman Oaks, Studio City, or Mar Vista, this is straightforward 60–90 minutes of work. On hillside lots in Silver Lake, Echo Park, or Mount Washington, the same job often takes 90–150 minutes because the post has shifted with seasonal soil movement and the pro has to dig out, re-set, and pour a small concrete collar to keep it plumb. Add $40–$80 for the hillside scope.

What's not included: replacing the gate itself if the frame is too far gone (see the gate frame repair section), rebuilding a rotted post (different scope), or matching a custom historic gate profile on a 1920s home (specialty millwork).

Broken latch and gate hardware: $80–$160

Latch hardware is the cheapest and most common gate fix in LA. A broken or seized latch, a missing strike plate, or a self-closing spring that's lost tension typically runs $80–$120 for the part-and-labor on a standard residential gate, and $120–$160 if you're upgrading to a heavier-duty latch (Stanley NF333, D&D MagnaLatch) for a pool-code-compliant child-safety setup.

Two things move the latch quote up. First, alignment — if the gate has sagged so the latch and strike no longer line up, the pro has to either shim the strike or re-hang the gate before the new latch will work, which adds 20–30 minutes. Second, hardware grade: stainless or marine-grade latches on Westside coastal jobs cost $20–$40 more than zinc-plated builder-grade hardware, but they last 5–10 years instead of 2–3 in the salt air of Santa Monica or Venice.

What's not included unless you specify: rekeying or replacing a keyed gate lock (locksmith scope), installing an electric strike for a smart gate (electrical scope), or repairing the gate post itself.

Single post replacement: $180–$340

When a fence post has rotted at ground level, snapped from termite damage, or shifted so far it can no longer be re-set, replacement is the only real fix. A single 4x4 wood post replacement in LA typically runs $180–$280 — pro digs out the old post and concrete footing, sets a new pressure-treated post in fresh concrete, and reattaches the rails or panels. A 6x6 corner or gate post runs $240–$340 because of the heavier material and deeper footing.

Termite damage is the dominant post-failure driver in older neighborhoods — Pasadena, Hancock Park, Highland Park, West Adams. Many fences in these areas were built 30–60 years ago with redwood or cedar that's now hollowed out at ground level. Pros doing post replacements in these neighborhoods almost always recommend pressure-treated Douglas fir for the replacement (longer life in termite-active soil) and often suggest checking the adjacent two posts at the same visit, since termites rarely attack just one.

Marine corrosion shows up differently — coastal Westside fences (Santa Monica, Venice, Mar Vista) usually fail at the metal post-base bracket, not the wood itself. Galvanized brackets pit and weaken in 8–12 years; stainless or hot-dipped marine-grade brackets last 20+. Upcharge on the better bracket is $15–$30 and worth it.

Gate frame repair and rebuild: $240–$480

When a wood gate frame has racked, split at the joints, or rotted at the bottom rail, a full frame repair runs $240–$480 depending on size and material. A standard 36-inch wide x 6-foot tall side-yard gate with new pressure-treated frame, new dog-ears or pickets, and reused hardware is typically $240–$340. A 4-foot wide front entry gate with a custom dog-ear top, new hardware, and stain-matched finish runs $340–$480.

Two things drive the upper end. First, decorative profile — a flat-top utility gate is fast; a scalloped, lattice-top, or custom-arch gate takes 2–4 hours of carpentry instead of 1–2. Second, finish — bare cedar or Douglas fir gets installed and stained later, but matching an existing stain or paint on-site (so the new gate doesn't look obviously new next to the existing fence) adds $60–$120 in materials and time.

On hillside lots in Silver Lake or Echo Park, gate frames take more abuse than flat-lot gates because they're often the only level surface in a sloped fence run. Pros doing hillside gate repairs frequently use heavier 2x6 or 2x8 frame stock instead of standard 2x4, which adds $30–$60 in material but doubles the gate's working life.

Chain-link section repair: $160–$280 per section

Chain-link fence repair is the most common scope on rental properties, side yards, and back-of-lot fences in LA. A single 8 to 10-foot section repair — replacing bent posts, retensioning the mesh, replacing a torn fabric panel — typically runs $160–$220. Adding a top rail and re-tying the mesh fully runs $220–$280. Multi-section repairs drop in per-section cost as setup time gets shared.

• Bent post straighten or replace: $80–$140 per post depending on whether it's a line post or a corner/terminal post.
• Fabric panel replacement (torn or cut mesh): $100–$160 per 10-foot section in standard 2-inch galvanized mesh, +$30–$60 for vinyl-coated or black-coated mesh.
• Top rail repair: $40–$80 per section.
• Tension band and brace band replacement at corners: $40–$80 per corner assembly.
• Full gate to chain-link transition repair: $120–$220 depending on hardware.

What you can supply to lower the quote

Two things you can do to keep an LA fence-or-gate quote at the lower end. First, have the work area clear. Plant overgrowth, planters pushed against the fence, or stored bikes and trash bins in front of the gate add 15–30 minutes of clearing time before the pro can even start. If you've cleared the area beforehand, most pros pass that savings on as a faster, cheaper job.

Second, bundle related repairs. If the latch is broken, the gate is sagging, and there's a rotted picket two posts away — book all three at once. The travel time, tool setup, and the pro's 'context-load' on your fence are shared across the visit. Most LA fence pros price a bundle 20–30 percent lower than the same items as separate visits, especially on flat-fee marketplace platforms where there's no separate lead fee for each item.

Neighborhood patterns: what fails where

Fence and gate failures in Los Angeles aren't random — they cluster by neighborhood because the underlying drivers (soil, climate, age of construction) cluster geographically. Knowing the pattern in your area helps you scope the visit accurately:

• Pasadena, Hancock Park, Highland Park, West Adams: termite damage in 60–90 year old redwood and cedar fences. Posts rot at the soil line, gate frames split at the joints. Pressure-treated replacement posts are the standard fix.
• Santa Monica, Venice, Mar Vista, Playa del Rey: marine corrosion at metal hardware (hinges, post bases, latches). Wood itself often outlasts the brackets in these neighborhoods. Stainless or hot-dipped galvanized hardware is worth the small upcharge.
• Silver Lake, Echo Park, Mount Washington, Eagle Rock: hillside soil movement during rainy seasons shifts posts off plumb. Re-set jobs are more common than replacement, but they need a small concrete collar to hold.
• Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Encino, Tarzana: mostly tract-home fences from the 1950s–80s, standard wood-on-wood construction. Failures cluster at gate hinges and latch hardware rather than posts. Average repair scope is smaller and faster.
• Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades: higher-end wood and wrought-iron fences with custom millwork. Repairs more often involve color matching and historic profile preservation than structural replacement.