Why You Should Always Use a Licensed Fence Contractor

Why You Should Always Use a Licensed Fence Contractor

Check why it's important to always use a reputable, licensed, and insured contractor. Read-on!

Updated on:
June 3, 2026

When it's time to get a new fence, it's important to always use a reputable, licensed, and insured contractor. Some people try to cut costs by using unlicensed contractors, but this can end up being a major issue if any problems happen during the installation or down the line. In this post, we'll go over the main reasons why you should always use a licensed and insured fence contractor.

Legal Reasons

First and foremost, it's illegal for a contractor to provide services without a license in the state of California. Specifically for any job that's worth more than $500, such as a fence installation. While it's unlikely that you would be fined for using an unlicensed contractor, you could potentially be on the hook for any damages or injuries that happen on the job.

Furthermore, an unlicensed contractor is likely to cut corners and ignore other requirements like contacting an underground service provider. By not having your property marked and inspected before installation, you could be fined up to $50,000. Not to mention there's the potential danger of hitting a utility line which could result in a serious injury or worse.

Keep in mind that if your fence installation doesn't follow the regulations and codes for your area, you'll likely be forced to take it down and install a new one. This would ultimately end up costing you more than if you went with a reliable provider in the first place.

Always verify that the company you're using is a licensed and bonded company. A reputable contractor will always be willing to share their license number and insurance information.

Warranty

An unlicensed contractor isn't going to have a warranty for their work. Once you've paid them, you're stuck with any future issues, possibly costing you more in the long run. If your fence was installed by an unlicensed contractor, it's also unlikely that your insurance would help you if any problems should happen down the line, such as storm damage, etc.

Most insurance policies specify that any work/repairs done on your property must be carried out by a licensed contractor. By not following those guidelines, you could potentially lose your insurance policy.

Quality

If you're going to invest in a new fence, it's important to look into the previous work a company has done.

All of this information is easy to find if you're working with a reliable company. For an unlicensed contractor, you likely won't be able to do any of this research and will be stuck with whatever the end result is.

Overall, using an unlicensed contractor isn't worth the risk. There are far too many things that could go wrong. For your own peace of mind, make the right decision from the start and always use a licensed and insured company for a fence installation, or any other type of home improvement project.

Want to see how the licensed, insured companies in your area measure up? Compare the top fence companies in Dallas, Houston, and Chicago side by side.

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