# Fence Replacement in Johns Creek, GA > Fence replacement in Johns Creek, GA: tear-out and haul-away, the city permit replacements need, checking the old line, and when posts can be reused. URL: https://uprightjohnscreekfencing.com/fence-replacement/ Service Tear-out, haul-away and a new fence on the right line, with the Johns Creek permit that replacements need. Call (678) 509-2926 Last Updated: November 5, 2026 - **Permit** Johns Creek requires a fence permit for new fences and for replacing an existing one. - **HOA** The city does not enforce subdivision covenants, so HOA approval is a separate step. - **Digging** Georgia 811 must be called before digging with powered equipment, including a gas auger. - **Soil** Most Johns Creek yards sit on Piedmont soils with clay subsoil; some areas are stony. - **Finished side** The zoning code calls for the finished side to face the neighbor (confirm with the city). [Upright Johns Creek Fencing](https://uprightjohnscreekfencing.com/) replaces worn-out and damaged fences across Johns Creek and north Fulton, with the work done by licensed and insured fencing contractors. A replacement looks like the simpler job, since the fence is already there, but it carries two things a new fence does not: an old fence to remove, and an old line that may or may not be in the right place. In Johns Creek it also needs a permit; the city requires one to replace an existing fence just as it does for a new one. Most replacements here start with wood. Pressure-treated pine privacy fences fail at the base of the posts first, where wet clay, mulch and termites meet the wood, so a fence can look fine from the patio while the posts are soft at ground level. When that is happening along most of the line, [repairing post by post](https://uprightjohnscreekfencing.com/fence-repair/) keeps chasing the next failure. ## What happens on the first visit The first visit answers whether this really is a replacement. Each post is pushed and probed at grade, rails are checked where they meet the posts, and gates are checked on their hinge posts. If the failures are local, a [repair](https://uprightjohnscreekfencing.com/fence-repair/) is the better plan, and that is what the visit recommends. If replacement is the answer, the old line is compared with the plat and the visible pins. The material, height and style of the new fence are discussed against your HOA’s rules and the [Johns Creek permit](https://uprightjohnscreekfencing.com/guide/johns-creek-fence-permit/) requirements. The estimate then lists the tear-out, haul-away, the new fence, gates and the permit as separate lines. ## Checking the old line before reusing it An old fence is not proof of where the property line is. Fences were sometimes built inches or feet off the line, around trees that are now gone, or to an owner’s best guess. Replacing a fence in the same holes repeats whatever was wrong. The recorded plat, available from the Johns Creek City Clerk through a public records request, shows the lot’s dimensions and easements. When the new fence will sit close to the line, a licensed surveyor locates the corner pins first. The [survey guide](https://uprightjohnscreekfencing.com/guide/survey-before-building-a-fence/) explains when that is worth doing. The check also covers rules that may have changed since the old fence went up. The Johns Creek zoning code keeps fences 3 feet off a public right-of-way and does not allow wire or plastic fencing, including chain link with slats, along a street in single-family subdivisions (confirm with the city). A street-side run of old chain link may need a different material when it is replaced. ## Tear-out done properly Removing a fence is more than pulling boards. Posts set in concrete come out with their footings, which takes real force and sometimes a machine in tight clay. The holes are backfilled and tamped so they do not settle into soft spots in the lawn. Nails, screws and broken panels are collected, and the debris is hauled away rather than left at the curb. New posts are rarely set in the old holes. The old holes are full of concrete fragments and disturbed soil, so new posts go a short distance along the line in undisturbed ground, where each one can get a gravel drainage base and fresh concrete crowned to shed water. On stony ground, an old hole that already broke through rock can sometimes be reused, which is decided post by post on site. ## Reusing posts: when it works and when it does not It is tempting to keep the old posts and replace only the boards. That works when the posts are sound at ground level, plumb, sized for the new fence and set where the line should be. It rarely works with wood posts as old as the boards around them. Posts are the part of a wood fence that fails first, and they are the hardest part to replace once new panels are attached. Metal posts from an old chain link fence are seldom the right size or spacing for a privacy fence. Replacement is also a chance to fix what failed. If the old posts rotted at the waterline, the new ones are ground-contact rated and get drainage under the footing. If a gate sagged, its new posts are sized and set for the gate rather than for a line post. If the old fence stepped awkwardly down a slope, the new one can be racked or stepped deliberately; the [slope guide](https://uprightjohnscreekfencing.com/guide/fence-on-a-slope/) covers the choice. ## Replacing part of a fence Sometimes one run fails, after a storm, a fallen tree or a car, while the rest is sound. Replacing just that run is reasonable, with two caveats. New wood next to weathered wood looks different until it ages or both are stained, and vinyl and aluminum can only be matched if the same panel and color are still made. A section replacement still counts as replacing fence for the Johns Creek permit, so plan the paperwork either way. The [repair or replace guide](https://uprightjohnscreekfencing.com/guide/repair-or-replace-fence/) walks through the decision. ## What a replacement costs The new fence prices like a new installation: typical Atlanta-area ranges run about $20 to $30 per foot for 6-foot wood privacy, $20 to $40 for vinyl and $25 to $50 for aluminum. Tear-out and haul-away are added and depend on how much concrete comes out and how far debris has to be carried. The [fence cost guide](https://uprightjohnscreekfencing.com/guide/fence-installation-cost/) shows how those lines add up. ## Scheduling around approvals A replacement takes the old fence down before the new one goes up, so the yard is open for a short time. When a dog or a pool depends on the fence, the work is sequenced to keep that window short: the permit and HOA approval come through first, materials are on site before tear-out starts, and posts for the new fence go in the same day the old run comes out where the ground allows. Where a pool barrier is involved, a temporary barrier holds the gap closed until the new fence and its self-closing gate are in place. The [installation timeline guide](https://uprightjohnscreekfencing.com/guide/how-long-does-fence-installation-take/) covers how long each step usually takes, from the HOA packet to the final gate adjustment. ## What's included - Removal of the old fence, including posts and their concrete footings - Backfilling old post holes and haul-away of debris - A check of the old line against the plat, with pins located when needed - Permit site plan and HOA drawings for the new fence - New posts, rails and panels or boards, and new gates - Final cleanup and a walkthrough of the new line ## Replace the whole fence or one run? | | Replace one run | Replace the whole fence | | --- | --- | --- | | Fits when | One side failed or was damaged; the rest is sound | Posts are failing along most of the line, or the line is wrong | | Matching | New beside old shows until it weathers or is stained | One material and color throughout | | Permit in Johns Creek | Required for replacement fencing | Required | | HOA | Usually only if style or color changes | Usually required | | Lasting value | Old runs keep aging on their own schedule | Resets the whole fence at once | ## Related resources Decision Guide Should you repair or replace your fence? Repair when the damage is limited to a few posts, boards or a gate. Replace when posts are failing along the whole line, or when you want a different fence. Learn Do you need a permit to build a fence in Johns Creek? Yes, for every new fence and every replacement. This guide covers the permit, the zoning rules behind it, HOA approval, property lines, utilities, protected trees, and how the rules change in the cities around Johns Creek. Learn Do I need a survey to build a fence? Not always, but often when the fence will sit close to the property line. Here is what a plat shows, what a survey adds, and how to decide. Learn How long does a wood fence last? There is no single number. A wood fence lasts as long as its posts hold at the soil line, and that depends far more on how they were set than on the boards. Cost Guide How much does fence installation cost in Johns Creek? Typical Atlanta-area ranges per foot, what a Johns Creek permit adds, and the handful of things that move a fence price more than the material does. ## From the first call to the last gate check ### First call What the fence is for, how long the line is, any HOA or pool deadline. ### Site visit and measure The line, grade, gates, trees, utilities and the soil. ### Approvals and locates HOA packet, Johns Creek permit and the Georgia 811 request. ### Installation Posts first, then rails, boards or panels, then gates. ### Walkthrough Gates swung and latched, line checked, debris gone. ## What this work looks like Old fence posts pulled out with their concrete footings still attached Pile of old fence boards on a tarp beside a dump trailer New corner post in fresh concrete beside an iron survey pin with pink flagging New shadowbox privacy fence along a rear lot line backed by woods Before After Is it time to replace the whole fence? Send photos of the worst posts and the length of the line. The repair-or-replace question gets answered first. Call (678) 509-2926 ## Fence replacement questions ### Can new fence posts go in the old post holes? Usually not exactly. Old holes are full of concrete and broken soil, so new posts are set a short distance along the line in undisturbed ground, and the old holes are backfilled. That also lets each new post get a clean drainage base. ### Who removes the old fence? Removal is part of a replacement estimate: boards or panels come down, posts come out with their footings, holes are backfilled and the debris is hauled away. It is listed as its own line so you can see what it adds. ### Does replacing a fence with the same style still need HOA approval? It depends on the covenants. Many HOAs only review changes in style, height, color or location, but some require approval for any fence work. Checking first avoids a fence the committee asks you to change. ### Can my existing fence posts be reused? Only when they are sound at ground level, plumb, the right size for the new fence and in the right place. Wood posts as old as the boards are rarely worth keeping, because they fail first and are the hardest part to replace later. ### How do I know whether to repair or replace my fence? Count what has failed. If posts are soft or leaning along most of the run, replacement is usually the better use of money. If the damage is limited to a section or two and the rest is solid, a repair makes more sense. ## Related services Service Fence installation New fences planned around the Johns Creek permit, your HOA's rules and the clay and rock under the yard, with posts set for the ground that is actually there. Service Fence repair Leaning posts, storm damage, broken boards, loose chain link and sagging gates, repaired where the rest of the fence is sound. Service Wood fences Pressure-treated pine and cedar fences in board-on-board, shadowbox, stockade and picket styles, with posts set to last in north Fulton clay.