# Fence Gate Installation in Johns Creek, GA > Fence gate installation in Johns Creek, GA: walk, double and driveway gates on posts sized for them, braces, hardware, slope clearance and setbacks. URL: https://uprightjohnscreekfencing.com/gate-installation/ Service Walk, double and driveway gates hung on posts sized for them, braced to stay square and set back where the code says. 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/) installs walk gates, double gates and driveway gates across Johns Creek and north Fulton, in wood, vinyl, aluminum, steel and chain link, with the work done by licensed and insured fencing contractors. The gate is the part of a fence that moves every day, so it is the part that fails first when it is built like the rest of the fence. A gate that stays square and latches on its own for years is mostly about its posts and its frame, not its hinges. ## What happens on the first visit The visit measures the clear opening the gate needs, which is decided by the widest thing that must pass through: a person, a wheelbarrow, a riding mower, a trailer or a car. The ground is checked through the gate’s full swing, because a gate that clears the ground when closed can drag halfway open on a sloped yard. For driveway gates, the distance from the street is measured against the setback rules. If the gate is part of a pool barrier, the hardware has to meet barrier guidelines. The estimate lists the gate, its posts and footings, hardware and any setback or permit requirements. Gates in a new fence are priced as their own lines so you can see what each adds. ## Posts first A gate hangs its whole weight off one post, and every opening and closing pulls that post toward the gate. Over time a post set like a line post leans, and the gate drops at the latch side. Gate posts are larger than line posts and set deeper in concrete, on a gravel base so water drains away from the footing. Wide or heavy gates may need a steel post, even in a wood fence. The latch post gets the same treatment so the gate lines up with it. On Johns Creek’s clay subsoils, the footing under a gate post matters even more than under a line post, because wet clay is what lets a loaded post shift. The [post depth guide](https://uprightjohnscreekfencing.com/guide/how-deep-should-fence-posts-be/) explains how depth is chosen. ## A frame that stays square Wood gates are built on a frame with a diagonal brace. The brace runs from the bottom of the hinge side up to the top of the latch side, so the weight of the gate is pushed back toward the hinges instead of pulling the latch corner down. A brace installed the other way does the opposite, which is a common reason gates sag. Vinyl gates need an aluminum or steel insert frame because vinyl alone is not stiff enough. Aluminum and steel gates are welded frames and stay square on properly set posts. Hardware is matched to the gate’s weight: hinges rated for it, a latch that closes without lifting the gate, a stop so the gate does not swing past the latch post, and corrosion-resistant fasteners in treated wood. Where a gate must close on its own, as with pool barriers, self-closing hinges are used. The [sagging gate guide](https://uprightjohnscreekfencing.com/guide/sagging-gate/) covers what goes wrong when any of this is missing. ## Walk gates Most walk gates are about 4 feet wide, enough for a person and a wheelbarrow. They go where people actually walk: from the driveway to the backyard, beside the house, into a garden. A self-latching gate keeps dogs in when someone forgets to close it, and a gate that swings into the yard is easier to use from the driveway side. ## Double and driveway gates Wide openings use double gates, two leaves that meet in the middle, so each leaf is shorter and puts less load on its post. One leaf is held closed with a drop rod into the ground or a sleeve in the driveway, and the other latches to it. Driveway gates can be manual or automated; automation adds power, controls and safety equipment, covered on the [automatic gate page](https://uprightjohnscreekfencing.com/automatic-gate-installation/). The Johns Creek zoning code keeps any part of an automobile gate 20 feet from a public right-of-way (confirm with the city). [Sandy Springs](https://uprightjohnscreekfencing.com/service-areas/sandy-springs/) requires gates to open inward and sit 30 feet from the edge of pavement, with masonry piers on both sides of stand-alone driveway gates. Those setbacks often decide where the gate goes on the driveway. ## Gates on slopes A gate that swings over rising ground hits it partway open. On sloped driveways and yards, the gate is hung to swing downhill, split into two shorter leaves, raised enough to clear the grade with the gap closed by other means, or replaced with a sliding gate. The [swing vs sliding gate guide](https://uprightjohnscreekfencing.com/guide/swing-vs-sliding-gate/) compares the choices. ## Pool gates Pool barrier gates follow specific guidelines. The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s pool barrier guidance calls for pool gates to open outward from the pool and to be self-closing and self-latching, and when the latch release is lower than 54 inches from the bottom of the gate, to place it on the pool side at least 3 inches below the top. Local codes set the binding requirements, so the gate is planned with the pool permit. See the [pool fence page](https://uprightjohnscreekfencing.com/pool-fence-installation/). ## Adding a gate to an existing fence A new gate can be added to an existing fence: a section is removed, new gate posts are set on each side and the gate is hung between them. Existing line posts are rarely strong enough to carry a gate, so reusing them is the most common shortcut that leads to sagging. ## What a gate costs A walk gate in a new fence typically adds about $150 to $600 in the Atlanta area, depending on width, material and hardware. Double gates, driveway gates and automation are priced per project, because size, posts, hardware and site conditions vary widely. The [fence cost guide](https://uprightjohnscreekfencing.com/guide/fence-installation-cost/) shows how gates fit into a full estimate. ## Matching the gate to the fence A gate looks best when it matches the fence it sits in: the same boards and cap on a [wood fence](https://uprightjohnscreekfencing.com/wood-fence-installation/), the same panel style on aluminum or vinyl, the same fabric on [chain link](https://uprightjohnscreekfencing.com/chain-link-fence-installation/). Where a fence is being replaced, the gate is usually replaced with it, because an old gate on new posts rarely hangs true. ## What's included - Measured clear opening for what has to pass through - Hinge and latch posts sized and footed for the gate - Gate frame with a brace that holds the latch side up - Hinges, latch, stop and drop rod rated for the gate - Swing checked against the slope through its full arc - Adjustment after the concrete cures ## Gate types compared | | Walk gate | Double drive gate | Sliding gate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Typical opening | About 4 ft | 10 to 16 ft or more | Driveway width | | Needs | Hinge post, brace, latch | Two hinge posts, drop rod, stop | Runback space and a track or cantilever frame | | On a slope | Swing checked against grade | Leaves may open downhill | Track follows grade or cantilever clears it | | Typical Atlanta-area add-on | $150 to $600 each | Priced per project | Priced per project | ## Related resources Learn Why is my fence gate sagging? Usually because the hinge post is leaning or the gate frame is racking out of square. Loose hinge screws come third. Each has a different fix. Decision Guide Swing vs sliding gate: which is better for a driveway? Swing gates suit level drives with room in front of them. Sliding gates suit slopes, short drives and tight lots, as long as there is room along the fence for the gate to roll. Decision Guide What is the best fence for dogs? The one built for how your dog escapes. Jumpers need height, diggers need a barrier below grade, and barkers do better behind a fence they cannot see through. Learn How do you build a fence on a slope? Two ways: racked, where the rails follow the grade, or stepped, where level sections drop at each post. The material and the dog usually decide which. ## 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 Wood walk gate with a diagonal brace, strap hinges and a gravity latch Drop rod lowered into a steel sleeve in the driveway where double gate leaves meet Black aluminum walk gate across a front garden path New gate post set in concrete at the end of a wood fence, ready for a gate Before After Adding or replacing a gate? Send the opening width, what needs to pass through and a photo of the posts. Call (678) 509-2926 ## Gates questions ### How wide should a gate be for a riding mower or trailer? Measure the widest thing that will pass and add room to maneuver. A standard walk gate is about 4 feet; mowers and small trailers usually need a double gate or a wider single gate. The clear opening is measured between the posts, not the gate width. ### Why do gates need bigger posts than the rest of the fence? A gate hangs its whole weight off one post and moves every day. That load pulls the post toward the opening, so gate posts are larger and set deeper than line posts. ### Can a gate swing over a sloped driveway? Only if it clears the ground through its full arc. On uphill slopes the gate is often hung to swing downhill, split into two shorter leaves, or replaced with a sliding gate. ### Can I add a gate to an existing fence? Yes. A section is removed, new gate posts are set on each side and the gate is hung between them. The existing line posts are rarely strong enough to carry a gate. ### How far back must a driveway gate be in Johns Creek? The Johns Creek zoning code keeps any part of an automobile gate 20 feet from a public right-of-way (confirm with the city). Sandy Springs requires gates to open inward and sit 30 feet from the edge of pavement. ## Related services Service Automatic gates Swing and slide driveway gate openers with the safety equipment and setbacks they need. 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.