Living with the Flint River
The National Weather Service keeps a river gauge called Flint River at Brownsboro, and it is worth checking before planning a fence on low ground. When the river leaves its banks, a fence across the path of the water gets hit by the current and by whatever the current carries: branches, leaves and trash pile against it. A solid wood privacy fence acts like a dam. An open design lets more water through, though chain link mesh can still catch debris and needs clearing after a high-water event.
- Run fences parallel to the flow where you can, instead of across a swale or drainage path.
- Choose open styles on the lowest part of the lot: split rail, aluminum or wire.
- Keep solid privacy fence panels to higher ground near the house.
- Leave a gap under solid fences where sheet flow crosses the yard.
Flood zones: ask the county first
Madison County Public Works administers floodplain rules for unincorporated areas, and county flood maps include zones A, AE, AO and X. Whether a fence inside a mapped flood zone needs a floodplain development permit is a question to put to the county directly before work starts; we could not confirm the answer. Look up your parcel on the flood map, then call.
Ordinary building-permit rules are simpler. Madison County Inspection, (256) 746-2950, requires plans and a permit only for a fence over 7 feet, and pools need a 48-inch barrier. The fence permit guide covers how those county rules compare with the cities nearby.
Posts in wet bottomland
Valley soils here are red clay over limestone, and bottomland near the river stays saturated for long stretches of the wet season. Wood posts in that ground need a ground-contact rating at minimum, and on the wettest runs the heavier AWPA UC4B category. Galvanized steel posts are another route. Concrete should be crowned above grade so water runs off instead of pooling at the post.
Common fence projects
- Farm fence and gates on pasture and hay ground.
- Chain link or a dog fence around the yard of a country home.
- Fence repair after high water has pushed a run out of line or washed out posts.
811 and quotes
Alabama 811 must be notified at least two full working days before any digging, by the property owner or the contractor. To get written quotes, send your road, the fence type, footage and whether the lot floods through the contact page. We pass it to an independent contractor working east Madison County, and you contract with them directly.
Main guide: fence companies in Huntsville, AL.