A railroad town turned country address
Toney was established in 1897 by Jim Toney, and its post office opened in 1898. The Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis line ran through from about 1897 until 1929, and by 1899 the stop had a gin, a grist mill, a sawmill, a blacksmith and four stores. The old depot still stands on Old Railroad Bed Road. Toney High School opened in 1917 and burned in 1949; today children here attend Madison Cross Roads Elementary, Sparkman Middle and Sparkman High in Harvest.
That history explains the landscape: long road frontages, older farmhouses on open land and newer houses on lots split from former fields. Fence jobs here are measured in hundreds of feet more often than in a single backyard.
Fences for acreage and livestock
- [Farm fence](/farm-fence): woven wire, no-climb horse fence or board fence for pasture, with braced corners and wide gates for equipment.
- [Split rail](/split-rail-fence): two- or three-rail cedar or treated pine along the road, often with wire mesh behind it to hold a dog.
- [Gate openers](/gate-openers): solar swing operators where the gate sits far from a power source at the end of a long drive.
- [Chain link](/chain-link-fence) or [dog fences](/dog-fence): a smaller fenced yard near the house inside a larger property.
Mixing types is normal: a tighter fence close to the house and a cheaper, more open fence farther out keeps the cost per foot down on a large parcel.
Fence lines near Limestone Creek
Low ground along the creek and its branches stays wet through the rainy months, and the area averages a little over 54 inches of rain a year. A post sitting in saturated red clay rots and loosens sooner. On wet runs, ask contractors about ground-contact-rated or steel posts, gravel at the base of each hole, and open designs that let debris and water pass instead of piling against solid boards.
Madison County permit rules
There is no Toney town government, so the county handles inspections. Madison County's residential rules call for plans and a permit only when a fence is taller than 7 feet, and pool enclosures must meet a 48-inch barrier height. County inspection is at (256) 746-2950. Our fence permit guide explains how county, city and HOA rules stack, and why a parcel near the county line should confirm its jurisdiction first.
Utility marks on rural land
Rural property has fewer buried lines, not none. Water service, power and fiber still run underground to the house and outbuildings. Under Alabama law, anyone digging, owners included, must give Alabama 811 notice two full working days ahead and hand-dig close to the marks.
Getting a quote for a long run
Send your road, the fence type, the approximate footage and the number of gates through the contact page. A rough sketch or a screenshot of the parcel map helps on acreage. We pass it to an independent contractor who works northwest Madison County, and you hire them directly.
Main guide: fence companies in Huntsville, AL.