Signs it is time to replace
- Several posts are soft or loose at the ground line.
- The fence leans in more than one section.
- Pickets are split, gray and pulling off their nails throughout.
- Repairs keep moving from one section to the next.
- You want a different height, material or layout anyway.
If only one section is damaged, fence repair is cheaper.
Removal and haul-off
Tearing out an old fence, pulling or breaking out post concrete and hauling the debris is real labor. National guides put standalone fence removal at about $3–$8 per linear foot, with chain link at the low end and concrete-set iron at the high end. When it is part of a new-fence job, it is usually a line item. Ask whether old concrete footings will be removed or new posts offset beside them.
Check the line before you rebuild on it
An old fence is not proof of the property line. Find your property pins or a survey before the new fence goes in. Decatur's fence permit process, for example, is commonly described as needing a stamped survey (confirm with the city). Easements matter too: Madison may remove a fence in an easement without replacing it, and Decatur requires written authorization for fences in utility easements and will not repair one removed for access.
Changing materials
A replacement is when many owners switch from wood to vinyl or aluminum to stop the stain-and-repair cycle, or from chain link to a privacy fence. If you are in an HOA, the new material and style need written approval even if you are 'just replacing' the old fence. In a Huntsville or Madison historic district, a replacement goes through the preservation commission.
Replacement cost
Add removal (about $3–$8 per linear foot nationally) to the new fence's installed cost: about $20–$50 per foot for wood, $25–$60 for wood privacy, $30–$60 for vinyl and $9–$30 for chain link nationally. A 200-foot wood privacy replacement at those ranges is roughly $5,600–$13,600 before gates. Over $10,000, ask whether an Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board license applies to the job.
Main guide: fence companies in Huntsville, AL.