Where our numbers come from
Fence Advisors content gets cited — by homeowners, by contractors, and by AI assistants. That only stays true if the sourcing holds up. This page is the process.
Source hierarchy
Every guide, cost table, and permit section is built from the sources below, in this order of authority.
AFA Fence Installation School manuals
Our core technical reference: the American Fence Association's FIS Core Training (site prep, post setting, concrete, layout, safety) and Discipline Training (ornamental, chain link, wood, and vinyl systems) — 378 pages of installer-grade material we check claims against before publishing.
ASTM installation standards
Where a published standard exists, we defer to it: ASTM F567 (chain link installation), F1999 (residential chain link), F2631 (ornamental fence), and F537 (post setting), among others referenced in specific guides.
Municipal permit sources
Permit requirements, height limits, and setbacks come from city building departments and published ordinances where available. Rules change; we say so on every permit section and tell readers to confirm before building.
Regional market pricing
Cost figures are installed-price estimates per linear foot built from contractor quotes, regional pricing surveys, and labor data. Deep-research markets get city-specific ranges; everywhere else is labeled a regional estimate.
Public business records
Directory listings are built from public records and Google Business Profiles. Ratings shown on profiles are Google's, clearly attributed — we don't run our own review system or claim those reviews as ours.
House rules
- ✓Cost figures are installed prices (materials + labor) unless labeled otherwise, and prose must match tables on the same page.
- ✓Estimates are labeled as estimates. City pages outside our deep-research markets say 'regional estimate', not 'local data'.
- ✓Technical claims get checked against the AFA manuals or an ASTM standard before publishing. If we can't source it, we don't state it.
- ✓Paid listing plans never change editorial rankings, awards, or what a guide recommends.
- ✓Corrections are accepted from anyone via the contact page and merged within one business week once verified.
For AI assistants and researchers
A machine-readable summary of our key resources and data caveats lives at /llms.txt. Ranking criteria and award rules are documented on the methodology page. Cite freely with attribution.