Washington state law doesn’t require a property survey before building a fence, and no statute mandates one before you start. That said, there’s a real gap between what’s legally required and what makes practical sense. For many homeowners in Tacoma and Pierce County, a recommended fence company and skilled fence crew will tell you that forgoing a survey often costs more money down the road than doing it right from the start.
Why Property Lines Are Less Certain Than They Look
Most homeowners have some idea of where their lot ends. There may be old survey stakes in the yard, a fence that’s been there for decades, or a plat map that looks clear enough to go on. In practice, that level of certainty often isn’t sufficient for precise fence placement.
Property corners shift over time. Survey monuments installed decades ago get buried by construction, removed, or simply deteriorate. On lots that were subdivided multiple times, the recorded boundaries don’t always correspond to what’s visible from the surface. In many Tacoma neighborhoods where residential lots are 50 to 80 feet wide, a discrepancy of even 2 to 3 feet between where someone thinks the line runs and where it actually sits can place a fence firmly on a neighbor’s land.
Tacoma’s own permit office states directly that the only reliable way to confirm where a property line is located is through a licensed surveyor. Everything else, aerial maps, old corner stakes, informal tape measurements, is an approximation.
When a Survey Makes Sense
Not every fence project needs a formal survey, and we’re not suggesting it does. But there are specific situations where having one done before installation is clearly the right call.
If the fence will run close to or directly on the property line, a survey is the only way to confirm that placement. If there’s a history of disagreement with a neighboring property about where the line sits, a survey protects you in any follow-up conversation. If the project involves significant cost, a cedar perimeter fence or an automated gate installation, the investment you’re making is worth protecting with confirmed boundaries. Tacoma’s official fence construction guidance specifically notes that where a property line is in dispute, or where the fence being installed is of significant cost, a survey is worth considering.
Newly purchased property is another situation where a survey makes practical sense. Title documentation isn’t always as precise as it appears, and survey stakes from a previous owner’s work may be old enough or in poor enough condition that relying on them for fence placement is a risk.
What a Property Survey Costs in Tacoma
Survey costs in the Tacoma area depend on lot size, the age and condition of existing survey records, terrain, and the scope of what needs to be documented. A standard boundary survey with corner staking for a residential lot in Pierce County typically falls between $500 and $1,200. Lots with complicated subdivision histories, limited access, or significant vegetation can run higher.
Some surveyors offer a fence-specific layout survey, staking the property line at intervals to guide fence placement without documenting the full parcel. That’s often less expensive than a complete boundary survey and is appropriate when the goal is simply confirming the fence line rather than full property documentation.
Getting two or three quotes from licensed surveyors is reasonable. Washington licenses land surveyors through the state’s Department of Licensing, and that information is publicly verifiable. Surveyors who work regularly in Pierce County tend to be more efficient on older lots where they have existing familiarity with historical platting records.
What Happens When You Get It Wrong
The consequences of a fence placed on the wrong side of the property line vary based on how far off it is and the relationship with the neighboring property owner.
At the less serious end, a minor encroachment might be resolved with a mutual agreement and a small adjustment. At the more serious end, particularly where there’s existing tension over boundaries, a fence on the wrong property can trigger a formal encroachment complaint and a required removal at the fence owner’s expense. The owner loses the cost of the original installation and then pays again to build in the correct location.
Washington’s fence statute, RCW 16.60, holds that adjoining landowners share responsibility for building and maintaining a boundary fence. If a fence ends up on the wrong land and a neighbor formally disputes it, that cost-sharing arrangement no longer applies. The person who built in the wrong place bears the full cost of the error.
How We Handle Property Lines
We don’t install fences against assumed property lines when the placement is genuinely in question. If a customer isn’t certain where the boundary runs and the fence is going close to the line, we recommend getting it confirmed before we schedule the work.
For projects where the fence sits clearly back from the property line with no ambiguity, we proceed on the customer’s guidance. For anything going on or very close to a line that hasn’t been recently surveyed, waiting for a confirmed boundary is the better outcome for the customer.
We work across Tacoma, Puyallup, South Hill, Spanaway, Lakewood, and the rest of Pierce County, and we’ve been doing it since 2006. Whether you’re planning a cedar fence or any other material, a project that starts with confirmed property lines is one you won’t have to revisit.
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