Every fence inthis city fightsthe hill, the wind,and the fog. Ours win.
Setback drives posts and stretches wire across San Francisco's impossible topography — from Pacific Heights retaining walls to Bernal Heights wood privacy fences.
Free · No commitment
Noe Valley · Cedar Privacy · 140 lin. ft.
Five chapters.
Zero surprises.
Every Setback project follows the same documented process — because SF permits and terrain don't forgive improvisation.
Site Survey
We read the terrain before we read the quote.
A Setback crew lead walks your property — measuring grade changes, noting soil type, marking buried utilities, and photographing every anchor point. SF hillsides average 18° of slope. We account for every degree.
Permit Filing
We know the DBI inspectors by name.
San Francisco requires permits for most fence work over 6 feet, and retaining structures always. We file complete packages with site plans, material specs, and neighbor notification letters. Average approval: 12 business days.
Material Selection
Cedar, steel, and chain-link that survive the fog.
SF fog averages 200+ days per year. We specify clear-heart redwood or FSC cedar with borate treatment, powder-coated steel with marine-grade galvanizing, and vinyl-coated chain-link — not the box-store grade.
Build Week
Crew on-site by 7:30. Done before your neighbors notice.
Three-person crew, pneumatic post drivers for rocky SF soil, and a concrete truck on standby for deep footings. Most residential jobs: 2–4 days. We clean up daily and work within SF noise ordinance hours.
Final Walkthrough
We don't leave until you push on every post.
Crew lead walks the completed fence with you: gate swing and latch tension, post plumb check, surface finish inspection, and a laminated care guide for your specific materials. One-year labor warranty, signed on-site.
Seventeen years of
SF fences.
Every neighborhood. Every fence type. Every grade of hill. 1,400+ completed projects across San Francisco.
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SF Fences Built
Since 2009
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Permits Filed
With zero rejections
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Yelp Rating
From 312 reviews
0 yrs
In San Francisco
Same crew, same city
What SF homeowners
actually say.
Setback pulled permits in 11 days for our Bernal Heights retaining fence. Every other contractor said 3 weeks minimum. They know the DBI process cold.
Marcus Delgado
Homeowner · Bernal Heights
We had 40 feet of grade change across our Pacific Heights lot. The crew came out, surveyed the whole thing, and gave us a fixed bid the same week. No surprises on the invoice.
Priya Mehta
Property Manager · Pacific Heights
The cedar they used was a different grade than three other bids. Two years later, no checking, no gray — the fence still looks like install week. Worth every dollar.
Tom Okoro
Homeowner · Noe Valley
Two ways in.
Zero pressure.
A site walk costs nothing and locks in your place in our schedule. Or just text us a photo and get a ballpark within 4 hours.