Pine or cedar: which lasts longer in a Tallahassee yard?

Cedar boards usually outlast basic pine. Guides give plain white cedar 15 to 20 years and good Western red cedar 25 or more, while untreated low-grade pine can be done in 5 to 10. Pressure-treated pine closes much of that gap if it's sealed on schedule. Whatever the boards are, ask for posts rated for ground contact.

How much more does an 8-foot privacy fence cost than a 6-foot one?

Roughly double per foot at the low end. National guides list 6 ft wood privacy at $25 to $50 per linear foot and 8 ft at $50 to $75, since the taller fence needs longer posts and more lumber.

Are the posts set in concrete, and how long before the boards go on?

Most installers set privacy posts in concrete. Guides note that a 2-foot concrete footing costs more than tamping posts in dirt over gravel. Regular concrete needs one to four days to cure, while fast-setting mix hardens in under an hour, so ask which one is planned.

My HOA wants to review the fence. Do I need a city permit first?

No. Florida law bars an HOA or its architectural committee from requiring a building permit before it reviews your plans. Inside city limits, an ordinary wood fence under 10 feet doesn't need a city permit anyway. HOA approval is still its own step, so send the drawing and style to the board early.

How long does a wood privacy fence last?

Guides give wood fences anywhere from 15 to 50 years. The spread comes down to the species, how the posts were treated and set, and whether anyone reseals the boards. Skipping the sealer is the most common reason a wood fence fails early.

Wood Privacy Fences in Tallahassee, FL

Installed price: national guides put a 6 ft wood privacy fence at $25 to $50 per linear foot, and $50 to $75 once it goes to 8 ft
A typical backyard: about 150 feet of privacy fence averages $5,000 nationally; dog-ear runs $2,250 to $4,500 for that length, board-on-board $3,150 to $6,750
Build time: 13 to 16 crew hours per 100 feet, so most yards take two to four days plus concrete cure
Main choices: pressure-treated pine or cedar boards; dog-ear, board-on-board or shadowbox; 6 or 8 ft tall
Upkeep: a sealer, stain or paint coat every 1 to 2 years

Tallahassee Expert Fencing puts you in touch with a local installer who builds pine and cedar privacy fences. Give us the rough footage, the height and how many gates, and the installer calls back to walk the line and price it.

Wood Privacy Fence Styles and Heights

The style sets how much lumber goes into each section, and that drives much of the price.

Pressure-Treated Pine Dog-Ear Privacy

Dog-ear boards are wide pickets with the top corners clipped, set side by side in a single layer. It's the budget privacy fence, and for 150 feet Fixr puts it at $2,250 to $4,500 installed. Board grade moves the price a lot. HomeGuide's species table lists basic untreated pine privacy at $20 to $45 a foot and higher-grade pressure-treated pine at $45 to $90.

Basic untreated pine: 5 to 10 years
Treated pine: longer, provided it's resealed every 1 to 2 years

Board-on-Board Privacy

Here the boards overlap, one row on the face and a second row covering the joints. With every joint covered there's no gap to see through, so it's a common pick beside a busy street or a neighbor's patio. It takes more boards per section than dog-ear, so 150 feet runs about $3,150 to $6,750 in Fixr's national figures.

A shadowbox wood fence with boards alternating on both sides of the rails along a side yard

Shadowbox Privacy

Shadowbox boards alternate from one side of the rails to the other, so the fence looks finished from both yards. The gaps are offset and small. HomeGuide calls it one of the few privacy fences that still lets air through, which matters on a still July afternoon in a closed-in backyard. Fixr prices it in the same band as board-on-board.

Cedar Privacy

Cedar costs more up front than basic pine. Guides list it like this:

Cedar privacy: $35 to $40 per linear foot installed
High-grade Western red cedar: $45 to $90 per foot, 25 years or more
Plain white cedar: 15 to 20 years

Cedar boards don't require cedar posts. Ask what the posts are made of and how they're treated, since they're the part sitting in wet ground.

An 8-foot pine privacy fence enclosing a backyard patio with a tall gate

8-Foot and Taller Privacy

The extra 2 feet helps when a neighbor's deck or upstairs window looks into the yard. National guides put an 8 ft wood fence at $50 to $75 a foot, and HomeGuide's broader privacy figure for 8 ft runs up to $85. Taller panels catch more wind, so ask how deep and how far apart the posts will go; wind loads and storm history are covered on Storm Damage Fence Repair.

A row of freshly set pine fence posts with a string line, a post-hole digger and a stack of new boards in a shaded backyard

Why Tallahassee homeowners call Tallahassee Expert Fencing

The call and the form are free
Your request goes to one contractor, not a list of bidders
Ask for posts, gates, removal and cleanup priced line by line
Hold the final payment until the gates swing and latch

Privacy Fence Height and Permit Rules in Tallahassee

Who sets the rules depends on which side of the city limits you're on.

Inside city limits
The City of Tallahassee's Growth Management FAQ asks for a permit only for a masonry fence with a footer over 2 feet, or any other fence taller than 10 feet. An ordinary 6 or 8 ft wood fence falls under both lines. The same page notes that some non-residential districts must have landscaped buffers with a fence at least 6 feet high next to an incompatible use.
Height caps
A summary of the city code we read says there's no citywide maximum height for standard residential fences. We couldn't open the code itself, so confirm with Growth Management at 850-891-7001 before ordering 8 ft lumber.
Unincorporated Leon County
The county's FAQ, as shown in search results, says a traditional wood or chain link fence needs no building permit while a solid wall does, and that the county doesn't enforce private covenants. Treat that as a starting point and confirm with the county before you build.
HOA review
Your association can't make you pull a building permit before it looks at your fence plans; Florida law rules that out. Covenants can still set their own height or style limits.
Canopy roads and the property line
Lots near a protected canopy road have extra limits, listed on the homepage.

Termites and Ground-Contact Posts

Posts decide whether a wood fence lasts, and in Florida the threat underground is termites as much as rot.

UF/IFAS reports the Formosan subterranean termite across Florida, mostly in urban areas, and a 2026 UF study found it established in most coastal counties and major urban centers. The native eastern subterranean termite already lives statewide, and subterranean termites are most common in the warm, humid Southeast. A wood post sitting in damp ground is the easiest target on the lot.

Treated lumber is rated by use category under the AWPA standard, and fence posts are specified at UC4A, the ground-contact rating. Ask the installer to confirm the posts are UC4A, not lumber treated for above-ground use, and whether they go in concrete or tamped gravel. That one question protects the fence better than any board choice.

Wood Privacy Fence Prices at a Glance

National installed ranges, not quotes:

Build	Per linear foot	About 150 ft
6 ft wood privacy, any style	$25-$50	-
8 ft wood privacy	$50-$75	-
Dog-ear	-	$2,250-$4,500
Board-on-board or shadowbox	-	$3,150-$6,750
Cedar privacy	$35-$40	-

Labor is about $15 to $20 of each foot and lumber $10 to $30; gates, tear-out and a survey are extra. For resealing, see Fence Staining and Sealing; for a fence with rails, consider Horizontal Fences or low-upkeep Composite Fences.