Replacing a fence in Kansas City costs $38 to $78 per linear foot installed in 2026, including tearing out the old fence and hauling it away. A typical 150-foot backyard replacement runs $5,700 to $11,700 depending on material. That is roughly $4 to $9 per foot more than the same fence on bare ground, because someone has to pull the old posts out of concrete.
Here is exactly where that money goes, from a crew that replaces fences across Johnson, Jackson, Wyandotte, Clay, and Platte counties every week.
Replacement cost by material (installed, removal included)
| New fence | Cost per linear foot | 150 ft backyard | | --- | --- | --- | | 4 ft chain link | $22-$34 | $3,300-$5,100 | | 6 ft chain link, black vinyl-coated | $32-$48 | $4,800-$7,200 | | 6 ft cedar privacy, steel posts | $46-$70 | $6,900-$10,500 | | 6 ft heavy-wall vinyl privacy | $60-$92 | $9,000-$13,800 | | Black ornamental aluminum | $53-$86 | $7,950-$12,900 |
Those numbers already include demo. If a contractor quotes you bare-ground pricing and then adds removal as a change order after the crew shows up, that is a red flag.
What removal actually costs
- Tear-out and haul-off, wood or chain link — $4 to $8 per linear foot. Dumpster or trailer fees are the bulk of it; Kansas City metro transfer stations charge by the ton.
- Pulling old posts set in concrete — $8 to $25 per post. Old 4x4s snapped off at grade are the worst case; the footing has to come out or be augered around.
- Vinyl or aluminum removal — usually cheaper, $3 to $6 per linear foot, because the panels come apart instead of getting cut up.
- Concrete disposal — old footings are heavy. A 150-foot fence has 15-20 footings and that is real tonnage.
When replacement beats repair
Replace the whole run when:
- More than 30% of the posts are rotted or leaning. Once a third of the structure is failing, patching just moves the next failure down the line. See our [fence repair vs. replacement breakdown](/fence-repair-vs-replacement-cost-kansas-city).
- The posts are wood set directly in dirt. Common on 1990s-era KC fences. They will all fail within a few seasons of each other.
- You are changing material or height. No point salvaging cedar pickets if you are going to vinyl.
- Repair quotes exceed 50% of replacement. At that point you are paying most of the price for a fraction of the lifespan.
Repair instead when the posts are steel or still solid and only pickets, rails, or a gate have failed. A [leaning post fix](/blog/how-to-fix-a-leaning-fence-post-kansas-city) is a few hundred dollars, not a few thousand.
Three ways to cut replacement cost in Kansas City
1. Reuse sound posts. If the previous install used 2 3/8" galvanized steel posts at proper depth, we can often re-skin with new cedar and save $6 to $12 per foot. Wood posts almost never qualify. 2. Book November through February. Off-season KC pricing runs 5-15% below spring, and lead times drop from 4-8 weeks to under two. Details in our [seasonal timing guide](/blog/best-time-to-install-a-fence-kansas-city). 3. Split the run with your neighbor. On a shared property line, a joint replacement removes a duplicate mobilization charge and often lands both sides 10-20% cheaper.
Do you need a permit to replace a fence?
In most of the metro, yes — replacement is treated as new construction once you are over 4 feet. Kansas City MO, [Overland Park](/fence-permit-overland-park-ks), [Olathe](/fence-permit-olathe-ks), and [Lee's Summit](/fence-permit-lees-summit-mo) all require one. Permit fees run $50 to $200. Same-footprint replacements are usually approved faster, but do not skip it: replacing without a permit can force a teardown if a neighbor complains.
One catch: if your old fence sat on the property line or over a setback, the replacement generally has to meet current code, not the code that existed when the original went in. That occasionally means moving the line a foot or two. We check setbacks before we quote, so there are no surprises at inspection.
Replacement cost by fence length
| Fence length | Cedar privacy | Vinyl privacy | Chain link | Ornamental aluminum | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 100 ft | $4,600 – $7,000 | $6,000 – $9,200 | $3,800 – $5,600 | $6,500 – $9,500 | | 150 ft | $6,900 – $10,500 | $9,000 – $13,800 | $5,700 – $8,400 | $9,800 – $14,300 | | 200 ft | $9,200 – $14,000 | $12,000 – $18,400 | $7,600 – $11,200 | $13,000 – $19,000 | | 300 ft | $13,800 – $21,000 | $18,000 – $27,600 | $11,400 – $16,800 | $19,500 – $28,500 |
Includes tear-out and haul-off. Gates, difficult access, rock, and heavy grade push totals above these bands.
Six hidden costs homeowners get surprised by
1. Concrete footing extraction. Pulling old posts set in concrete is the single biggest variable on a replacement. Add $8 to $25 per post, and more when the footings are oversized. 2. Disposal tonnage. Old wood fence is heavy. Landfill fees are charged by weight, and a long run of soaked cedar and concrete can add several hundred dollars on its own. 3. Current code, not the old code. A same-footprint replacement still has to meet today's setback, corner sight-triangle, and height rules. If the original fence was built forward of what is now allowed, the new line moves. 4. Grade repair after extraction. Pulling footings leaves holes. Backfill, tamp, and reseed is real labor that cheap quotes leave out and then bill later. 5. Shared-line negotiation. If the fence sits on a property line, the conversation with the neighbor happens before demo, not after. See [who pays for a fence between neighbors](/blog/who-pays-for-fence-between-neighbors-kansas-city). 6. Missing property pins. If nobody can find the corners, you are either building conservatively inside your own line or paying for a survey. See [property survey for a fence](/property-survey-for-fence).
How long a replacement actually takes
| Stage | Typical duration | | --- | --- | | Quote to signed contract | 1–5 days | | Permit issued | 3–15 business days | | HOA approval (if applicable) | 14–30 days | | Tear-out and post setting | 1 day | | Concrete cure before panels | 1–2 days | | Panels, gates, cleanup | 1–2 days |
The build is fast. The approvals are what set your start date — which is why we open the permit and HOA tracks in parallel the day a contract is signed.
What replacement looks like finished
If you want to see the standard we build to before you spend anything, our [project case studies](/projects) walk through real KC-metro installs with the materials, site conditions, and reasoning behind each spec.
What a real Kodiak replacement quote includes
Tear-out, post extraction, haul-off and disposal fees, 811 utility locates, permit, new material, concrete, hardware, gates, final grade cleanup, and a 10-year workmanship warranty. Itemized, on-site, fixed price. [Get a free replacement quote](/quote) and we will tell you honestly if repair is the better spend.
Have questions about your project? Request a free quote or call us anytime.