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Fence Installer Invoice Template

A fence invoice is checked with a tape measure. The homeowner can walk the line, count the posts and open the gate, so every number on the invoice should match something they can see: material and height, linear feet, post count and spacing, how the posts were set, each gate and its hardware, and how many feet of old fence were removed and hauled away. This template lays the invoice out that way and keeps the costs that are not yours on their own lines: a permit fee passed through at cost with its receipt number, and each change order with the date the client signed it. It also has room for the down payment already received and the contract number, because most fence jobs are billed twice: a deposit when the contract is signed, then the balance on completion. The download is an editable HTML invoice with invoice number, dates, a line table and totals: fill it in your browser and print or save it as PDF, or type or say what you installed and InvoiceQuickly drafts an editable invoice for you to review before saving.

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What This Template Includes

  • Job address and how the property line was confirmed
  • Contract or estimate number
  • Fence material and style (wood, vinyl, chain-link, aluminum)
  • Height and linear footage
  • Post count, spacing and setting (concrete or driven)
  • Gates: width, hardware and count
  • Old fence removal and haul-away, in linear feet
  • Permit fee passed through at cost, with receipt number
  • Change orders, each with the date the client signed
  • Down payment received (invoice number and date)
  • Contractor license number, where required

How to Create Your Fence Installer Invoice

  1. 01

    Describe your work

    Type a plain English description of the services you provided, the client, and the amount.

  2. 02

    AI generates your invoice

    InvoiceQuickly's AI drafts the client, line items, dates, and totals for you to review before saving.

  3. 03

    Review, download, and send

    Check every detail, download the PDF, or use Pro to email the PDF directly to your client.

Recommended Payment Terms

Most residential fence jobs are billed in two steps: a down payment when the contract is signed, then the balance when the fence is finished and the client has walked it. Check your state's rules before setting the deposit. For a California home improvement contract, the Contractors State License Board says the down payment may not exceed $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less, and later payments may not run ahead of the work done or materials delivered; other states set their own limits or none. Make the balance due on completion or within a few days, write the due date on the invoice, and list any change order as its own line with the date it was signed. For HOAs, property managers and commercial sites, ask for the purchase order number and accounts-payable contact before you start.

Need help writing payment terms? Read our guide to invoice payment terms for best practices and templates.

Tax Information

Sales tax on fence installation depends on the state and on how the contract is written. In California, the Department of Tax and Fee Administration treats a contractor under a lump-sum contract to improve real property as the consumer of the materials: the contractor pays tax when buying them and does not bill the customer sales tax. Selling fence materials without installing them is a retail sale, taxed differently. Other states use their own rules, so check your state revenue department. InvoiceQuickly applies one tax percentage to the whole invoice and copies your saved tax ID into new invoice PDFs; keep professional licence details in the notes. General information, not tax or legal advice.

Industry context (2026)

Three official rules shape a fence invoice. Deposits: for California home improvement contracts the Contractors State License Board (Industry Bulletin 22-14, 22 November 2022) says the down payment may not exceed $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less, and progress payments may not exceed the value of work done or materials delivered; the 10 percent limit is the one that applies to any contract under $10,000. Digging: the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) says all states have one-call centers, require by law that you call 48 to 72 hours before digging, and that every digging project needs a call, which is free. Tax: the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration treats a lump-sum contractor improving real property as the consumer of the materials it furnishes and installs, so it does not bill customers sales tax. Pool fences are also usually subject to local code requirements for height and self-closing gates; note the code you built to on the invoice. Sources: CSLB, PHMSA and CDTFA, checked 28 October 2026. Rules in other states differ. General information, not legal advice.

Worked example

Worked example (California home improvement job; prices are the installer's own, not market data): contract HIC-2611, signed 3 November 2026, for 150 linear feet of 6-foot pressure-treated wood privacy fence at $40.00 per foot ($6,000.00), one 4-foot walk gate with self-closing hinges ($450.00) and removal and haul-away of 150 feet of old chain-link at $3.00 per foot ($450.00): contract price $6,900.00. Down payment: 10% of $6,900.00 is $690.00, which is less than $1,000.00, so $690.00 is the most the installer may take; invoice INV-0201 bills it, paid 3 November. On 9 November the client signs change order CO-1 for 16 more feet along the side yard, 16 × $40.00 = $640.00. Final invoice INV-0209, dated 14 November, due on completion. Line 1: wood privacy fence, 150 linear feet, 22 posts set in concrete (20 line posts 8 ft on center plus 2 gate posts), contract price $6,000.00 less $690.00 down payment received on INV-0201, 1 × $5,310.00. Line 2: 4-foot walk gate, self-closing hinges, $450.00. Line 3: remove and haul away old chain-link, 150 ft × $3.00 = $450.00. Line 4: change order CO-1 signed 9 November, 16 ft × $40.00 = $640.00. Line 5: city fence permit, at cost per receipt (illustrative amount), $150.00. Balance due $7,000.00. Check: $6,900.00 + $640.00 + $150.00 = $7,690.00 for the whole job, less $690.00 already paid, leaves $7,000.00. No sales tax line: under a lump-sum contract the installer paid tax on the materials when buying them.

Common mistakes to avoid

Taking too much up front

In California a $6,900 fence allows a $690 down payment, not $1,000. The cap is the lesser of the two figures, and it changes with every contract price.

Footage that does not match the estimate

If the estimate measured 150 feet including the gate and the invoice charges 154, the client will measure. Use the same method on both, and put extra footage on a signed change order.

Unsigned change orders

Extra feet, a second gate or a height change agreed on site should be signed and dated before the work, then billed as its own line with that date.

Hiding the permit in the price

If the client is paying the permit, show it at cost with the receipt. A marked-up permit fee buried in the footage price is hard to justify if questioned.

Adding sales tax by default

Whether the customer is charged tax on an installed fence depends on the state and the contract type. In California a lump-sum installer pays tax on the materials instead.

Invoicing Tips

  • 1Bill footage the way you measured it in the estimate (along the fence line, gates included or excluded) and say which on the invoice. A 4-foot gate counted twice is the commonest footage dispute.
  • 2Write the post count and spacing ('20 posts, 8 ft on center, set in concrete'). The client can count them, and it explains why two quotes for the same footage differ.
  • 3Call 811 before digging post holes and keep the ticket number with the job. PHMSA says every digging project needs a call to the one-call center, the call is free, and states require it 48 to 72 hours before you dig.
  • 4Get the property line confirmed by the owner in writing, or from a survey, before you set posts, and note how it was confirmed on the contract and invoice.
  • 5Pass the permit fee through at cost on its own line with the receipt number, unless your contract includes it in the price.
  • 6Because a line can't be negative in many invoicing tools, take the down payment off the main fence line ('contract price $6,000.00 less $690.00 received on INV-0201') rather than adding a minus line.

Related Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

What should a fence installation invoice include?

The job address, contract number, fence material, style and height, linear footage, post count and setting, gates, removal and haul-away of the old fence, permit fees at cost, signed change orders, the down payment already received, any tax, the balance due, the due date and your license number where your state requires it.

How do fence installers charge: per foot or per job?

Most quote a price per linear foot for a given material and height, with gates, removal and extra posts priced separately, and convert that into a contract total. Show the same units on the invoice so the client can check them against the estimate.

How much deposit can a fence contractor take?

It depends on the state. For California home improvement contracts the down payment may not exceed $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less, according to the Contractors State License Board. Check your own state licensing board before setting a deposit.

Do I need to call 811 before installing a fence?

Yes. Digging post holes is digging. PHMSA says every digging project requires a call to the one-call center before you dig, the call is free, and states require it by law 48 to 72 hours ahead. Your state's 811 center sets the exact notice period.

Should a fence permit fee appear on the invoice?

If you pulled the permit and the contract says the client pays it, show it as its own line at cost with the receipt number. If your price includes the permit, say so in the contract and leave it out of the invoice lines.

Can I create a fence invoice in InvoiceQuickly?

Yes. Enter footage as quantity times price per linear foot, and gates, removal and permit as separate lines, or type or say what you installed and review the draft before saving. Free covers 5 invoices, 5 clients and 3 AI drafts in total with PDF download; Pro is $9 a month for unlimited invoices, estimates clients accept online and email delivery. There is no deposit field, so bill the deposit as its own invoice.