Why does my fence need Jekyll Island Authority approval?

It's a state park, and homeowners have a long term lease on the lots, but they don't technically own the land. The Jekyll Island Authority will approve exterior changes for leased residential properties. This includes fences. They have design guidelines for residential property that dictate what heights, material and finish are permitted. They tend to prefer fencing that doesn't scream at you in the maritime forest, rather than big high solid walls.

How long does the approval take, and do you handle it?

We give the Authority drawings and material list and finishes samples which the Authority wants. And we make it with you and submit it. They have their own time based on their schedule. So, we put it in our schedule. We do not post until we have Authority approval.

Can I build a six-foot privacy fence around my whole yard?

Often not like you'd do it in Brunswick. The guidelines for Jekyll often restrict the height of fences and the extent of solid screening, particularly if you have a lot that fronts on the street or has an undeveloped property as a neighbor. So you might end up with a partial privacy screening around your patio, and then shorter or open fencing elsewhere. We just design within the limits of what the guidelines will allow, not the limits of what we can probably get away with.

How do you get equipment onto the island?

It all goes across the Downing Musgrove Causeway. We pay the island entry fee on each vehicle. We schedule the deliveries to minimize number of trips to bring material and we place it on your lot and not in the street. Street parking on the residential roads is at a premium so we coordinate with you on location of truck parking.

Is salt exposure worse on Jekyll than on St. Simons?

The residential area is bounded by Beachview Drive on the one side and Riverview Drive on the other, so most lots have salt air from the ocean on one side and the Jekyll River and marsh on the other. Very few areas on the island have a fence fully protected. We require ground contact treated pine, stainless or coated hardware and a sealer schedule that assumes full exposure.

What about the trees and the dunes?

The maritime forest on Jekyll is protected and the Authority is very particular about cutting trees and disturbing their roots. We don't put anything through trees. Around trees. Shore side dune areas are subject to state shore protection restrictions and are not allowed to be fenced at all.

Wood fencing on Jekyll Island: designed for the Authority's guidelines and a barrier island's salt

On Jekyll, the fence you can build is decided before the fence you want to build.

Jekyll Island is not a city. It's a Georgia state park managed by the Jekyll Island Authority. Houses along Beachview Drive, Riverview Drive and in between are on leased lots not private property. This changes everything when it comes to a wood fence on the island. The Jekyll Island Authority will review exterior changes to residential properties. There are design guidelines to which they adhere as to what is acceptable in terms of height, material and finish for your fence. Because the state mandates that the vast majority of the island be undeveloped, the maritime forest is right in your backyard. The Authority closely guards this maritime forest.

The way Golden Isles Fencing and Excavation does wood fences on Jekyll Island is according to island guidelines. We design. Then we submit. And then we install posts. We're family owned and a Christian-based company out of Brunswick. We would rather, on our first visit, let you know what's going to be acceptable and what's not based on the guidelines than waste your money installing a fence that's going to be rejected.

What the Authority's review usually means for a wood fence

We're not speaking for the Authority here. Their guidelines are the document you need to refer to but in all jobs we've seen there's a commonality. It's not common to end up with a tall privacy wall, monolithic in its stature, enclosing the entire lot. Landscape-style fences will be lower. Use more natural wood colors instead of bright paint. The street facing side of the fence will often be open or semi open. The closed screening is often reserved for a patio, pool equipment pad, or trash enclosure. The fences need to avoid protected trees and stay far away from the dunes on the ocean side.

What we do is to take what you actually need (privacy for a back patio. safe space for your dog. screening for the AC units.) and take that and create the design you need that falls in line with expectations. We design it. We compile material and finish samples that the review process calls for. We submit it with you. We don't place a post in the ground until we have approval.

Wood privacy fence enclosing a small back yard with a garden shed and gravel path — A privacy fence wrapped around a small yard, boxed neatly around the shed rather than fighting it.

Building on a leased lot in a maritime forest

In the residential area of Jekyll Island, there is a canopy of live oak, pine and palmetto. The Authority views this canopy as part of the character of the island. We avoid drilling under trees whenever possible. Hand digging is done around trunks. We will adjust the post spacing to avoid large roots. And we'll stop and talk with you if there is no way to get around a root. When we have lots adjacent to undeveloped areas, we leave the forest floor undisturbed. We keep our fence and equipment within the leased area.

The terrain is barrier island sand. The water table is high in the lower streets. We set posts deeper than our mainland standard. The concrete footing is wider. We provide an over-sized concrete footing that is crowned at the top to shed water at the ground level and protect the wood. Wind loading is not as much of an issue here as rot, since the fence tends to be lower and more open than a mainland privacy fence. We are building to prevent rot.

Salt from both directions

A lot of the houses on Jekyll are on a narrow sliver of land that is just close enough to the ocean (walking distance) on one side, and Jekyll River and marsh (walking distance) on the other that there isn't much protected space. So even if a wood fence you're putting in doesn't actually face the beach, we would spec it as if it did. Ground-contact rated treated pine. Coated or stainless fasteners so there aren't streaks of rust on the boards. Heavy-duty gate hardware that can handle salt without a hiccup. We even make owners promise up front before we build that they will use a sealer because a fence that isn't sealed up turns gray and checks faster on Jekyll than anywhere else we're working.

Wood dog-ear privacy fence with a matching gate and ornamental black hinges — A gate built from the same pickets as the fence, so the line reads as one piece.

Designs that tend to fit Jekyll

Patio privacy screen. short stretch of board-on-board or horizontal slat fence (natural) for screening something (like a patio or pool equipment) not all of it.
Low picket or open rail. yard fence facing street to define it and contain your dog without isolating your house from forest.
Enclosures. solid little enclosures for garbage cans, propane tanks, outdoor showers that match house trim.
Gates. framed walk gates with stainless hinges, sized to clear bikes and beach carts.

Logistics: causeway, fees and tight streets

All of the lumber load crosses the Downing Musgrove Causeway and pays island entry fee. So we try to combine loads into the fewest number of deliveries possible. Stage material on your lot. Residential streets on Jekyll are tight. Street parking is scarce. We coordinate with you on truck and trailer placement prior to first day. In case of a rental house, we try to work around bookings. No rocket science. But it requires planning. That is one factor that makes quoting a fence on Jekyll different from quoting a fence in Brunswick.

Getting started

Site visit. We look at lot trees, exposure, what problem you're trying to solve.
Design to the guidelines. Suggest a fence we think will pass through Authority. Give you reasons.
Submission. Submit materials, finishes, drawings for review with you.
Build. Deep footings hand dug around trees, sealed when wood dries.

Free estimates on Jekyll. Financing for larger projects. Let us know your street and what problem you're trying to solve with the fence. We'll tell you what we're allowed to do by the island.

Wood fencing on the mainland and St. Simons

For a lot where you own the land outright, read about wood fencing in Brunswick, GA, wood fencing on St. Simons Island, and everything we do as a fence company on Jekyll Island.

Other fencing options on Jekyll

Where the guidelines call for an open or low-profile fence, see our aluminum fencing on Jekyll Island, vinyl fencing on Jekyll Island, fence repairs on Jekyll Island, and wood fencing service overview.

Newly built wood privacy fence along a cleared back yard

Questions and answers

Common questions about wood fencing on Jekyll Island

Jekyll works differently from anywhere else on the coast. Here is what residents ask us.

It's a state park, and homeowners have a long term lease on the lots, but they don't technically own the land. The Jekyll Island Authority will approve exterior changes for leased residential properties. This includes fences. They have design guidelines for residential property that dictate what heights, material and finish are permitted. They tend to prefer fencing that doesn't scream at you in the maritime forest, rather than big high solid walls.
We give the Authority drawings and material list and finishes samples which the Authority wants. And we make it with you and submit it. They have their own time based on their schedule. So, we put it in our schedule. We do not post until we have Authority approval.
Often not like you'd do it in Brunswick. The guidelines for Jekyll often restrict the height of fences and the extent of solid screening, particularly if you have a lot that fronts on the street or has an undeveloped property as a neighbor. So you might end up with a partial privacy screening around your patio, and then shorter or open fencing elsewhere. We just design within the limits of what the guidelines will allow, not the limits of what we can probably get away with.

It all goes across the Downing Musgrove Causeway. We pay the island entry fee on each vehicle. We schedule the deliveries to minimize number of trips to bring material and we place it on your lot and not in the street. Street parking on the residential roads is at a premium so we coordinate with you on location of truck parking.
The residential area is bounded by Beachview Drive on the one side and Riverview Drive on the other, so most lots have salt air from the ocean on one side and the Jekyll River and marsh on the other. Very few areas on the island have a fence fully protected. We require ground contact treated pine, stainless or coated hardware and a sealer schedule that assumes full exposure.
The maritime forest on Jekyll is protected and the Authority is very particular about cutting trees and disturbing their roots. We don't put anything through trees. Around trees. Shore side dune areas are subject to state shore protection restrictions and are not allowed to be fenced at all.