Can you build a fence near the live oaks on my lot?

Yes. But be careful. Glynn County has tree protections for mature live oaks. Even if you don't have to worry about getting a permit, cutting a major root to plant a post could be the death of a two hundred year old tree. We hand dig around the trunks. We will move our post locations to avoid major roots. We might even bridge a root with a smaller panel instead of cutting the root.

Does my HOA on St. Simons have to approve the fence?

Most places on the island yes. There is an architectural review committee for places like Sea Palms, Hampton Point, Island Club and many others. There are rules for height and style, stain color, which way facing out. We will find out what the covenants are before we do any design so we can get the fence approved the first time around.

Who issues the fence permit on St. Simons?

St. Simons is unincorporated so all permits would come from Glynn County Community Development (not a city office). Also, there may be state buffers for lots close to the marsh or beach. We would check for both before quoting.

How much does salt air shorten the life of a wood fence here?

On the ocean-exposed side (East Beach, South end near the Village) unsealed pine becomes salt grayed much more rapidly than it does in Brunswick. Most of this problem is corrected by using a penetrating sealer over the dry wood (renewed every 2 years). The salt exposure is a lot less on the marsh side (under the oak cover).

Will the posts hold in island sand?

The sand actually drains (good for the wood) but is not as sticky as clay. We dig the posts deeper than mainland spec. and use larger concrete footings to keep a long privacy run from racking in a storm. We use a crown in the footing if there is a high water table for water run-off.

We rent the house out. Can you work around guests?

Yes. We generally try to do a lot of our work on the islands during down time or off season. Give us your calendar. We can plan the posts and framework around that to make sure we don't leave a half complete fence there for someone to show up to.

Wood fencing on St. Simons Island: built around the oaks, the covenants and the salt

A wood fence on St. Simons has to answer to three things a Brunswick fence never meets.

First, the trees. St. Simons Island is all about the live oaks. Roots from an established oak extend well beyond the limbs of the tree and down to exactly the right depth to plant a fence post. Second, all the paperwork. A lot of neighborhoods on the island. Sea Palms. Hampton Point. Smaller streets off of Frederica Road. Many of them have covenants about height, style, and even stain color of the fence, in addition to the permit from Glynn County. Third, the salt. Wood that's not treated will dry and turn gray so much more quickly from the Atlantic air on the East Beach side and Frederica River air on the west than it will on the mainland.

Golden Isles Fencing and Excavation constructs wood fences all over the island, taking these three things into account. We are a family-owned, Christian-based business out of Brunswick. We've spent enough time on St. Simons that we know a St. Simons fence project starts with the covenants. Starts with the tree survey. And not with the post hole digger.

Tall dog-ear wood privacy fence running along a back yard under mature live oaks — A full privacy run under live oaks, kept level across ground that is anything but.

Working around live oaks without hurting them

We abide by Glynn County tree protection law. That means protecting live oak & other specimen trees (on St. Simons Island, that's most lots). Even if you don't have a permit required, you can kill a tree two centuries old that's provided decades of shade for your house by simply cutting a structural root to put a post in. We consider the trees a part of the design. If we're near a trunk, we don't auger, we hand dig. If there's a large root crossing that line, we're moving around the post spacing to avoid it, or bridge it with a shorter panel. If there's a root we can't avoid, we will stop and discuss with you before any cutting is done.

The canopy affects the weathering of the fence as well. Boards in heavy shade tend to stay wet longer, and get mildew. So when we have a run in shade, we put a slight gap at the bottom of the pickets to allow airflow and suggest a mildew resistant stain for those runs.

Covenants, the county, and the marsh buffer

St. Simons is not incorporated so your fence permits are not done through a city but rather thru the Glynn County Community Development. But, in addition to that, most subdivisions here have an architectural review committee. Some of the different written standards for Sea Palms, Island Club, Hampton Plantation, new developments off Sea Island Road, are different as to max height, do you have to put the finished side of the fence next to the neighbor, what stain color you can use etc. We will request the covenants prior to drawing the line and submit to the committee for you.

Also, on the lots that have marsh backing, i.e. Village Creek, Dunbar Creek, Frederica River, there is another issue. Georgia has coastal marsh regulations. There is a buffer zone along the marsh where you can not disturb the ground. We keep the fence line and equipment away from that buffer zone. On those lots we generally will go with a fence that falls short of the marsh and allow the view to do the rest.

Posts in island sand

Barrier island. There's clean sand below the topsoil. Sand drains well (good for the wood) but doesn't hold the post quite as well as those clay pockets they have in Brunswick. We drive 6 x 6 ground contact posts deeper than normal on the mainland, and have larger concrete footings when doing a 6' privacy fence on St. Simons so a long run on an open lot won't rack due to pressure from a tropical storm. When you get into low areas on the island where the water table is close to the surface, we crown the top of the footings so the rain runs off away from the post and not collect at the base of the post.

Wood shadowbox fence around a back yard under a large live oak with a stone fire pit — Shadowbox under a big oak. Alternating pickets let the wind through instead of catching it.

Styles that fit the island

Board-on-board privacy. 6' overlap pickets for backyard and pool area. Usually a cap rail (many HOAs require a finished top)
Shadowbox. This is what we'd recommend for open properties in the East Beach and south-end ocean side where a solid wall is faced with full force of the onshore wind.
Picket. Village front yard fences and also Mallery Street. Height is up to the 4 foot limit of most of the covenants and county for front yard.
Horizontal slat. Nice clean modern look that seems to be in demand now for new builds (off Sea Island Road). Use heavier rails to support the length of the boards so they don't bow.

How an island fence job runs

Estimate and documents. walk lot, take pics of line trees, gather your covenants & survey
Approvals. do the HOA filing and county permit at the same time (so they happen together)
Scheduling. if it's a rental house, we'll fit in post & frame in between rentals
Build. hand digging around the oaks, deep footers in sand, scribed to ground screwed pickets
Finish. walk thru, clean up, note in writing when to seal wood

New wood privacy fence running the full width of a back yard under moss-hung oaks — A back-yard run finished the same day, following the fall of the ground rather than stepping down it.

Keeping a wood fence looking good in salt air

Let the treated pine dry out for 4-6 weeks then seal. We recommend a penetrating oil base UV sealer with re-coat every 2 years on the ocean side of the island. In the shade of the oaks use a stain with a mildewcide. Wash the shaded side each spring. After a storm blows salt everywhere, rinse the fence with fresh water. You can keep your wood fence here on St. Simons looking good and standing up straight for over a decade with this maintenance.

If you are thinking about building a fence on St. Simons Island, we provide free on site estimates, and financing for the bigger jobs. Let us know what the covenants say and send us a picture of the line. We can let you know what will be approved and what will be required for building.

Wood fencing elsewhere in the Golden Isles

The island is its own case. For a mainland or Jekyll job, read about wood fencing in Brunswick, GA, wood fencing on Jekyll Island, and everything we do as a fence company on St. Simons Island.

Other fencing options on St. Simons

Many island owners compare wood with low-maintenance materials, so see our vinyl fencing on St. Simons Island, aluminum fencing on St. Simons Island, fence repairs on St. Simons 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 St. Simons Island

What island homeowners ask us most, from tree roots to rental turnover.

Yes. But be careful. Glynn County has tree protections for mature live oaks. Even if you don't have to worry about getting a permit, cutting a major root to plant a post could be the death of a two hundred year old tree. We hand dig around the trunks. We will move our post locations to avoid major roots. We might even bridge a root with a smaller panel instead of cutting the root.
Most places on the island yes. There is an architectural review committee for places like Sea Palms, Hampton Point, Island Club and many others. There are rules for height and style, stain color, which way facing out. We will find out what the covenants are before we do any design so we can get the fence approved the first time around.
St. Simons is unincorporated so all permits would come from Glynn County Community Development (not a city office). Also, there may be state buffers for lots close to the marsh or beach. We would check for both before quoting.

On the ocean-exposed side (East Beach, South end near the Village) unsealed pine becomes salt grayed much more rapidly than it does in Brunswick. Most of this problem is corrected by using a penetrating sealer over the dry wood (renewed every 2 years). The salt exposure is a lot less on the marsh side (under the oak cover).
The sand actually drains (good for the wood) but is not as sticky as clay. We dig the posts deeper than mainland spec. and use larger concrete footings to keep a long privacy run from racking in a storm. We use a crown in the footing if there is a high water table for water run-off.
Yes. We generally try to do a lot of our work on the islands during down time or off season. Give us your calendar. We can plan the posts and framework around that to make sure we don't leave a half complete fence there for someone to show up to.