# Repair or replace your fence?

> Repair or replace your fence? 9 plain questions about posts, panels, rot, gates and wind damage sort an Oxnard-area fence into a clear next step.

URL: https://ranchooxnardfence.com/tools/fence-repair-or-replace-assessment/

## Answer the questions

## How the result is decided

The rules run in a fixed order, and the first one that matches decides. The result lists the answers that decided it.

| If you said | The result |
| --- | --- |
| A section down, or leaning over a walkway, driveway, pool area or a neighbor's yard | Secure it now. Keep clear until the wind drops. This outranks every other answer. |
| Many posts leaning or broken, rot at many posts, or half the panels damaged | Replacement likely. |
| The fence no longer meets your height, privacy, HOA or pool barrier needs | Replacement likely, even if it is in fair shape. |
| Two of these: three or more leaning posts in one stretch, about a quarter of the panels damaged, termite signs, a section leaning after wind (an age over 20 years counts as one when another is present) | Replacement likely. |
| One of those | Repair now, plan replacement. |
| One or two leaning posts, rot at one or two posts, a sagging gate or a loose panel | Targeted repair likely. |
| None of the above | Targeted repair likely, with little or nothing to repair. |

## Why posts decide most of it

Posts carry each panel's wind load into the ground and are the only part of most fences in soil. A fence usually fails at the posts while the boards above still look fine.

In Oxnard's loose, sandy ground a post gets its grip from the depth and size of its footing, so a few leaning posts after a windy season are worth fixing before they spread.

## What it cannot tell you

It cannot see inside a post, below the ground or into a footing, so it cannot say how far rot goes. A site visit answers that. It does not say a fence is safe or predict what an insurer will decide.

If a section is down after wind, keep people and pets clear until the wind drops, and stay well back from any power line. More reading: [posts in sandy soil](https://ranchooxnardfence.com/guide/fence-posts-sandy-soil/), [fixing a sagging gate](https://ranchooxnardfence.com/guide/fix-sagging-gate/) and [wind damage and insurance](https://ranchooxnardfence.com/guide/fence-wind-damage-insurance/). [Next: estimate a new fence](https://ranchooxnardfence.com/tools/fence-cost-estimator/).