Quick Verdict
Fence removal cost in Oregon depends mostly on the fence type and whether the posts are set in concrete. Pulling a wood, chain-link, or vinyl fence is straightforward labor, but digging out concrete-set posts is the part that drives the price up, because each footing has to be excavated or pulled. Add hauling the old material away and you have the full job. Before you start, call 811 to locate utilities, sort out shared-fence and property-line etiquette with neighbors, and plan to separate metal for scrap. Costs run as per-linear-foot ranges by fence type, not a flat number.
What Drives the Cost
Two things set the price: what the fence is made of and how the posts are anchored. A chain-link or wood fence with posts in dirt comes out fast. The same fence with every post set in a concrete collar means digging out dozens of footings, which is slow, heavy work. Length matters too, but the post situation matters more.
Fence removal is one slice of residential demolition, and the same haul-off and disposal logic applies across jobs, covered in the residential demolition guide and in demolition haul-off and dump fees.
Removing Different Fence Types
Each material comes apart differently.
- Wood fence: panels or boards pulled off, then rails and posts. Old wood is bulky and goes to disposal or chipping.
- Chain-link: fabric unrolled off the posts, top rail and posts pulled. The metal is recyclable as scrap.
- Vinyl: panels and posts unclip or unbolt, but the concrete-set posts are the same dig as any other.
In every case, the posts are the question. A post tapped into bare soil pulls with a machine or by hand. A post sunk in a concrete footing is a small excavation each time.
There are quieter cost factors too. Old Oregon farm and pasture fencing often hides a mix of materials in one run -- a stretch of field fence might transition to barbed wire, then to a few salvaged steel posts, then to a wood corner brace set deep for tension. Each transition slows the crew. Mature blackberry and ivy, which engulf neglected fences across the Willamette Valley, have to be cut back before the fence is even reachable, and that vegetation is bulky, wet, and heavy to haul. A fence line that looks like a clean 200-foot pull from the driveway can turn into a half-day of clearing brush before a post moves.
Pulling Concrete-Set Posts
This is the expensive part of most fence removals. A concrete-set post has a buried collar of concrete around its base, and getting it out means either excavating around the footing and lifting the whole thing or breaking the concrete free. With a machine, a post and its collar can often be pulled in one piece, leaving a hole to backfill. By hand, it is a dig-and-pry job for each one.
| Post Condition | Removal Method | Relative Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Set in bare soil | Pull or rock loose | Low |
| Small concrete collar | Pull with machine or dig out | Moderate |
| Deep or large concrete footing | Excavate and lift, or break out | High |
| Deep frost-set collar (east of Cascades) | Excavate deeper footing | Highest |
Oregon-Specific Considerations
A few Oregon realities shape fence removal.
- Call 811 first. Pulling posts disturbs the ground, and buried lines often run along property edges. The locate is free and required before digging.
- Frost-set collars east of the Cascades. Where freeze-thaw is a factor, posts were often set in deeper concrete collars to resist heave, so those footings come out harder and deeper.
- Separate metal for scrap. Chain-link, T-posts, and hardware can go to a scrap yard, which keeps it out of the dump and sometimes offsets a little cost.
- Wet-season ground. Saturated valley clay makes for muddy work and heavier spoils, so dry-season removal is cleaner.
The Oregon excavation contractor guide covers 811 and dry-season timing across all earthwork.
What Happens to the Holes
Every removed post leaves a hole, and what you do with those holes is part of the job, not an afterthought. A pulled concrete collar leaves a cavity the width of the footing, often a foot or more across and a couple of feet deep. Left open, those holes are a tripping and mowing hazard and they collect water. The clean approach is to backfill each one with compacted soil or imported fill, tamped in lifts so it does not settle into a dip over the next wet season. On Willamette Valley clay, an un-compacted backfill will slump noticeably after the first heavy winter rains, leaving a line of soft spots exactly where the old fence stood.
If you plan to rebuild a fence in the same line, the contractor may leave the holes roughly placed for the new posts, but that is a coordination detail to settle up front. And if the old fence ran along a slope, the spoil from the dig-outs has to go somewhere -- usually spread thin and seeded, or hauled with the rest of the debris. None of this is dramatic, but it is the difference between a finished job and a yard full of holes and dirt piles.
Property Line and Shared-Fence Etiquette
A fence on or near a property line is often shared, and removing it is a conversation, not just a job. Talk to the affected neighbor before you tear out a boundary fence, agree on whether it is replaced, and confirm whose fence it actually is. Removing a shared fence without notice strains a relationship and can create a dispute. When in doubt about the exact line, a survey settles it. This is etiquette, not a legal opinion, but it saves real headaches.
What Fence Removal Costs
Fence removal is priced per linear foot by type and post condition, plus haul-off, not as a flat number.
| Item | Industry Baseline Range |
|---|---|
| Fence removal, per linear foot (type dependent) | $3 - $20+ per linear foot |
| Concrete post footing dig-out, per post | $20 - $150+ per post |
| Excavator or skid steer plus operator, hourly | $125 - $350+ per hour |
| Debris haul-off, per load | $250 - $750+ per load |
| Disposal or dump fee, per load | $75 - $300+ per load |
| Small job minimum callout | $500 - $1,500+ |
Current Market Reality
Real costs often run 2 to 3 times baseline when every post is set in deep concrete, the run is long, access is tight, or disposal is far. A deck removal next door shares the same haul-off math, detailed in deck removal and demolition cost. Small fence jobs carry a minimum callout because mobilizing a machine and truck for a half-day still takes a full trip.
The Bottom Line
Fence removal cost in Oregon turns on the fence type and the post setting, with concrete footings driving the price, plus hauling the old material away. Call 811, mind the property line, and separate metal for scrap. Cojo is CCB Licensed and Insured and removes Oregon fences and footings. Start with the residential demolition guide, see our excavation services, or request a free estimate.