What an aluminum fence is
A residential aluminum fence is a run of powder-coated pickets between horizontal rails, held by aluminum posts. Thumbtack's aluminum fence guide (updated July 10, 2026) lists heights of about 4 to 6 feet and design options including pickets, rings, hoops and spears, along with railings, scrolls and gates. It says the powder coat makes aluminum fences less susceptible to rust and corrosion, calls them a good option in coastal areas, and says they don't usually need painting.
How Palm Coast's rules treat aluminum
- Colors: the city's fence sheet says chain link, aluminum and similar metal fences "shall be black or bronze in color," and that aluminum may also be white.
- Busy roads: chain link, aluminum other than decorative aluminum, and similar fences are prohibited in yards that front arterial or collector roads. If your yard backs or sides onto one, ask the Zoning Division at (386) 986-3751 whether the style you've picked counts as decorative.
- Tops: the sheet prohibits steel spikes or other sharp top edges. Spear tops are one of the aluminum styles Thumbtack lists, so it's worth asking Zoning whether the top you've chosen passes, or picking a flat or rounded top.
- Height: up to 6 feet in side and rear yards behind the front of the house.
- Owner's acknowledgement: required for a new or replacement fence; no building permit.
On canal lots
Within 20 feet of a saltwater waterway, the city holds a solid fence to 4 feet, but an open fence may reach 6 feet. An aluminum picket fence is see-through. When the council approved the rule on first reading in 2015, FlaglerLive reported the open standard as at least 50 percent visibility. The city's landscaping rules also exempt open-style fences from the shrub row they require in front of solid fences along canals, street sides and golf courses. See the canal lot guide.
Around pools
Florida's pool barrier law requires a barrier at least 4 feet high on the outside with no gaps that let a young child through, under or over, and gates that open outward and close and latch on their own. For picket fences, the building code's spacing is the part that matters. Engineering Express, a Florida engineering firm, summarizes it as no opening that passes a 4-inch sphere, and, where horizontal rails are less than 45 inches apart, rails on the pool side and pickets no more than 1.75 inches apart. Thumbtack's pool fence guide gives one pro's example of 4-foot black aluminum at about $20 per linear foot installed. More on the pool fence page.
In the wind
Engineering Express notes that open designs let wind pass, while solid fences let pressure build. An aluminum picket fence gives the wind far less to push on than a privacy panel of the same height. It still has to be set well: posts in concrete, at the depth and spacing the maker calls for. The wind guide covers the rest.
Choices to make
Height
Four feet meets the state's minimum for a pool barrier. Five and 6 feet suit a back yard where you want more of a barrier. Near saltwater, an open fence can go to 6.
Picket top
Flat-top, pressed-spear and finial styles look different, and the city's sharp-top rule makes the choice more than cosmetic.
Picket spacing
Ordinary residential spacing and pool-code spacing aren't the same. If a pool is in the plan now or later, ask for pool-spec panels.
Gates
Walk gates for side yards, and self-closing, self-latching gates for pools. Palm Coast bars double gates and gates wider than 6 feet next to a right-of-way, and no gate may swing onto a neighbor's property.
What aluminum fences cost
| Figure | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Typical aluminum fence, national | $1,554 to $5,416; most pay about $2,987 | Thumbtack, updated July 10, 2026 |
| Per linear foot | $22 to $32 | Thumbtack, July 2026 |
| 100 to 300 feet | About $2,200 to $9,600 | Thumbtack, July 2026 |
| 4-ft black aluminum pool fence | About $20 per foot; $21 to $25 with arched gates (one pro's 200-foot example) | Thumbtack, updated October 22, 2026 |
National figures, not Palm Coast prices. Your contractor's written price is what counts. More on the cost page.
What commonly goes wrong
- Spear tops chosen before asking whether they count as a sharp top under the city's rule.
- Residential spacing around a pool that needs pool-code spacing.
- Rails on the outside of a pool fence, where a child can climb them.
- Racked panels on a slope that leave a gap under the bottom rail.
- A color outside black, bronze or white.
Who aluminum isn't for
If you need privacy, aluminum won't give it, and the city doesn't allow slats or screening on chain link either. Look at wood or vinyl, keeping in mind the 4-foot limit for solid fences near saltwater.
Questions homeowners ask
Can an aluminum fence be white in Palm Coast?
Yes. Aluminum may be black, bronze or white. Chain link and other metal fences are limited to black or bronze.
Can I put a 6-foot aluminum fence near my canal?
An open fence may reach 6 feet within 20 feet of a saltwater waterway, under the city's sheet. Confirm with Zoning that your style counts as open.
Does aluminum rust near salt water?
Thumbtack says powder-coated aluminum is less susceptible to rust and corrosion than steel and suits coastal areas. Scratches in the coating are worth touching up.
Will an aluminum fence work for my pool?
It can, if the picket spacing, rail placement, height and gate meet the pool barrier rules. Say "pool" when you ask for a price.
How this site helps: your request goes to one independent local fence contractor, who prices and installs the fence. This site does neither.
Related guides
Sources
- Thumbtack, aluminum fence cost, updated July 10, 2026; pool fence cost, updated October 22, 2026.
- City of Palm Coast, fence regulations sheet, read November 2026.
- FlaglerLive, July 8, 2015.
- Florida Statutes 515.29, 2026.
- Engineering Express, fence design overview, updated April 24, 2025.