Cost Guide
How Much Does a Chain Link Fence Cost in Jerome, Idaho?
Chain link runs $10 to $25 per linear foot installed here — the cheapest fence per foot. What gauge, coating, and Jerome’s material preference mean for your budget.
Chain link runs $10 to $25 per linear foot installed in the Jerome area, the lowest cost per foot of any fence we build. A 150-foot run lands between $1,500 and $3,750. Gauge, height, vinyl coating, and gate count drive where you fall in that range.
Published 2026-08-16 · Updated 2026-08-16
What chain link costs here
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Chain link, installed | $10 – $25 per linear foot |
| 150-foot run | $1,500 – $3,750 |
| Walk gate | $250 – $600 |
| Drive gate | $800 – $2,500 |
| Removing an existing fence | $3 – $8 per linear foot |
That range is wide for a simple product because “chain link” covers a four-foot residential back-yard fence and an eight-foot 6-gauge commercial perimeter. Run your own footage through the fence cost calculator.
What moves the price
Gauge. Lower number, thicker wire. 11-gauge is standard residential and fine for a yard or dog run. 9-gauge is noticeably heavier — what we use for kennels, work yards, and anywhere livestock or equipment will lean on it. Over a typical residential run the upgrade is small enough to be worth it. 6-gauge is commercial.
Height. Four feet is the residential norm and the bottom of the band. Six feet costs proportionally more in fabric and heavier posts.
Coating. Bare galvanized is cheapest. Black or brown vinyl-coated adds 20–40% and both looks better and resists corrosion. On properties where irrigation keeps the fence line damp, that coating is doing real work, not just cosmetics.
Gates. As with every fence, the most expensive linear foot on the job.
Top rail versus tension wire. A top rail is more rigid and more expensive; a top tension wire is cheaper and more flexible. For most residential runs the rail is worth it.
Where chain link makes sense in Jerome
The city’s stated preference is wood and vinyl, with chain link “encouraged only for back-yard fences.” That is not a prohibition, but it is a clear signal — and worth knowing before you plan a cheap front boundary that you may be asked to reconsider.
Where chain link earns its place:
- Back yards where budget matters more than appearance
- Dog runs — add a bottom tension wire to stop diggers and self-closing hinges on the gate
- Work yards, storage, and commercial perimeters, where 9- or 6-gauge is the right answer
- Long agricultural runs where cost per foot dominates
Where it does not: front boundaries in Jerome, and anywhere the fence is part of the front elevation of the house.
The bottom detail matters more than height
For dogs, most owners over-buy height and under-buy the bottom. A determined small dog goes under a chain link fence far more often than over it. A bottom tension wire or bottom rail costs little and solves it. Climbers are the exception — those need height or an angled top.
What lasts, and what does not
Galvanized chain link is genuinely durable. What fails, in order:
The bottom edge, near irrigation. Standing moisture rusts fabric from the bottom up. Vinyl coating is the fix.
Terminal posts. Corners and gate posts take all the tension. If those were set shallow, they lean and the fabric goes slack.
Fabric tension. Fabric hand-pulled rather than stretched with a come-along bellies out within a couple of seasons. It can be re-tensioned — see fence repair.
Getting a number
The ranges here are for budgeting. Yours depends on footage, gauge, height, gates, and how deep the rock sits on your lot.
The chain link installation page covers what the job includes, and chain link versus vinyl compares them for a back yard. Estimates are free across Jerome and the Magic Valley.
The bottom line
If you want this priced for your own property rather than in ranges, we come out and measure at no charge across Jerome and the Magic Valley. You get a written per-foot price with gates and removal broken out separately. Call (208) 732-2816.