A fence looks like a weekend project. In Peachtree City, it rarely is.
Between village covenants, HOA architectural review, city permitting, greenbelt buffers, and the cart path easements that thread through so many neighborhoods, the space where you're actually allowed to put a fence is narrower than most homeowners expect. And the one measurement that determines all of it — your true property line — is almost never where people assume it is.
A fence survey answers that question before the post holes go in the ground.
What a Fence Survey Is
A fence survey is a boundary survey scoped to the area where you plan to build. Through
our residential boundary survey services, we research your deed and recorded plat, recover or reset your property corners, and mark the line so you and your contractor can see exactly where it runs.
The deliverable typically includes:
- Recovered or newly set corner monuments
- Flagging or stakes along the proposed fence line
- A drawing showing the boundary, setbacks, and any easements
- Notes on existing features that encroach or sit close to the line
That drawing is frequently what your HOA architectural committee and the city want to see before approving the project.
Why Peachtree City Fences Go Wrong
Peachtree City was master-planned, which means most lots sit on recorded subdivision plats — good news for research. The complications come from what was layered on top.
Cart path and multi-use path easements. The path network is one of the best things about living here, and it runs through easements that often clip the rear or side of residential lots. Your deed may cover ground you cannot fence. The city takes this seriously enough to run a dedicated cart path encroachment application process through its Planning and Development department.
Greenbelt and common area buffers. Many lots back up to common area rather than another homeowner. The line between your lot and that common area is a real boundary, and the association will hold you to it.
Drainage and utility easements. Standard on most platted lots. Fencing across one can mean removing your fence at your own expense when maintenance is needed.
Village-level covenants. Aberdeen, Braelinn, Glenloch, Kedron, and Wilksmoor neighborhoods carry their own restrictions on fence height, material, and placement. Those are separate from city requirements — you may need approval from both.
Landscaping that migrated. Beds, treelines, and irrigation installed years ago frequently sit several feet off the actual line. Building "to the hedge" is how neighbors end up in a dispute.
Understanding Fayette County Setback Requirements
Setbacks are established by local zoning, and they vary by district and by whether you're inside Peachtree City limits or in unincorporated Fayette County. Front, side, and rear requirements are often different from one another, and corner lots typically face additional restrictions.
Because those requirements change and are jurisdiction-specific, confirm the current numbers directly with the
City of Peachtree City Planning & Development Department before you finalize a design. A current survey gives you the measured basis to apply them correctly.
What It Costs to Guess Wrong
The fence itself is the small number. The expensive outcomes are:
- Removal and reinstallation. If the fence sits over the line or inside an easement, it comes out. Posts set in concrete make that a demolition job.
- A neighbor claim. Even a two-foot encroachment can trigger a legal demand, and it will surface again at closing when either property sells.
- Title exceptions. Encroachments discovered during a sale can hold up a closing until they're resolved.
- HOA enforcement. Associations can require correction regardless of who installed it.
- Utility conflict. A fence across a utility easement may be removed without compensation.
A survey costs a fraction of any of those. It is the cheapest insurance in the project.
Why Fayette County Homeowners Choose Legacy Surveying
Legacy Surveying brings more than forty years of combined local surveying heritage through Joe Rowan Land Surveying and Jeff Kuhn. We know Fayette County's records, its recorded subdivision plats, and the surveyors whose work sits in those files — the same depth we bring to
land surveying across Fayette and Coweta County.
Fayette County was created in 1821 and laid out under Georgia's original land lot system. Peachtree City's modern grid sits directly on that historic framework, and older tracts on the city's edges still carry descriptions that reference it. Reading those correctly takes courthouse familiarity, not just field equipment.
We combine that research depth with high-precision GNSS satellite receivers and total stations, so the line we mark is both correctly researched and accurately measured.
How to Prepare for Your Fence Survey
Make the visit efficient:
- Locate your deed and any existing plat. Even an old one helps.
- Have your HOA's fence requirements in hand. Height, material, and setback rules affect what we mark.
- Clear the intended line if you can. Heavy brush slows field work.
- Note where you think the line is. It's useful information — and often the first thing we check.
- Tell us about any known disagreement. If a neighbor has raised the issue, we want to know before we're on site.
- Contact
Georgia 811 before digging. Georgia law requires notice at least 48 hours — but no more than 10 working days — before mechanized digging. Utility locating is a separate service from surveying and is always required.
Order the survey before you order materials. Fence layouts change once the real line is marked.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a survey to build a fence in Peachtree City?
Requirements vary by jurisdiction and by association, and permitting or architectural review often requires a current survey or plat. Even when it isn't strictly required, building without one puts the entire cost of the fence at risk.
How close to the property line can I put my fence?
That depends on your zoning district, the type of line involved, and any applicable covenants. Some situations allow building at the line; others require a setback. Confirm current requirements with the relevant planning office and use a survey to apply them accurately.
Can I build a fence on the property line itself?
Sometimes, and it's usually worth talking to your neighbor first. Shared-line fences work best when both parties agree in writing about placement and maintenance. A survey removes the disagreement about where that line actually is.
What if my neighbor's existing fence is on my property?
The survey will show it. What happens next is a legal and neighborly question rather than a surveying one, but you'll have documented evidence. Long-standing encroachments can raise legal issues in Georgia, so an attorney is the right call if the fence has been there for years.
Can I fence across a cart path or drainage easement?
Generally no. Easements grant rights to someone else across your land, and fencing them typically violates those rights. Peachtree City has a formal application process for cart path encroachments, handled through Planning and Development. The survey shows recorded easements so you can design around them.
How long does a fence survey take?
Field work on a typical platted Peachtree City lot is usually a short visit. Total turnaround depends on research and current scheduling. We give you a realistic timeline when we quote.
Will you mark the whole property or just the fence line?
We scope it to what you need. Many homeowners only want the affected line marked, though locating all corners often costs little more and is useful later.
Mark the Line First
Fences are permanent enough to be a problem and temporary enough to be moved — at your expense. Knowing where your boundary runs before you build is the difference between a weekend project and a legal one.
Need a professional land survey in Peachtree City, Fayetteville, Tyrone, Brooks, or anywhere in South Metro Atlanta and Middle Georgia? Contact Legacy Surveying today for fence surveys, boundary surveys, topographic mapping, and construction staking backed by decades of local expertise.
Call Legacy Surveying at 404-569-9115 or
request your free quote online.
