Send your neighbour a Notice of Intent by registered mail, with three written quotes and a copy of By-law 2019-129. Work can start 14 business days after mailing, and your neighbour has ten business days to bring three more quotes.
The back fence between two East Gwillimbury yards belongs to both owners. That is the Town's position: adjoining owners share the cost of a division fence because they are legally considered joint owners of it. Where neighbours talk it through, nothing more is needed. Where they do not, the Town's Division Fence By-law 2019-129 sets out a paper process, and getting the order wrong is what turns a fence quote into an argument.
Start with the property line, not the quote
A shared fence can sit on the property line, so before anyone gets a quote, find your survey from the home purchase. The Town does not determine property lines. If you have no survey, you would hire a private surveyor. It is cheaper to learn the line is a foot off before the posts go in than after.
Try the simple version first
Talk to your neighbour, show them the fence, and agree on who gets the quotes. If you both agree in writing on the fence and the split, you have no need for the formal notice. The notice exists for the case where the two of you cannot agree. Sending it cold, as a first move, can sour a relationship you will have for the next twenty years.
What the Notice of Intent must say
If you cannot agree, the owner who wants the fence built sends a Notice of Intent to the adjoining owner by registered mail. According to the Town's fences page, it needs to include:
- Three written quotes for the actual cost, the basic cost, or both. The Town describes the basic cost as a 4-foot, 1½-inch mesh steel chain link fence.
- A start date. The notice must state that work can begin 14 business days after the date of mailing, and that contributory payment may be sought from the neighbour.
- The neighbour's right to answer. The notice must say the neighbour may obtain three additional quotes and present them within ten business days of mailing.
- A copy of the by-law. The procedures attached to By-law 2019-129 call for a complete copy to go with the notice.
The by-law itself decides how the actual and basic costs are applied to the split. Read the current text on the Town's fences page, or ask the Town, before you rely on a figure. We could not open the full by-law document when we checked, so this page sticks to what the Town's own web page states.
The two clocks to keep straight
Both periods run from the date of mailing, and both are counted in business days: 14 before work can begin, 10 for your neighbour to present their additional quotes. Mail the notice by registered mail so you hold a dated receipt, and do not book your fence installer for a date inside the 14 days. Counting weekends and holidays by mistake is the easiest way to start early.
No permit, but not no rules
The Town says a permit is not required to build a standard fence. A fence that encloses a pool is different and needs a Pool Enclosure Permit. Height and placement rules still apply, and a variance from the by-law costs $394.20, applied for at Customer Service in the Civic Centre. Our guide to fence height rules in East Gwillimbury covers those limits, so you do not collect three quotes for a fence that breaks them.
If your neighbour still says no
The Town describes a disagreement that cannot be settled as a civil matter between the property owners. Its page does not describe the Town stepping in to mediate. So the practical protection is paperwork: the registered-mail receipt, the three quotes, the by-law copy, and a dated note of every conversation. If it goes further than that, a paralegal or lawyer is the right call, not a handyman.
Quick answers
Do I have to split a shared fence cost with my neighbour in East Gwillimbury?
Generally yes. The Town says adjoining owners share the cost of a division fence because they are legally considered joint owners of it.
What goes in a Notice of Intent for a fence?
Three written quotes for the actual cost or the basic cost, plus a statement that work can begin 14 business days after mailing. The Town also expects a copy of the by-law attached.
How long do I wait before building a shared fence?
Work can begin 14 business days after you mail the notice. Your neighbour has ten business days from mailing to bring three additional quotes.
Do I need a permit to build a fence in East Gwillimbury?
No, the Town says a permit is not required to build a standard fence. A fence that encloses a pool does need a Pool Enclosure Permit.
What if my neighbour will not agree on the fence?
The Town describes a disagreement as a civil matter between the property owners. Follow the notice steps in the by-law and keep your registered-mail receipt and every quote.
Before you mail anything
Know where the line is, get three real quotes for a fence that meets the height rules, and give your neighbour the first conversation before the registered letter. The formal steps protect you, but a neighbour who has already seen the quotes is far less likely to need them.
Related reading
- Fence repair from Rhodex: get a fixed price
- Replacing a Fence in East Gwillimbury: Height Rules
- Deck, Shed or Fence on a New Queensville or Sharon Home: What to Wait For
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