Ranch, acreage and snow fences
On acreage around Cheyenne, fences hold livestock, mark boundaries, let wildlife pass and decide where the snow ends up.
Ranch and acreage fencing covers the long lines on rural property: barbed and smooth wire, woven wire, pipe and rail, horse fence and snow fence. It's for landowners in the Ranchettes, around Burns and Pine Bluffs, and anywhere in rural Laramie County. We connect you with a fence contractor who builds farm and ranch fence.
What types of acreage fence are there?
- Barbed wire for cattle on perimeter and pasture lines.
- Smooth wire or high-tensile for horses, which can be injured on barbed wire.
- Woven wire for sheep, goats and dogs, often with a top wire.
- Pipe and rail, or post and board for corrals, arenas and around the house.
- Snow fence to control drifting near drives, barns and corrals.
What is a legal fence in Wyoming?
Wyoming statute W.S. 11-28-102 spells out lawful fences. As summarized by the state's Legislative Service Office, a barbed wire fence needs posts no more than 22 feet apart (33 feet with stays) set at least 20 inches deep, with three wires 10 to 15 inches apart or two wires and a wooden top rail. Post-and-board fences use three 1x8 or four 1x6 boards, and pole fences have posts no more than 16 feet apart. Other fences qualify if they're as strong and stock-resistant. The owner of a lawful partition fence can require the adjoining owner to pay half its cost, and subdividers next to land where livestock run at large must build a perimeter partition fence.
How do I make a fence wildlife friendly?
Pronghorn prefer to crawl under fences rather than jump them. A Wyoming Land Trust guide recommends a top wire no higher than 42 inches (40 is better), at least 12 inches between the top two wires, and a smooth bottom wire at least 16 inches off the ground, preferably 18. Smooth wire on top and bottom cuts injuries to deer, elk and pronghorn.
How should a snow fence be built?
The snow fence guide by Ronald Tabler, published by the Strategic Highway Research Program, recommends leaving 40 to 50 percent of the fence open, leaving a bottom gap of about 10 to 15 percent of the height, and placing the fence far enough upwind: drifts grow to 30 to 35 times the fence height downwind. A single tall fence (8 feet is the guide's rule of thumb) beats several short rows. The Laramie County Conservation District also designs living windbreaks and sells seedling trees each year.
What affects the cost?
Length of line, type of fence, post type and spacing, corners and braces, gates, terrain, rock, brush clearing, and distance from town. We don't quote prices; the contractor walks or drives the line first.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
What wire spacing is wildlife friendly in Wyoming?
A Wyoming Land Trust guide recommends a top wire at 42 inches or lower, at least 12 inches between the top two wires, and a smooth bottom wire at least 16 inches, preferably 18, off the ground.
How far from my driveway should a snow fence go?
Far enough that the drift doesn't reach the driveway. Tabler's guide says drifts grow to 30 to 35 times the fence height downwind, so an 8-foot fence can build a drift well over 200 feet long.
Do I have to pay for half of my neighbor's boundary fence?
Wyoming law lets the owner of a lawful partition fence require the adjoining owner to pay half its cost. Get legal advice if there's a dispute.
Related services
More background: Cheyenne and Laramie County fence guide.
New fence, a section the wind knocked down, or a gate that won't latch?
Call and a fence contractor who works around Cheyenne will walk the line and quote the job.