Gate Repair in Atherton

One request, one contractor. He calls back with what he saw and what he would check on site.

Gates, posts and columns need a permit. The Town's gate guidelines state that gates, gate posts and columns are accessory structures and require a building permit before construction (General Guidelines for Fences, Walls and Gates, rev. December 8, 2022); the zoning code requires a zoning clearance for entry gates and posts unless an exemption applies (AMC § 17.46.020). Separate rules apply to fences within 10 feet of a public right-of-way and to structures over 6 feet. For a repair that replaces or reconstructs a hinge post or column, the permit scope should be confirmed with the Atherton Building Department.

Height and proportions of columns. Gate posts and columns can be up to 10 feet tall (Town guidelines), including a light fixture of no more than 18 inches (AMC § 17.46.040). Entry gates and posts may exceed the height table for fences but not 10 feet, and only with a permit (AMC § 17.46.040). The same section limits the width of posts and columns built into fences and walls to 33 percent of their built height, and where a wall steps down from column height the transition may run no more than 20 feet. A column rebuilt taller or wider than it was is a change the Town reviews, not a repair.

The opening and the swing. A vehicle gate needs a clear opening of at least 16 feet, and a gate may not swing over the public right-of-way (Town guidelines). A leaf that has dropped and now swings into the right-of-way is a code problem as well as a hinge problem.

Distance from the corner. Gates, posts and columns must sit at least 30 feet back from a corner intersection (Town guidelines); the zoning code defines the clear visibility area as a triangle with 30-foot legs from the street corner measured along the curb, gutter or edge of pavement (AMC § 17.60.020). Moving a hinge post to fix a sag is not an option on a corner lot if it brings the gate into that triangle.

Seven streets use a special height measurement. Along El Camino Real, Marsh Road, Middlefield Road, Valparaiso Avenue, Alameda de las Pulgas, Bay Road and Ringwood Avenue, the underlying fence or wall rule allows 6 feet above natural grade or 8 feet above the elevation of the adjacent pavement centerline, whichever is higher (AMC § 17.46.030). A gate on one of these frontages is measured by that rule.

For height limits by location, see the Atherton fence rules page. For a new fence around the gate, see fence installation in Atherton. For how gates fail and what each failure takes, see gate repair.

• The hinge column or post. A heavy leaf levers the post toward the opening with every swing. On a masonry column, the contractor checks the embedded hinge hardware and the footing as well as the visible condition of the column.
• The leaf. A long wood or steel leaf without a working diagonal drops at the latch corner. Re-bracing works if the frame corners are sound.
• The operator, if automatic. Arm or underground operators push on the hinge side; a leaning post throws the geometry off and the operator fights it. The post gets checked before the operator.
• The swing. Whether the leaf clears the driveway grade and stays out of the right-of-way through its full arc.

• Photograph the gate open and closed from the driveway.
• Photograph the hinge column or post from the base to the top hinge.
• Say whether the gate is automatic and which operator it has.
• Say whether the lot is on a corner.

The Town's published guidelines require a building permit for construction of gates, gate posts and columns. They do not spell out every repair scenario. Hinge, latch or brace work that leaves the gate's location, height and supports unchanged is different from reconstructing a post or column; structural work should be checked with the Building Department.

No. A gate may not swing over the public right-of-way (Town guidelines). A leaf that has dropped and now swings out is fixed by re-hanging or re-bracing it, not by trimming it.

Not above 10 feet including the light fixture, and only with a permit (AMC § 17.46.040). Rebuilding to the existing height and width is a repair; going taller or wider is a change the Town reviews.