# How Wide Should You Clear a Fence Line? > How wide should you clear a fence line? What the fence crew's equipment needs, why a mowing strip matters, and how fence type, slope and neighbors change it. URL: https://arcadytemplelandclearing.com/guide/how-wide-to-clear-a-fence-line/ - [Home](https://arcadytemplelandclearing.com/) - [Services](https://arcadytemplelandclearing.com/#services) - [Service Areas](https://arcadytemplelandclearing.com/service-areas/) - [Guides](https://arcadytemplelandclearing.com/guide/) - [Free Tools](https://arcadytemplelandclearing.com/tools/) - [About](https://arcadytemplelandclearing.com/about/) - [Contact](https://arcadytemplelandclearing.com/contact/) Learn Wide enough for the equipment that builds the fence and the mower that keeps it clear. Narrow strips close back in within a season. **Short answer:** clear wide enough for the equipment that will build the fence, usually a pickup or tractor with a post driver or auger and room to stretch wire, plus a strip on each side that a mower can run along every year. The common mistake is clearing too narrow: brush leans back in from the edges and seedlings fill the gap within a season. [Arcady Temple Land Clearing](https://arcadytemplelandclearing.com/) clears fence lines, trails and corridors across Bell County, and width is the first question on each one. Key takeaways - Width is set by the fence crew's equipment plus a mowing strip. - Fence lines fill in fast because birds drop seed there. - Clearing the neighbor's side needs the neighbor's agreement. ## What sets the width Four things decide the width, and each one adds to the last. 1. **The fence crew’s machine.** A truck or tractor carrying posts and wire, with a post driver or auger, has to drive along the line. Its width, plus room to work beside it, is the starting point. 2. **Room to stretch wire.** Barbed and net wire are stretched in long straight runs, so the strip has to be straight and free of stumps that would snag the wire. 3. **A mowing strip.** After the fence is built, a mower has to reach the base of the fence every year, or the strip closes in. 4. **The lean of the brush.** Cedar and hackberry along an old fence lean in toward the light. Cutting back to where the canopy starts, not just to the trunks, keeps branches off the new wire. ## By job | Job | What drives the width | | --- | --- | | New fence on open ground | Crew vehicle, wire stretching, mowing strip | | Replacing a worn-out fence | Space to roll up the old wire and drive new posts where the old ones stood | | Keeping an existing fence open | A mower’s width on each side | | Pipe fence | A lane wide enough for the welding rig to follow the line | | Wood or board fence by a home | A tighter strip, with hand work close to buildings | [Fence line clearing](https://arcadytemplelandclearing.com/fence-line-clearing/) covers how each of these is done. ## Why fence lines fill in fast Fence lines are where birds perch, and birds drop the seed of cedar, hackberry and other berry-bearing plants. Mowers cannot reach the base of the fence, so seedlings get a head start. A cleared fence line left alone for a few years can look like it was never cleared. Cedar cut below its lowest green limb will not resprout, but new seedlings will arrive; mesquite and hackberry resprout from their stumps. The guide on [whether brush grows back after clearing](https://arcadytemplelandclearing.com/guide/will-brush-grow-back-after-clearing/) explains which species return. ## Slope, draws and creeks On a slope, a cleared strip running straight downhill can channel water and start a gully. Leaving grass cover, cutting rather than grubbing, and leaving water gaps where the line crosses a draw keep the strip from washing. Where a fence crosses a creek, plan how water and debris will pass before the strip is cut. ## Old wire in the strip An old fence line rarely leaves cleanly. Sections of barbed wire lie buried in leaf litter, loose stays and T-posts lean into the brush, and earlier fences may sit a few feet off the current one. Wire caught in a mulching head stops the machine and has to be cut free by hand, so on rebuilds the old wire is usually rolled up and posts pulled before the strip is mulched. ## Neighbors and boundaries Clearing your own side needs no agreement. Clearing the neighbor’s side, or building a shared fence, does. Old ranch fences in Bell County often wander off the deed line by a few feet or more, so a surveyor’s corner markers are worth locating before a new fence goes in on an old route. ## What the width does to the price A fence strip is quoted on its footage and how wide it runs; how thick the brush is and how much buried wire turns up move it from there. Doubling the width roughly doubles the area cleared. The [estimate checklist](https://arcadytemplelandclearing.com/guide/what-a-land-clearing-estimate-should-include/) shows how a fence line quote should state width and length, and [how long it takes to clear an acre](https://arcadytemplelandclearing.com/guide/how-long-does-it-take-to-clear-an-acre/) explains how strip length turns into machine time. On ag land, see [clearing ag land and property taxes](https://arcadytemplelandclearing.com/guide/clearing-ag-land-and-property-taxes/); for typical ranges, the [cost guide](https://arcadytemplelandclearing.com/guide/land-clearing-cost/). To work out the right width for your fence, call or send the length and fence type below. Questions ## Questions about this guide ### Is wider always better for a fence line? Up to a point. The strip needs room for the fence crew's truck and post driver, plus a mowing strip on each side. Beyond that, wider just costs more and removes cover some owners want for wildlife. ### Do I need to clear both sides of the fence? To keep it open, yes, but you can only clear the neighbor's side with the neighbor's agreement. Where the neighbor will not clear, a wider strip on your side helps. ### How do I keep a cleared fence line from growing back? Mow the strip at least once or twice a year, and cut cedar and hackberry seedlings while they are small. Birds drop seed along fences, so they fill in faster than open ground. Service ## Related service - [**Fence Line Clearing** Strips cleared for new fence, trails, drives and easements.](https://arcadytemplelandclearing.com/fence-line-clearing/) Guides ## More guides - [Learn**Will Brush Grow Back After Clearing?** Some of it will, and which part depends on what was growing and how it was cut. Here is what comes back, species by species, and why.](https://arcadytemplelandclearing.com/guide/will-brush-grow-back-after-clearing/) - [Decision Guide**What Should a Land Clearing Estimate Spell Out?** When two quotes for the same land differ by thousands, a line is usually missing from one of them. Here is the list to check.](https://arcadytemplelandclearing.com/guide/what-a-land-clearing-estimate-should-include/) - [Learn**How Long Does It Take to Clear an Acre?** Anywhere from part of a day to several, depending on what is growing, what is underneath and what happens to the debris. Here is what sets the pace.](https://arcadytemplelandclearing.com/guide/how-long-does-it-take-to-clear-an-acre/) - [Learn**Will Clearing Land Affect Your Ag Valuation?** Clearing brush to improve grazing keeps land in agricultural use. Clearing it for a house can be a change of use. Here is the difference, and what to ask before you start.](https://arcadytemplelandclearing.com/guide/clearing-ag-land-and-property-taxes/) - [Cost Guide**How Much Does Land Clearing Cost in Temple, TX?** Typical Central Texas ranges for mulching, clearing and grubbing, the local figures that sit inside a price, and why two quotes for the same acre can be thousands apart.](https://arcadytemplelandclearing.com/guide/land-clearing-cost/)