Driveway gates in Dallas TX: what the job involves
A driveway gate is a fence gate scaled up. A 12- to 16-foot opening puts a lot of weight on two posts and a few hinges, so the job is about the posts, the frame and the hardware before it is about the look. Archetex Outdoor Design Co. builds driveway gates the same way it builds fences: laid out to the property's real lines and grade, with corners, gates and slopes handled rather than forcing a standard panel. The photo above is a double cedar drive gate with Z-bracing, hung on galvanized steel posts. Matthew's earlier work also includes automated metal driveway gates.
The fence process applies to gates too:
- Property walk. Measure the opening, check the slope of the drive, choose the style and height, and decide which way the gate opens.
- Post setting. Set the gate posts for the weight and the swing or slide, along with the corners and slopes on the rest of the line.
- Install. Build and hang the fence and gate, including the hardware and any automation.
- Final walkthrough. Check that every gate opens, closes and latches the way it should.
Swing vs slide driveway gates
Swing gates are the default and cost less to build. Slide gates fit drives where there is no room for the swing. Fixr’s national materials-only figures by opening mechanism:
| Single | Double | Needs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swing | $1,350 – $5,300 | $1,900 – $8,500 | A clear arc on the side it opens to, and a drive that does not rise into the swing |
| Sliding | $1,050 – $3,350 | $2,150 – $5,150 | A straight, fairly level run of fence beside the opening, at least as long as the gate |
On many Dallas lots the deciding factor is the drive itself. If the drive rises from the street, an inward-swinging gate can hit the concrete partway through its arc. If the car parks close to the gate, the swing can hit the car. A slide gate avoids both, but it needs a fence run to roll along. UL 325 also caps residential slide gates at 1 foot per second (DASMA), so a long slide gate opens slowly.
Cedar on steel frames vs metal driveway gates
Cedar matches a cedar privacy fence. Metal is lighter for its strength and makes more sense for wide openings and acreage. Fixr’s national materials-only ranges are $850 to $8,500 for a wood gate, $1,150 to $8,600 for wrought iron, and $2,350 to $8,600 for aluminum.
- Cedar on galvanized steel posts. This is how Archetex builds fences: steel in the ground, cedar above it. A wood post rots at the soil line, which is exactly where a gate post carries its load. Bracing the cedar frame diagonally keeps the latch side from dropping. A cedar gate can be stained to match the fence or left to weather.
- Metal pipe and ranch gates. These suit wide drives, rural lots and ranch fencing. They are the type most often automated, because the frame stays rigid when an operator pushes it from one point.
- Cedar on a steel frame. A welded steel frame clad in cedar gives a gate that looks like the fence but stays square under an opener. It is worth considering if you want wood and automation on a wide opening.
North Texas spring storms bring hail and strong wind, and a solid cedar driveway gate catches wind like a sail. That is one more reason to set the posts, hinges and latch for the load rather than for the look.
Gate openers: solar vs wired, keypads and remotes
An opener costs $400 to $5,000 on its own, and the choice comes down to power, gate weight and how often the gate runs. Fixr’s national figures (openers are materials only; controls are installed):
- Solar openers, $500 to $2,000. No trench for power, and they keep working through an outage on the battery. They need a panel that gets real sun, which matters under the big live oaks and pecans in older Dallas neighborhoods.
- Hardwired openers, $400 to $5,000. Medium and heavy-duty openers are usually hardwired. They suit heavy gates and drives used many times a day.
- Battery openers, $200 to $600. For light gates only. Replacement batteries cost $20 to $85.
- Controls. Remotes cost $75 to $300, keypads $400 to $800 and intercoms $1,000 to $7,000. A camera costs $125 to $2,000 and an automatic closer $200 to $600.
- Emergency access. An optional lock box or control panel for emergency access costs $25 to more than $500 to install (Fixr, national). Plan how a delivery driver, a visitor and an ambulance will each get in.
Gate safety: UL 325, photo eyes and a separate walk gate
Automatic gates can trap and crush people, which is why the operator standard, ANSI/CAN/UL 325, matters more than the brand of opener. The door and gate manufacturers' association DASMA summarizes the rules:
- Since 2000, every entrapment zone has needed two separate means of entrapment protection. An operator's built-in protection counts as one.
- Since 2016, slide and swing operators must have two means of entrapment protection in both the opening and closing directions. The external devices, usually photo eyes or contact edges, are monitored: the operator checks that they are connected and working.
- If people walk through the area, the standard requires a separate pedestrian opening, designed so people use it instead of the vehicle gate.
- UL 325 is referenced in the International Building, Fire and Residential Codes. DASMA notes that inspectors check installations against it, and that a gate system not installed to it carries potential liability.
- The standard is not retroactive. An older opener does not have to be upgraded, but DASMA recommends replacing operators made before 2000.
In practice, that means photo eyes across the opening, edge sensors where the gate could pin someone against a post or wall, and a walk gate beside the drive gate. A walk gate is also what you will use most days anyway.
Dallas permits, front-yard rules and HOAs
A driveway gate up to 4 feet tall in a front yard, or up to 6 feet elsewhere, needs no Dallas fence permit; taller ones do. The City of Dallas fence permit checklist requires a permit for a fence over 4 feet in a front yard or over 6 feet anywhere else, and the maximum height is 9 feet. Anything taller needs Board of Adjustment approval, a building permit and engineer-sealed plans. In single-family districts the development code limits a fence in the required front yard to 4 feet, so tall front gates and entry columns go to the Board of Adjustment as special exceptions (Board of Adjustment agenda). Confirm the rule for your lot with the City of Dallas. Sec. 51A-4.602 also controls visual obstructions, which matters for a gate or column near a drive approach or a corner.
In Plano, Frisco, McKinney and other HOA suburbs, the deed restrictions usually matter as much as the city does. They can set gate style, height, stain color and whether a drive gate is allowed at all. Get written HOA approval before you order an opener.
Driveway gate cost in Dallas TX in 2026
Most automatic driveway gates cost $2,500 to $5,000 installed, with a national average of about $4,000. The figures below are from Fixr's electric gate cost guide (updated January 2025). They are national market ranges, not Archetex's prices.
| Item | Typical cost (Fixr) |
|---|---|
| Automatic gate, installed (average) | $4,000 |
| Automatic gate, installed (typical range) | $2,500 – $5,000 |
| Low end: small 5 ft chain-link gate | $730 |
| High end: 16 ft aluminum double swing | $11,000 |
| Gate alone | $200 – $4,000 |
| Wood gate (materials) | $850 – $8,500 |
| Opener | $400 – $5,000 |
| Gate installation labor | $750 – $4,800 |
| Safety sensors | $200 – $2,000 |
| Keypad / remote | $400 – $800 / $75 – $300 |
| Gate repairs | $500 – $4,000 |
The price climbs with the width of the opening, a double gate instead of a single, power trenched a long way up the drive, an intercom or camera, and a slope that needs a slide gate. Archetex Outdoor Design Co. gives a written price after a free site visit.
How to choose a driveway gate contractor in Dallas, and what the quote should say
Choose the contractor who asks about the slope, the swing and the power before quoting a gate. Ask to see gates they have hung that are a few years old, not just new ones. A good written quote states:
- the opening width, the gate height, and swing (which direction) or slide;
- the post material, size and setting method, and the gate frame and bracing;
- the hinges, latch and drop rod or stop;
- the opener model, solar or wired, and who runs the power;
- the safety devices (photo eyes and edges) and whether there is a separate walk gate;
- the controls: remotes, keypad and emergency access;
- whether a permit or HOA approval is needed and who gets it;
- the final walkthrough, with every gate tested.
Archetex's Google reviews repeat the same things: communication and daily updates, punctuality, help with design, a clean site and reasonable prices. For the fence the gate hangs in, see fence installation. Then look at our work, or contact Matthew for a free estimate in Dallas, Garland, Richardson, Rockwall and nearby.
