Custom Railing / San Jose & South Bay
Custom Gates in San Jose, CA
Driveway, walk-through, side-yard and pool barrier gates fabricated in our shop to your exact opening, hung on posts sized for the leaf and ready for an operator when you want one.
- Licensed & InsuredEvery job
- In-Shop FabricationBuilt to measure
- Free On-Site EstimatesWritten ranges
Custom Gates in San Jose, Built to the Opening You Have
We design and build custom gates in San Jose that fit the opening you actually have, not the nearest catalog size. That means driveway gates for sloped lots, entry gates that match an existing iron porch railing, side-yard gates that stay square for years and pool gates that close and latch on their own every time.
Most gate problems start at the hinge post, not the gate. A heavy steel leaf hung on an undersized post or a shallow footing sags within a few seasons, starts dragging and stops latching. We size the post and footing to the leaf weight and width, then weld the frame stiff enough to carry an operator later, whether or not you automate on day one.
Our shop cuts, welds and finishes each gate, and the same crew that took the measurements hangs it. Matching an existing railing? Call (408) 409-8723 for a free on-site estimate.
Gates We Fabricate
- Swing and sliding driveway gates in steel, ornamental iron or aluminum
- Front entry and courtyard gates matched to existing railings and fences
- Side-yard and trash-enclosure gates with latches that work from both sides
- Pool enclosure gates fitted with spring closers and a self-latching catch
- Arched, scrolled, horizontal-bar and modern flat-bar designs
- Frames, hinge posts and footings set up for a future gate operator
- Re-hanging, re-welding and re-coating existing gates
Signs It Is Time for a New Gate
- You have to lift the gate to latch it, or the bottom scrapes the driveway
- Rust has eaten through the hinge post or the bottom rail
- The latch no longer lines up after every rainy season
- Your pool gate stays open, or bounces off the latch, when released from partway open
- An operator strains, stalls or reverses because the gate is out of square
- Wood gates have split, warped or pulled their hinges loose
If the frame is sound, many of these can be fixed. Our railing and gate repair service handles re-hanging, hinge post replacement and re-welding.
Gate Styles and Materials Compared
| Gate | Usual materials | Design priority |
|---|---|---|
| Swing driveway | Steel, ornamental iron, aluminum | Arc must clear the driveway grade; heavy-duty hinge post |
| Sliding driveway | Steel, aluminum | Room beside the opening and a level, straight track |
| Entry or courtyard | Ornamental iron, steel | Pattern and color tied to the home's railings; a lockset that suits daily use |
| Side-yard | Powder-coated steel, aluminum | A frame that resists racking; a latch you can work from either side |
| Pool enclosure | Steel, aluminum | Closes and latches by itself; swings outward, away from the water |
Aluminum is light and will not rust, which helps on long side-yard runs and near the baylands. Steel suits larger driveway gates and takes the same zinc primer and powder coat as our wrought iron railings. For a matching fence or deck edge, see aluminum railings and deck and balcony railings.
Pool Barrier Gates and Local Gate Code Rules
Pool gates. Under California's Swimming Pool Safety Act, a new or remodeled home pool needs drowning-prevention protection, and fencing the pool off with an enclosure is one recognized way to provide it. A gate in that enclosure has a familiar checklist: it swings outward away from the water, shuts itself from any position, catches its own latch, and keeps the release up where a small child can't reach. The barrier itself also has height, ground-gap and opening limits, and your building department sets the exact figures. Our guide to California pool gate and fence rules walks through them.
Automated gates. Any gate operator should carry a UL 325 listing and include entrapment protection, such as photo eyes or contact edges. We frame and route wiring for the operator your installer specifies.
Los Gatos hillsides. The Town's Hillside Development Standards and Guidelines require entry gates to be set back at least 18 feet from the edge of the adjacent street, call for open designs, strongly discourage monumental gates and require Santa Clara County Fire Department approval for gates with locking devices or electronic controls.
Cupertino. A draft update to the city's Health and Safety Element discourages private residential electric security gates, strongly discourages them in High and Very High fire hazard zones, and calls for a fence exception and an approved Fire Department key switch where they are allowed. It is a draft, so check its current status before you design.
HOAs. Many HOAs require architectural review for street-facing gates. Our HOA approval guide covers what to submit.
From Measure to Hung Gate: Our Process
Measure
Opening width, the grade across the swing path and footing locations are recorded.
Design
You, and your HOA if needed, get CAD drawings with dimensions, pattern, hardware and color.
Check rules
Pool barrier, setback and fire-access requirements are reviewed for your address.
Build
Frames are welded square on a flat table, with operator brackets if planned.
Finish
Zinc-rich primer under oven-cured powder coat, or hot-dip galvanizing.
Hang
Posts go into footings, the gate is hung, and the latch is adjusted until it catches every time.
Gates for South Bay Lots and Weather
Lot shape drives gate design here. San Jose is 51% single-family detached homes, many on flat 1960s and 1970s tract lots where a simple swing gate works. In the hills above Almaden, Evergreen and the west valley towns, driveways climb, and a swing gate's arc can hit the slope. That is where we look at sliding gates, split leaves or a raised bottom rail. Saratoga, where 85% of homes are single-family detached, sees more estate driveway and pilaster work.
Heat is the second factor. The Los Gatos NOAA station averages 84.9°F in July with about 27 days a year at 90°F or above, and a black steel gate in full sun gets hot enough to notice on the latch. Lighter powder-coat colors stay cooler. Rain is concentrated: about 91% falls from November through April, so we drain hollow tubes and coat inside cut ends where water would otherwise sit.
Fire zones matter for access. San José adopted the 2025 Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps on June 17, 2025, and parts of the east and south foothills are mapped High or Very High. Metal gates are noncombustible, unlike wood, but fire crews still need a way through, which is why Los Gatos and Cupertino address gate access directly. Check your parcel on the OSFM viewer at osfm.fire.ca.gov/fhsz.
Custom Gate Cost and Pricing Factors
| Gate project | Ballpark | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| Side-yard or walk gate | Usually inside the ~$700–$6,000 typical ornamental iron project range | Width, pattern, hardware |
| Pool enclosure gate | Close to a walk gate, plus self-closing hinges and latch | Hardware grade, post condition |
| Driveway gate | Generally in the thousands; width and detail decide how far | Width, swing vs. slide, scrollwork, slope |
| Matching fence run, aluminum | $50–$200 per foot installed | Height, picket style, posts |
| Automation | Priced separately | Operator, power run, safety sensors |
| Permits | Roughly $50–$500 | City and scope |
Forged scrolls, new masonry columns and HOA-mandated finishes move estate gates toward the top. Treat these as honest ballparks rather than quotes, and call (408) 409-8723 for a free on-site estimate.
Why Homeowners Choose Us for Custom Gates
Built around the hinge post
Sagging gates almost always trace back to the post or footing. We size the hinge post and footing to the weight and width of each leaf, weld the frame square in our shop and add diagonal bracing where a long leaf needs it. Driveway gates get mounting points for an operator even if you plan to automate later, so the frame never has to be cut apart to add one.
Pool gates that latch every time
Each pool enclosure gate we install is checked against the rules your building department applies: outward swing away from the water, self-closing and self-latching. We release it from wide open, half open and barely ajar, and adjust hinge tension until it catches on every try. The hardware specs go into your permit file so the inspector can see exactly what was installed.
Matched to your railings
At the free site visit we photograph and measure what you already have: picket size and spacing, collars, caps and the powder-coat color. Because we are a licensed and insured C-23 ornamental metal crew fabricating in our own shop, the gate is not limited to a catalog pattern, and we can refinish a faded railing in the same job so old and new match.
Custom Gates Across the South Bay
We build gates for tract homes and hillside lots in San Jose, estate driveways in Saratoga and Los Gatos, Eichler and foothill homes in Cupertino, and side-yard and pool gates in Campbell and Milpitas.
Planning a high-end entry? See our luxury custom railings. Learn about our shop or request a free gate estimate.
FAQ
Questions, Answered
Straight answers on cost, code, permits and materials. Still unsure? Call and ask.
What makes a pool gate code-compliant in California?
If an enclosure is how your pool meets California's pool safety rules, its gates need to swing away from the pool, shut by themselves, latch by themselves and keep the release out of a small child's reach. Exact barrier heights and gaps come from your building department. Before leaving, we check each pool gate's closing and latching from several starting positions.
How far back does a driveway gate need to be in Los Gatos?
On hillside properties covered by the Town of Los Gatos Hillside Development Standards and Guidelines, entry gates must be set back at least 18 feet from the edge of the adjacent street. The guidelines also call for open designs and require Santa Clara County Fire Department approval for gates with locks or electronic controls. Confirm with the Town before you design.
Can I put an electric gate on my Cupertino property?
It depends on where you live. A draft update to Cupertino's Health and Safety Element discourages private residential electric security gates and strongly discourages them in High and Very High fire hazard zones, with a fence exception and Fire Department key switch where allowed. Because it is a draft, check current rules with the city first.
Will a new gate match the ironwork I already have?
That is the point of the site visit. We record picket dimensions and spacing, scrolls or collars, post caps and the existing color, then build to them in our own shop instead of choosing from a catalog. If the old railing has faded, refinishing it during the same job keeps both pieces the same color.
Swing or slide: which works on a steep driveway?
Look at where the slope rises. A swinging leaf needs ground that stays lower than its bottom rail through the whole arc, and an uphill driveway usually blocks that. A slider needs flat space alongside the opening. Two shorter leaves can also solve it. We check the grade at the free visit and tell you which option your lot supports.
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San Jose Custom Railing designs, fabricates and installs custom railings across San Jose, CA and the South Bay. Licensed and insured, drawings checked against California code, and permit and HOA paperwork handled for you.