Professional Gate Installation in the Bay Area

A well-built gate does more than mark the boundary of your property. It controls who gets in, keeps unauthorized traffic out, and adds a layer of security that a fence alone cannot provide. At Integrity Garage Doors & Gates, we have been installing driveway and pedestrian gates across the Bay Area since 2009 — and we approach every job the same way: measure carefully, build to last, and make sure the homeowner understands exactly how the system works before we leave the site.

Whether you need a single swing gate across a residential driveway or a dual-slide gate for a commercial lot, we handle every phase of the project in-house. That means one crew from the site survey through final testing, one phone number if you ever have a question, and one company standing behind the warranty. No subcontractors, no finger-pointing, no runaround.

Gate Materials — Choosing What Works for Your Property

The material you choose determines how your gate looks, how long it lasts, and how much maintenance you will deal with over the years. Here in the Bay Area, climate plays a bigger role than most people expect. Coastal fog, salt air, seasonal rain, and intense summer sun all take their toll, and a gate material that performs well in Arizona may corrode or warp within a few years in San Mateo or Pacifica.

Wrought iron is the traditional choice for properties that want a classic, ornamental look. Real wrought iron is hand-forged and extremely strong — it can handle vehicle impacts and heavy daily use for decades. The trade-off is maintenance. Wrought iron will rust if the finish is compromised, so you are looking at repainting or touching up the powder coat every three to five years depending on how close you are to the coast. For inland Bay Area cities like Concord, Livermore, or San Ramon, wrought iron holds up well with minimal upkeep. For coastal properties, you need to stay on top of the finish or the rust will get ahead of you.

Steel is the workhorse option. Modern steel gates are hot-dip galvanized before they are powder-coated, which gives you a two-layer defense against corrosion. Steel is heavier than aluminum, which makes it feel solid and substantial, and it can be fabricated into nearly any design — from simple horizontal slats to ornamental scrollwork. The weight does matter when it comes to choosing a gate operator, because a heavier gate requires a more powerful motor, but that is something we factor into the design from day one.

Aluminum is our most popular recommendation for Bay Area gate installations, and for good reason. Aluminum does not rust — period. It resists corrosion naturally without any special coatings, which makes it ideal for properties in San Francisco, Daly City, Half Moon Bay, or anywhere the marine layer rolls in. Aluminum gates are lighter than steel, which means smaller operators, lower energy consumption, and less wear on hinges and rollers over time. The only real downside is that aluminum is softer than steel, so it will dent more easily on impact. For residential driveways where you are not expecting collisions, that is rarely a concern.

Wood gates deliver warmth and a natural aesthetic that metal cannot match. Cedar and redwood are the two species we use most often because they resist rot and insects without chemical treatment. Wood gates work beautifully for pedestrian entries, side yards, and properties with a craftsman or rustic style. The honest truth about wood in the Bay Area is that it requires more maintenance than metal — plan on resealing or restaining every two to three years. Wood also expands and contracts with moisture, so the gate needs to be built with enough tolerance to move without binding.

Vinyl is low-maintenance and lightweight, but it is best suited for pedestrian gates and lighter-duty applications. Vinyl will not rust, rot, or need painting, but it lacks the structural strength of metal for larger driveway gates. We typically recommend vinyl for garden gates, pool enclosures, and side-yard entries where appearance and ease of care matter more than heavy-duty security.

Swing vs Slide Gates — Which Configuration Fits Your Property

This is the first question we answer during every site survey, and the answer depends almost entirely on your driveway geometry, available space, and the terrain.

Swing gates open like a door, pivoting on hinges mounted to posts or columns. A single swing gate covers openings up to about 16 feet. For wider driveways, we install a dual-swing configuration with two gate leaves that meet in the center. Swing gates are mechanically simpler, generally quieter, and typically cost less than slide gates because the operator and hardware are more straightforward. The critical requirement for swing gates is clearance. The gate needs enough room to arc open without hitting your car, landscaping, a sloped driveway, or a parked vehicle. If your driveway slopes upward from the street, the bottom of a swing gate can drag on the pavement — we address this with rising hinges, uphill gate arms, or by adjusting the post height and gate geometry during the design phase.

Slide gates roll laterally along a track or are supported by a cantilever system. They are the go-to solution when you do not have room for a gate to swing open — which is common on tight Bay Area lots, properties with short driveways, or driveways that meet the street at a steep grade. A V-track slide gate runs on a rail embedded in the concrete at the driveway surface, while a cantilever gate hangs from an overhead or mid-height rail and never touches the ground. Cantilever gates are the better choice on uneven terrain or in areas where leaves and debris accumulate in the track. The trade-off with slide gates is that they need a pocket — a stretch of fence line to the side of the opening where the gate can slide into when open. That pocket needs to be roughly the same width as the gate opening, so a 16-foot opening requires 16 feet of clear space to one side.

On sloped driveways — and there are plenty of those in the Bay Area hills — we often use a combination approach: a cantilever slide gate for the driveway paired with a swing pedestrian gate on flatter ground nearby. Every property is different, and that is exactly why we start with a site survey instead of a phone quote.

Gate Automation — Operators, Safety, and UL 325 Compliance

A manual gate works fine until you have to get out of your car in the rain to open it for the third time today. Gate automation eliminates that inconvenience and adds a significant layer of security, because an automated gate stays closed and locked by default.

We install gate operators from the industry's top manufacturers — LiftMaster, DoorKing, Viking, and FAAC. The operator we recommend depends on the gate type (swing or slide), its weight, the cycle frequency (how many times per day the gate opens and closes), and your power situation. Most residential swing gates use an articulating arm or underground operator. Slide gates use a rack-and-pinion drive that meshes with a toothed rail along the bottom of the gate. We size the operator to the gate — not the other way around — because an undersized motor will burn out, and an oversized one wastes energy and adds unnecessary cost.

Safety is not optional. Every automated gate we install meets UL 325 safety standards, which is the code that governs automated gate and door systems in the United States. UL 325 requires specific entrapment protection devices depending on the gate type and installation. At minimum, that includes:

• Photo eyes — infrared beams across the opening that reverse the gate if anything breaks the beam while the gate is closing.
• Entrapment sensing edges — rubber-mounted sensors on the leading edge of the gate that detect contact with a person, pet, or object and immediately reverse the gate's direction.
• Non-contact sensors — in some configurations, we add presence-detection sensors that monitor the gate's path without physical contact.
• Timer-to-close logic — the gate automatically closes after a configurable delay (typically 15 to 30 seconds), ensuring it does not stay open indefinitely.

We test every safety device individually during commissioning and document the results. If a sensor fails the test, we do not hand over the system until it passes. Your family's safety is not something we cut corners on.

Access Control Options — How You and Your Guests Get In

The gate operator moves the gate. The access control system decides when the gate should move — and for whom. We install a range of access control technologies depending on your security needs and how many people need access.

Keypads are the most common residential option. You enter a numeric code, and the gate opens. Simple, reliable, and inexpensive. We can program multiple codes so you can give a different code to a housekeeper, gardener, or regular delivery driver — and revoke any individual code without changing the others.

Intercoms add a communication layer. A visitor presses the call button, you see who it is (video intercoms) or hear their voice (audio-only), and you decide whether to buzz them in. Modern intercoms connect directly to your smartphone, so you can see your front gate and open it from anywhere — whether you are in the backyard, at work, or across the country.

Smartphone access using apps like MyQ or DoorKing's DKS allows you to open the gate from your phone with a single tap. You can also set up geofencing so the gate opens automatically when your phone comes within a certain distance. This is convenient for daily use and eliminates the need for remotes or codes entirely.

Card readers and fobs are common in multi-unit residential properties and commercial settings. Each tenant or employee gets a card or key fob that grants access, and the property manager can add or deactivate credentials from a central system. We install both proximity (RFID) readers and swipe-style systems depending on your preference.

License plate recognition (LPR) is the highest tier of automated access control. A camera reads the plate of approaching vehicles and compares it against an authorized list. If the plate matches, the gate opens without the driver doing anything — no remotes, no codes, no stopping. LPR systems work well for high-traffic properties, HOA communities, and commercial facilities where speed and convenience matter.

The Installation Process — What to Expect From Day One

Every gate installation starts with a conversation, but the real work begins during the site survey. Here is how our process works from initial contact to the day you start using your new gate.

Step 1: Site survey and design. One of our technicians comes to your property, measures the opening, evaluates the terrain and slope, checks for underground utilities, notes the power source location, and discusses your goals for the gate. We talk through material options, swing vs. slide, automation preferences, and access control. By the end of this visit, you will have a clear picture of what the installation involves and a written estimate with no hidden costs.

Step 2: Permitting. If your city requires permits for the gate or electrical work — and most Bay Area cities do — we handle the application, plans, and any required inspections. You do not need to go to city hall or figure out the code requirements yourself.

Step 3: Post and foundation work. Gate posts are the backbone of the entire system. We set steel posts in concrete footings that are sized to the gate's weight and wind load. For slide gates, we also pour the track foundation or install the cantilever support structure. Footings typically need 24 to 48 hours to cure before we hang the gate.

Step 4: Gate hanging and alignment. Once the posts have cured, we mount the gate on its hinges (swing) or attach it to the roller carriages (slide). We check plumb, level, and alignment, and make fine adjustments so the gate swings or slides smoothly with no binding, dragging, or gaps.

Step 5: Operator mounting and wiring. We mount the gate operator according to the manufacturer's specifications, run low-voltage wiring for the safety sensors and access control devices, and connect everything to the power source. If there is no existing electrical line at the gate location, we coordinate with a licensed electrician to run a dedicated circuit.

Step 6: Programming and access control setup. We program the operator's open/close limits, auto-close timer, and obstruction sensitivity. We set up your access control — whether that is a keypad code, intercom pairing with your phone, card reader enrollment, or LPR camera configuration. We program your remotes, test every access method, and make sure you know how to use all of them.

Step 7: Safety testing and handoff. We run every safety device through its test protocol. Photo eyes, sensing edges, manual release, emergency stop — every component gets verified individually. We walk you through the daily operation, show you how to use the manual release during a power outage, and leave you with the operator manual, warranty paperwork, and our direct phone number for service.

Pedestrian Gates — Styles, Security, and ADA Considerations

Not every entry needs to accommodate a vehicle. Pedestrian gates serve front walkways, side yards, pool enclosures, and garden entries where foot traffic is the only concern. These gates are smaller and lighter than driveway gates, but they still need to be built right — a flimsy pedestrian gate that sags or sticks defeats its own purpose.

We build pedestrian gates in every material we offer: wrought iron for decorative entries, steel for security-focused applications, aluminum for low-maintenance elegance, wood for a natural look, and vinyl for pool and garden use. Most pedestrian gates are swing-style, mounted on heavy-duty hinges rated for the gate's weight.

Self-closing hinges are standard on every pedestrian gate we install. These spring-loaded hinges pull the gate closed automatically after someone passes through, which is critical for pool enclosures (California Building Code requires self-closing, self-latching gates around pools), side yards where pets might escape, and any entry where you want the gate to default to the closed position. We adjust the closing speed so the gate shuts firmly without slamming.

For properties that need to meet ADA accessibility standards — multifamily buildings, commercial entries, or any property open to the public — we ensure the gate meets the required clearances, operating force limits, and hardware height specifications. ADA-compliant gates require specific hardware placement, a maximum of 5 pounds of operating force, and a clear opening width of at least 32 inches. We also install automatic operators on pedestrian gates when hands-free access is needed for wheelchair users or anyone with limited mobility.

Pedestrian gates can be standalone or paired with a driveway gate for a coordinated look across your property. We match the material, finish, and design so everything ties together visually. A matching pedestrian gate next to a driveway gate is one of those details that separates a professional installation from a DIY project.