What is the American Fence Association (AFA)?
The American Fence Association (AFA) is a trade association for the fence, gate, and perimeter security industry. It serves fence and gate professionals—contractors, suppliers, and related businesses—by providing education, networking, certification, and industry advocacy. According to the association's own site, it describes itself as "the largest and most comprehensive resource in the fence, gate, and perimeter security industry," with a reach of 15 countries, all 50 U.S. states, 1,800+ member companies, roughly 10,000 employees, and 20 chapters.
If you work in or around the fence and gate trade and want training, credentials, or industry connections, the AFA is the organization to look at. If you're a homeowner just looking for someone to install a fence, the AFA is relevant mainly through its Contractor Locator tool rather than as a direct service provider.
What the AFA actually offers
The association organizes its work around a few core areas:
- Education and certification — AFA University (AFAU) offers online education, career pathways, schools, and certifications, plus a certification testing process and a network of approved education providers.
- Membership and member benefits — Membership includes access to benefits, chapters, special interest groups, volunteer opportunities, and industry awards (including the Pro Awards).
- Events — The flagship annual event is FENCETECH, described as the premier annual trade event for the industry. The next listed dates are FENCETECH 2027, March 1–5. Chapter-level events run throughout the year (for example, a NY/LI Chapter Fence Foreman School, a Texas Chapter golf and education night, and a Colorado Chapter Topgolf and education event).
- Advocacy — AFA runs government relations and advocacy updates, and has publicly applauded the approval of new gate safety standards for 2027 I-Codes.
- Resources — Publications, an online store, the Fence Industry Index®, Fence Pulse®, and a Contractor Locator for finding professionals.
- Supplier opportunities — Businesses can market through AFA by sponsoring, exhibiting at FENCETECH, or advertising.
Who it's for
| If you are… | The AFA is useful for… |
|---|---|
| A fence or gate contractor | Certification, education, chapter networking, awards, advocacy |
| A supplier or manufacturer | Sponsorships, exhibiting at FENCETECH, advertising, member directory visibility |
| Someone hiring a fence company | The Contractor Locator to find listed professionals |
| New to the industry | Career pathways, AFAU online education, training scholarships |
The AFA also runs an Education Foundation that funds academic and training scholarships and accepts donations.
How to engage
The site's main entry points are Join (membership), Events (calendar and FENCETECH), Education & Certification (AFAU and testing), and Resources (publications and the Contractor Locator). Members log in through the MyAFA Portal. You can also subscribe to email updates for events, member benefits, and FENCETECH news.
Contact details listed on the site: 3751 Main St., Suite 600 #373, The Colony, TX 75056; phone 800-822-4342.
What to keep in mind
- The AFA is an industry association, not a regulator or a consumer protection agency—its standards and advocacy work inform the trade, but membership isn't a government license.
- Specific membership pricing, certification fees, and event costs aren't stated in the available site information, so check the membership and events pages directly before budgeting.
- Chapter activity is regional; what's available to you depends on whether there's an active chapter near you.