C-13 Fencing exam questions, with answers
10 practice questions for the CSLB Fencing trade exam, each with the answer, a plain explanation and the source it rests on.
These are not real exam questions. CSLB does not release its test questions or answer keys, and nobody else has them. We write our own questions from the C-13 outline and the codes, standards and references CSLB lists for the exam. Each answer names its source so you can check it.
The C-13 exam has 4 sections. The questions below are grouped by section, with the share of the exam each one carries. Read the question, pick an answer, then open “Show the answer”. The other questions of the free test, scored section by section, are in the free 25-question C-13 test.
Planning and Estimating · 16% of the exam
Planning fencing projects; reading and interpreting plans; estimating fencing projects.
1. Your crew plans to start augering postholes for a new fence at a commercial site. Under Government Code 4216.2(b), when must you notify the regional notification center (811)?
- At least 2 calendar days and not more than 14 working days before digging
- At least 1 working day and not more than 28 calendar days before digging
- At least 3 working days and not more than 10 calendar days before digging
- At least 2 working days and not more than 14 calendar days before digging
Show the answer
Answer: D. Government Code 4216.2(b) requires notice at least two working days, and not more than 14 calendar days, before the excavation begins. The day you call does not count toward the two working days. Calendar days are not working days, and calling earlier than 14 days ahead is too early.
2. A Caltrans plan sheet calls for a single-leaf chain-link gate 10 ft wide, built to Standard Plan A85. What does the A85 gate note require for this gate?
- Vertical stays at the third points, since it is wider than 6 ft
- Two leaves instead of one, since it is wider than 8 ft
- A vertical stay in the middle, since it is wider than 8 ft
- No added member, since it is under the 12-ft maximum
Show the answer
Answer: C. The chain link gate note on Standard Plan A85 sets a maximum gate width of 12 ft and requires a vertical stay in the middle of any gate wider than 8 ft. A 10-ft leaf may be built as one leaf, but it needs the center stay; being under the 12-ft maximum does not remove that requirement.
Source: Caltrans 2025 Standard Plan A85, chain link gate installation note
Preparation and Post Installation · 18% of the exam
Job site layout and marking; determining posthole dimensions; post and concrete footing installation.
3. You have staked the four corners of a rectangular chain-link enclosure for an equipment yard, 45 ft by 60 ft. To confirm the corners are square, you measure both diagonals. What should each diagonal measure?
- 52.5 ft
- 60 ft
- 75 ft
- 105 ft
Show the answer
Answer: C. A rectangle is true when its diagonals are equal, and each diagonal is the square root of 45 squared plus 60 squared: the square root of 5,625, or 75 ft (a 3-4-5 triangle times 15). 105 ft adds the two sides, 52.5 ft averages them, and 60 ft is only the long side.
4. You are about to request an 811 ticket for the post holes along a new fence line. Under Government Code 4216.2(a) and the definition of delineate in 4216(d), what must you do first?
- Mark the planned dig area in white once your ticket is issued
- Mark the planned dig area in orange once the locators have come
- Mark the planned dig area in white before you notify the center
- Mark the planned dig area in yellow after you notify the center
Show the answer
Answer: C. Government Code 4216.2(a) says an excavator must delineate the area to be excavated before notifying the regional notification center, and 4216(d) defines delineate as marking the location or path of the planned excavation in white. If the area is not delineated, the operator may choose not to locate and mark until it is. Yellow and orange are utility locator colors, not the excavator's.
5. On a Caltrans fence job, a helper finishes the top of each concrete post footing with a shallow dish around the post, so it will hold water for curing. What does Caltrans Standard Specifications Section 80-1.03 require instead?
- Leave the dish and fill it with clean gravel
- Finish each footing flat and level with grade
- Leave the dish and cover it with topsoil
- Crown each footing so that water sheds away
Show the answer
Answer: D. Section 80-1.03 says to crown each concrete footing to shed water. A dish or a flat top holds water against the post and the footing, which speeds rust on steel and rot on wood. The CLFMI guide and UFGS 32 31 13 also call for footing tops that are crowned or domed to shed water.
Fence, Gate, and Rail Installation and Repair · 50% of the exam
Chain-link, agricultural, wood, ornamental, vinyl, and composite and laminate fences and gates; playgrounds, swimming pools, and game courts; flagpole installations.
6. You are bidding a Caltrans job that calls for 96-in (8-ft) chain-link fabric without slats. Under Caltrans Standard Specifications Section 80-3.02C, what wire gauge must the fabric be?
- 9 gauge
- 10 gauge
- 11 gauge
- 12-1/2 gauge
Show the answer
Answer: A. Section 80-3.02C calls for 11-gauge wire for a fence 84 in or less in height, and 9-gauge wire for a fence over 84 in and for any slatted chain link fence. This 96-in fabric is over 84 in, so it must be 9 gauge; 11 gauge applies only up to 84 in.
7. You are buying nails for a western red cedar picket fence. Which nail material does the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association call the best choice?
- Bright (uncoated) steel
- Electroplated zinc
- Black phosphate steel
- Stainless steel
Show the answer
Answer: D. The association lists hot-dipped galvanized, aluminum and stainless steel nails as corrosion-resistant for cedar and names stainless steel the best choice (hot-dipped galvanized is the most widely used and economical). Other types, such as electroplated nails, are not recommended: they can rust and react with cedar's natural oils, staining the wood.
Source: Western Red Cedar Lumber Association fastener recommendations, nail materials
8. You are digging post holes for a vinyl fence kit. What do the vinyl kit installation instructions of two makers both call for in the bottom of each hole before the post is set?
- About 12 in of soil, packed tight
- About 6 in of gravel or filler
- About 2 in of sand, tamped firm
- About 6 in of concrete, left to harden
Show the answer
Answer: B. The Freedom and Catalyst instructions both list coarse gravel at 6 in per hole and have you insert 6 in of gravel or filler in the bottom of the hole before setting the post. The gravel lets water drain away from the post bottom; concrete or packed soil in the bottom of the hole holds the water instead.
Source: Freedom picket vinyl fence instructions, post hole step b; Catalyst privacy vinyl kit instructions
Safety · 16% of the exam
Personnel safety; Cal/OSHA procedures; environmental safety.
9. A laborer is about to run a two-person gas auger to dig postholes, wearing a loose, untucked flannel shirt with open cuffs. What does 8 CCR 3383 require?
- Keep it on, as long as the auger engine is under 3 horsepower
- Change it: loose clothing that can catch in moving machinery may not be worn
- Keep it on, but wear gloves so the open cuffs cannot reach the auger
- Change it only if the holes will be deeper than 4 ft
Show the answer
Answer: B. 8 CCR 3383(b) says clothing appropriate for the work must be worn, and loose sleeves, tails, cuffs or other loose clothing that can be entangled in moving machinery shall not be worn. A spinning auger can wrap loose cloth and pull the worker in; gloves, engine size and hole depth do not change the rule.
Source: 8 CCR 3383(b), California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 3383, Body Protection
10. After your crew tears out an old pressure-treated wood fence on a ranch, the owner asks you to burn the posts in his brush pile. Under Health and Safety Code 25230.4, what do you tell him?
- No: treated wood waste under these rules may not be burned
- Yes, if the ashes then go to a class I hazardous landfill
- Yes, if the posts are first cut into 4-ft lengths or less
- Yes, if the pile is at least 100 ft from any building
Show the answer
Answer: A. Health and Safety Code 25230.4(a) says treated wood waste managed under the alternative management standards shall not be burned, scavenged, or commingled with other waste. Wood waste designated to be burned is not eligible for those standards at all (HSC 25230.2). Distance, cutting, or where the ashes go does not make burning allowed.
Where to go from here
How the license works, from experience to fees: how to get a C-13 license. Everything about the course: the C-13 exam page.
Questions from our free C-13 test, written from CSLB License Examination Study Guide, Fencing (C-13), form 13E-13 (03-2026), for examinations scheduled on or after October 1, 2023. CSLB notes that the percentages are approximate. Reviewed 14 October 2026. Study guidance only; we are not affiliated with CSLB or PSI.