TL;DR
Post hole depth is the buried dimension that determines whether a fence stays plumb, set by rule of thumb at one-third of the post's exposed height with a 24-inch minimum, and always below the local frost line in cold climates. Gate and corner posts go deeper because they carry concentrated loads, and taller privacy fences need more embedment to resist wind acting on the solid face.
What it means
Post hole depth is the buried dimension that determines whether a fence stays plumb, set by rule of thumb at one-third of the post's exposed height with a 24-inch minimum, and always below the local frost line in cold climates. Gate and corner posts go deeper because they carry concentrated loads, and taller privacy fences need more embedment to resist wind acting on the solid face. Shallow setting is the leading cause of leaning fences within a few seasons.
Where it sits in the glossary
Post hole depth is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
License: CC-BY-4.0 — quote freely with attribution to ProFix Editorial Team / ProFix Directory.