A double-swing driveway gate is two leaves that meet in the middle. People pick it when a single leaf would be too wide, too heavy, or would sweep a car, a slope, or the sidewalk. It is not a sliding gate, and it is not two garden gates standing next to a drive.
Why two leaves instead of one, or a slide
A single swing on a 16-foot opening is a long lever. Wind on a solid wood or aluminum face loads the hinges. A double pair cuts that lever in half. You then owe the job a meeting point: a drop rod or cane bolt into a receiver, and a latch or lock that holds both leaves.
Clearance is the other reason. Two 7-foot leaves need two 7-foot arcs, plus the cars that park inside those arcs. On a short National City apron, both arcs may hit the garage or the sidewalk. On a long Ramona drive, they may be fine. Mark both arcs on the ground before anyone fabricates.
A slide still wins when the drive pitches so a swing leaf would scrape, or when the lot has runback along the fence line and no room to swing. Cantilever versus track is that page, not this one. If you only have room for one leaf to open, a double pair is the wrong drawing.
Automation on a double pair is a dual operator or a listed dual kit, plus a way for both leaves to stay in time. One arm on one leaf with the other leaf “manual” is a different product. Solar is a power path, not a leaf count. Safety devices have to see both openings.
Wood double pairs sag at the meeting point first. See wood driveway gates for frame and brace. Aluminum and steel pairs still need a named hinge and a named drop rod.
What the double-swing proposal must list
- Clear opening, each leaf width, and whether the leaves are equal.
- Swing direction: in, out, or split. Outward into the public sidewalk needs a right-of-way answer from the city.
- Hinge size and count per leaf, post size, and whether existing posts are large enough.
- Drop rod or cane bolt, which leaf gets it, and the receiver in concrete or a ground sleeve.
- Meeting stile and how the pair weathers a Santa Ana without rattling.
- Operator: dual kit model, listed capacity per leaf, batteries if solar, photo eyes, loops, edges.
- Access: remotes, keypad, intercom. Place the keypad so a driver is not standing in the leaf path. See also power outage for the manual release on both leaves.
- Slope: bottom gap, rack, or a straight bottom with a triangular opening.
- Height against City Table 142-03A and County PDS070, confirmed for the parcel.
If the pair is part of a pool enclosure, Health and Safety Code §115923 still applies. Driveway pairs that also close a pool need the latch and swing rules in writing.
Shared driveways still need Civil Code §841 notice. C-13 covers the gates. Masonry piers are not C-13 walls. Business and Professions Code §7048’s $1,000 exemption is not an automated double pair.
This site has no verified installed price for a double-swing driveway gate in San Diego County. Compare two bids that name the same opening, leaf count, hardware, and operator.
Fence Pros San Diego is a referral service. We match you with licensed, independent local fence professionals. We do not install and we do not set prices. You contract with the pro directly. Verify the license on the CSLB site.
Call when you want two leaves on a vehicle opening and a licensed contractor to spec the arcs, the drop rod, and any dual operator for your San Diego lot. Call us at (858) 400-4906 and we will connect you with a licensed fence contractor.