Assembly required. Instructions included. It's straightforward: Place the fencing however you want, line up the loops and run the poles through the loops. No digging, but I did end up having to hammer some poles to get it down deep. There were zip ties included, but they looked weak, so I opted to use some cable twist ties instead. This will probably not be enough to deter pets or animals that like to dig their way through obstacles. I haven't had this long enough to comment on how well it stands up against the weather, but the coating looks good so will likely last a good while.