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Anmore fence rules: permits and height limits

Do I need a permit to build a fence in Anmore, and how high can it be?

Anmore, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-08

Short answer

In Anmore you do not need a building permit to build a fence. Under the Zoning Bylaw a fence can be up to 1.6 m high in a front yard and up to 1.8 m in a rear or side yard. A retaining wall over 1.22 m high does need a building permit.

Key facts

PermitA building permit is not needed to build a fence (the Village lists 'landscaping and fencing construction' as not needing one). Fences must still follow the Zoning Bylaw's height rules. A retaining wall over 1.22 m high needs a building permit.Building Requirements, When is a permit not required?; Building Bylaw No. 583-2018, s. 21.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
Landscaping and fencing construction
the vertical height is greater than 1.22 m, as measured from grade to top of the wall;
Height, front yard1.6 m (front yard).Zoning Bylaw No. 568-2017 (PDF, consolidated to Amendment Bylaw No. 735-2026), s. 5.11.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
Fences shall not exceed a height of 1.6 metres in the front yard or a height of 1.8 metres in
Height, side and rear yards1.8 m (rear and side yards).Zoning Bylaw No. 568-2017 (PDF, consolidated to Amendment Bylaw No. 735-2026), s. 5.11.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
Fences shall not exceed a height of 1.6 metres in the front yard or a height of 1.8 metres in
the rear or side yards.
Corner lots and sightlinesNo fence, wall, vegetation or other obstruction may be placed at or near an intersection of two highways where it would reduce the driver sight distance needed for safe operation of the intersection.Highway Regulation Bylaw No. 586-2018, s. 4.1(d) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
place or allow to be placed, any fence, wall, vegetation, or other obstruction
at or near the intersection of two Highways, and in such a location as to
Other rulesA fence on top of a retaining wall counts the wall's height; if the combined height is over 1.8 m, the fence by itself may be no more than 1.0 m. Barbed wire and razor wire are prohibited except in industrial, civic institutional or commercial uses. Swimming pools must be enclosed by a fence at least 1.5 m high that does not obstruct visibility (the Building Bylaw also requires self-closing, self-latching gates and no gaps a 100 mm sphere can pass).Zoning Bylaw No. 568-2017 (PDF, consolidated to Amendment Bylaw No. 735-2026), s. 5.11.2, 5.11.3, 5.17.2; Building Bylaw No. 583-2018, s. 22.3 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
the height of the fence shall include the height of the retaining wall, except that where their combined
Barbed wire and razor wire fences are prohibited in all zones except when expressly
Swimming pools shall be enclosed in a structure or surrounded by a fence with a height of
All pools require the construction of fencing that completely surround the swimming
BylawAnmore Zoning Bylaw No. 568-2017, s. 5.11 (Fences)Zoning Bylaw No. 568-2017 (PDF, consolidated to Amendment Bylaw No. 735-2026), cover · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
Anmore Zoning Bylaw No. 568-2017

How it works

The Village of Anmore lists "landscaping and fencing construction" among the work that does not need a building permit. Fences must still follow the height rules in the Zoning Bylaw No. 568-2017 (s. 5.11).

Steps

  1. Keep a fence to 1.6 m in a front yard and 1.8 m in a rear or side yard.
  2. If the fence sits on a retaining wall, count the wall's height too. If the combined height is over 1.8 m, the fence by itself may be no more than 1.0 m.
  3. Check your plans with the Village (building@anmore.com or 604-469-9877) if your lot is on a corner or you are not sure of a boundary.

Good to know

  • A retaining wall over 1.22 m high needs a building permit.
  • Barbed wire and razor wire are prohibited except for industrial, civic institutional or commercial uses.
  • A swimming pool must be enclosed by a fence at least 1.5 m high that does not block visibility. The Building Bylaw also requires self-closing, self-latching gates and no gaps a 100 mm sphere can pass through.
  • On a corner, no fence, wall, vegetation or other obstruction may be placed where it would reduce the sight distance a driver needs to use the intersection safely (Highway Regulation Bylaw s. 4.1(d)). The bylaw does not give a distance, so ask the Village.

Official forms and pages

The same question in other places

Port Moody · Belcarra · Coquitlam · Port Coquitlam · New Westminster · District of North Vancouver

Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality →

Sources

  1. Building Requirements, Village of Anmore (read 2026-11-08)
  2. Zoning Bylaw No. 568-2017 (PDF, consolidated to Amendment Bylaw No. 735-2026), Village of Anmore (read 2026-11-08)
  3. Building Bylaw No. 583-2018 (PDF), Village of Anmore (read 2026-11-08)
  4. Highway Regulation Bylaw No. 586-2018 (PDF), Village of Anmore (read 2026-11-08)
  5. Contact Us, Village of Anmore (read 2026-11-08)

Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 6 facts was matched to the official text. How answers are checked.