---
title: "Armstrong fence rules: permits and height limits"
question: "Do I need a permit to build a fence, and how high can it be?"
place: Armstrong, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/armstrong
category: Building, renovating and your property
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of Armstrong
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/armstrong/fence-rules/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/armstrong/fence-rules.json"
---

# Armstrong fence rules: permits and height limits

**Question:** Do I need a permit to build a fence, and how high can it be?

**Short answer:** In the City of Armstrong a fence the Zoning Bylaw permits needs no building permit, but a fence around a swimming pool, spa or hot tub does. Fences and hedges up to 1.2 m may go anywhere on a lot. Taller fences, up to 2 m, are allowed only behind the required front yard.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Armstrong, https://www.cityofarmstrong.bc.ca)  
**Cost:** No fee is stated for a fence that meets the zoning bylaw. A pool, spa or hot tub fence needs a building permit (see the building permit fees answer).  
**Where:**
- Email: Manager of Planning Services (zoning questions), planner@cityofarmstrong.bc.ca
- Email: Building Official (pool fences), inspector@cityofarmstrong.bc.ca
- Phone: City Hall, 250-546-3023

## Key facts

- **Permit:** No building permit for a fence that the zoning bylaw permits. A fence around a swimming pool, spa or hot tub does need a building permit.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 1903, 2022, s. 3.4(b), 7.1(o)](https://armstrong.civicweb.net/document/164102)
  - Official wording: "except as set out in Part 12 of this bylaw, a fence permitted to be constructed under the City’s zoning bylaw;" … "constructing swimming pools, hot tub installation, and swimming pool fences;"
  - Source: [A Guide to Building Permits (March 2023)](https://armstrong.civicweb.net/document/165846)
  - Official wording: "retaining structures that are 1.2 m in height or less, and"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Height, front yard:** 1.2 m (about 3.9 feet). Fences and hedges up to 1.2 m may be anywhere on a lot; taller fences are allowed only to the rear of the required front yard.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1921, 2024 (PDF, consolidated to Bylaw 1928, 2024), s. 5.1.6(a), (b)](https://armstrong.civicweb.net/document/181358)
  - Official wording: "In all zones, fences and hedges not greater than 1.2m (3.937 feet) in" … "fences or walls not greater than 2m (6.562 feet) in height may be located on any lot to the rear of a required front yard"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Height, side and rear yards:** Up to 2 m (about 6.6 feet) behind the required front yard in all zones except Industrial (2.5 m in Industrial zones). Along an exterior (street) side lot line the limit is 1.2 m.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1921, 2024 (PDF, consolidated to Bylaw 1928, 2024), s. 5.1.6(b), (c)](https://armstrong.civicweb.net/document/181358)
  - Official wording: "fences or walls not greater than 2m (6.562 feet) in height may be located on any lot to the rear of a required front yard, except along an exterior side lot line, in which case the" … "maximum fence height shall be 1.2m (3.937 feet)." … "In Industrial zones, fences or hedges not greater than 2.5m (8.202 feet) in"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Corner lots and sightlines:** Nothing over 1.0 m high (fence, wall, hedge, shrub, tree or other obstruction) in the triangle at a street corner formed by the lot lines and a line joining points 6 m back from where they meet.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1921, 2024 (PDF, consolidated to Bylaw 1928, 2024), s. 5.2.1](https://armstrong.civicweb.net/document/181358)
  - Official wording: "not be erected maintained or allowed to grow to a height greater than 1.0m in the" … "area bounded by the intersection of lot lines at" … "a line joining points along said lot line 6m from their points of intersection"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Other rules:** Height is measured from ground level; on a sloping lot, at the midpoint between fence posts. A retaining wall projecting above the ground it holds is treated as a screen. Pool, spa or hot tub fences (over 0.6 m deep) must be at least 1.5 m high, with no openings over 100 mm and a self-closing, self-latching gate.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1921, 2024 (PDF, consolidated to Bylaw 1928, 2024), s. 5.1.2, 5.1.3](https://armstrong.civicweb.net/document/181358)
  - Official wording: "shall be determined by measurement from the ground level. In the case of a sloping lot, fence height" … "shall be measured at the midpoint between fence posts." … "Any portion of a retaining wall which projects above the surface of the ground"
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 1903, 2022, s. 12.2, 12.3](https://armstrong.civicweb.net/document/164102)
  - Official wording: "having a minimum height of 1.5 metres and no openings greater than 100" … "mm at their least dimension." … "a self-closing and self-latching gate"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 1921, 2024 (s. 5.1.6 and 5.2.1); Building Bylaw No. 1903, 2022 (Part 12, pools)
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1921, 2024 (PDF, consolidated to Bylaw 1928, 2024), s. 1.1.1](https://armstrong.civicweb.net/document/181358)
  - Official wording: "This Bylaw shall be referred to as “Zoning Bylaw No. 1921, 2024”."
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 1903, 2022, s. 1](https://armstrong.civicweb.net/document/164102)
  - Official wording: "This bylaw may be cited as “City of Armstrong Building Bylaw No. 1903, 2022”."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

In the City of Armstrong, the [Building Bylaw 1903](https://armstrong.civicweb.net/document/164102) does not apply to a fence permitted under the City's zoning bylaw, so an ordinary fence needs no building permit. Fences around swimming pools, spas and hot tubs still do. Heights are set in section 5 of the [Zoning Bylaw 1921, 2024](https://armstrong.civicweb.net/document/181358).

Height is measured from ground level. On a sloping lot it is measured at the midpoint between fence posts. A retaining wall that projects above the ground it holds is treated as a screen.

## Steps

1. Find your zone and required front yard (see the zoning lookup answer or ask Planning).
2. Keep within the height limits below.
3. For a pool, spa or hot tub fence, apply for a building permit first.
4. For a retaining wall over 1.2 m, apply for a building permit.

## Good to know

- Up to 1.2 m (about 3.9 feet): fences and hedges may go anywhere on a lot.
- Up to 2 m (about 6.6 feet): allowed behind the required front yard in all zones except Industrial, where the limit is 2.5 m. Along an exterior (street) side lot line the limit is 1.2 m.
- Where a lot's rear line meets the side line of a neighbouring residential lot, the rear fence can be no taller than allowed on that side line.
- Corner lots: nothing over 1.0 m high (fence, wall, hedge, shrub, tree or other obstruction) in the triangle at a street corner formed by the lot lines and a line joining points 6 m back from where they meet. Open mesh or chain link fences at cemeteries, parks, playgrounds and schools, and in commercial and industrial zones, are exempt, up to 3.5 m.
- Pool, spa or hot tub fences (over 0.6 m deep) must be at least 1.5 m high, with no openings over 100 mm and a self-closing, self-latching gate.
- The bylaw does not state rules for barbed wire or electric fences; ask Planning.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw 1921, 2024 (PDF)](https://armstrong.civicweb.net/document/181358)
- [Building Bylaw 1903, 2022 (PDF)](https://armstrong.civicweb.net/document/164102)

## Related questions

- [Armstrong building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/armstrong/building-permit.md)
- [Armstrong zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/armstrong/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Armstrong permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/armstrong/deck-shed-garage-permit.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fence-rules.md)
- [Spallumcheen](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/spallumcheen/fence-rules.md)
- [Enderby](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/enderby/fence-rules.md)
- [Vernon](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/vernon/fence-rules.md)
- [Coldstream](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coldstream/fence-rules.md)
- [Lumby](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lumby/fence-rules.md)
- [Lake Country](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lake-country/fence-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 1921, 2024 (PDF, consolidated to Bylaw 1928, 2024), City of Armstrong](https://armstrong.civicweb.net/document/181358) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Building Bylaw No. 1903, 2022 (PDF), City of Armstrong](https://armstrong.civicweb.net/document/164102) (read 2026-11-05)
- [A Guide to Building Permits (March 2023), City of Armstrong](https://armstrong.civicweb.net/document/165846) (read 2026-11-05)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 6 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of Armstrong. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/armstrong/fence-rules/_