Armstrong fence rules: permits and height limits
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.
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.Building Bylaw No. 1903, 2022, s. 3.4(b), 7.1(o); A Guide to Building Permits (March 2023) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingexcept 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; retaining structures that are 1.2 m in height or less, and |
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| 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 1921, 2024 (PDF, consolidated to Bylaw 1928, 2024), s. 5.1.6(a), (b) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingIn 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 |
| 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 1921, 2024 (PDF, consolidated to Bylaw 1928, 2024), s. 5.1.6(b), (c) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingfences 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 |
| 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 1921, 2024 (PDF, consolidated to Bylaw 1928, 2024), s. 5.2.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingnot 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 |
| 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 1921, 2024 (PDF, consolidated to Bylaw 1928, 2024), s. 5.1.2, 5.1.3; Building Bylaw No. 1903, 2022, s. 12.2, 12.3 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingshall 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 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 |
| Bylaw | Zoning Bylaw No. 1921, 2024 (s. 5.1.6 and 5.2.1); Building Bylaw No. 1903, 2022 (Part 12, pools)Zoning Bylaw No. 1921, 2024 (PDF, consolidated to Bylaw 1928, 2024), s. 1.1.1; Building Bylaw No. 1903, 2022, s. 1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingThis Bylaw shall be referred to as “Zoning Bylaw No. 1921, 2024”. This bylaw may be cited as “City of Armstrong Building Bylaw No. 1903, 2022”. |
How it works
In the City of Armstrong, the Building Bylaw 1903 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.
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
- Find your zone and required front yard (see the zoning lookup answer or ask Planning).
- Keep within the height limits below.
- For a pool, spa or hot tub fence, apply for a building permit first.
- 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
The same question in other places
Spallumcheen · Enderby · Vernon · Coldstream · Lumby · Lake Country
Sources
- Zoning Bylaw No. 1921, 2024 (PDF, consolidated to Bylaw 1928, 2024), City of Armstrong (read 2026-11-05)
- Building Bylaw No. 1903, 2022 (PDF), City of Armstrong (read 2026-11-05)
- A Guide to Building Permits (March 2023), City of Armstrong (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. How answers are checked.