---
title: "Canal Flats fence rules: permits and height limits"
question: "Do I need a permit to build a fence in Canal Flats, and how high can it be?"
place: Canal Flats, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/canal-flats
category: Building, renovating and your property
owner: municipal
owner_body: Village of Canal Flats
sources_read: 2026-11-08
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/fence-rules/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/fence-rules.json"
---

# Canal Flats fence rules: permits and height limits

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

**Short answer:** In Canal Flats a fence does not need a building permit, but the Zoning Bylaw limits its height. In residential and mixed-use zones a fence may be 1.2 m (3.9 ft) high in the front yard and 1.8 m (6 ft) in a required side or rear yard. A retaining wall does need a permit.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Canal Flats, https://www.canalflats.ca)  
**Cost:** No building permit is needed for a fence, so no permit fee.  
**How long:** Not applicable; no permit is needed for a fence.  
**Where:**
- In person: Village Office (Columbia Discovery Centre), 8866 Grainger Road, Canal Flats, BC V0B 1B0 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed 12:00 to 1:00))
- Phone: Village Office, 250-349-5462
- Email: Village Office, village@canalflats.ca

## Key facts

- **Permit:** No building permit for a fence: the Building Bylaw does not apply to a fence, except that a retaining wall needs a building permit.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 230, 2020, s. 3.3(a); s. 11.1](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/28968/)
  - Official wording: "except as set out in Part 11 [Retaining Walls] of this bylaw, a fence;" … "No person may construct, or structurally repair, a retaining wall without a building permit."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, front yard:** 1.2 m (3.9 ft) in the R-1, R-1A, R-MH, C-1 and MU zones and other residential and mixed-use zones. In zones not listed there, 1.8 m (6 ft).
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019 (consolidated), s. 1.7](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/)
  - Official wording: "no screening or fencing shall be higher than 1.2 m (3.9 ft.) from ground level in a front yard;" … "no screening or fencing shall be higher than 1.8 m (6.0 ft.) from ground level in a front yard; and"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, side and rear yards:** 1.8 m (6 ft) in a required side or rear yard, but 1.2 m in a required side yard next to a highway right-of-way other than a lane (the clause continues with a 1.8 m limit in a case whose wording is unclear). Where a rear parcel line abuts the front or side line of an adjoining parcel, no higher than the front or side limit.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019 (consolidated), s. 1.7.1-1.7.2](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/)
  - Official wording: "no screening or fencing shall be higher than 1.8 m (6.0 ft.) from ground level in a required side yard or rear yard;" … "no screening or fencing shall be higher than 1.2 m (3.9 ft.) from ground level in a required side yard where adjacent to a highway right-of-way other than a lane equal to" … "where a rear parcel line of a parcel abuts the front parcel line or side parcel line of an"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Corner lots and sightlines:** No fence, wall, building or structure higher than 1.2 m (3.9 ft) in the area bounded by the lot lines at the corner of a public street and a line 4.0 m (13.1 ft) along the lot line from their intersection (the visibility corner triangle).
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019 (consolidated), s. 1.8.2(a)](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/)
  - Official wording: "No Fence, wall, Building, or Structure will be erected to a height greater than 1.2" … "any Public Street and a line extending 4.0 metres (13.1 ft.) along the Lot line"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Other rules:** Barbed wire fencing is allowed only in the RA, SH, IT and P zones. Shipping containers may not be used as fencing or screening. A swimming pool, spa or hot tub must be enclosed by a fence (Building Bylaw Part 14). Fences next to a street or public place must not be unstable, rotting, leaning or rusting (Good Neighbour Bylaw).
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019 (consolidated), s. 1.7.3; s. 2.9](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/)
  - Official wording: "Barbed wire fencing is an allowable component of fencing and screening in the RA, SH, IT" … "Not be used as housing or a dwelling, fencing, screening, or for advertising;"
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 230, 2020, s. 14.2](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/28968/)
  - Official wording: "A swimming pool, including a spa or hot tub must be enclosed within a fence constructed"
  - Source: [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 296, 2026, Part 2, s. 4](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/48953/)
  - Official wording: "a fence, a retaining wall, or a wood tie located on the property"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Village of Canal Flats Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019, ss. 1.7 and 1.8.2; Building Bylaw No. 230, 2020, s. 3.3(a)
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019 (consolidated), s. 1.1](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/)
  - Official wording: "This Bylaw may be cited as “Village of Canal Flats Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019”."
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 230, 2020, s. 1.1](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/28968/)
  - Official wording: "This bylaw may be cited as “Village of Canal Flats Building Bylaw No. 230, 2020”."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The [Building Bylaw No. 230](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/28968/) does not apply to a fence, so there is no building permit for one. A retaining wall is the exception and needs a building permit. Fence heights are set by the [Zoning Bylaw No. 215](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/).

In the R-1, R-1A, R-MH, C-1 and MU zones and other residential and mixed-use zones, the limit is 1.2 m (3.9 ft) in a front yard and 1.8 m (6 ft) in a required side or rear yard. The limit is 1.2 m in a required side yard next to a highway right-of-way other than a lane. Where a rear parcel line meets the front or side line of a neighbouring parcel, the fence may be no higher than the front or side limit. In zones not listed, the limit is 1.8 m (6 ft).

## Steps

1. Find your zone (see the zoning-lookup answer).
2. Check the height limits above for that zone and for your fence's location on the lot.
3. Keep the corner clear: nothing higher than 1.2 m (3.9 ft) within the area bounded by the lot lines and a line 4.0 m (13.1 ft) along each lot line from the corner of a public street.
4. Call the Village office at 250-349-5462 if your case is unclear.

## Good to know

- Barbed wire fencing is allowed only in the RA, SH, IT and P zones.
- Shipping containers may not be used as fencing or screening.
- A swimming pool, spa or hot tub must be enclosed by a fence (Building Bylaw Part 14).
- Under the Good Neighbour Bylaw, a fence next to a street or public place must not be unstable, rotting, leaning or rusting.
- The sources do not say how height is measured beyond "from ground level".

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/)

## Related questions

- [Canal Flats zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Canal Flats building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/building-permit.md)
- [Canal Flats permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/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)
- [Invermere](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/invermere/fence-rules.md)
- [Radium Hot Springs](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/radium-hot-springs/fence-rules.md)
- [Kimberley](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kimberley/fence-rules.md)
- [Elkford](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/elkford/fence-rules.md)
- [Cranbrook](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/fence-rules.md)
- [Kaslo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kaslo/fence-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019 (consolidated), Village of Canal Flats](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Bylaw No. 230, 2020, Village of Canal Flats](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/28968/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 296, 2026, Village of Canal Flats](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/48953/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Contact Us, Village of Canal Flats](https://www.canalflats.ca/contact-us/) (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. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Village of Canal Flats. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/fence-rules/_