Courtenay fence rules: permits and height limits

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

Courtenay, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-05

How it works

Building Bylaw No. 3114 does not apply to a fence, trellis or arbour on a parcel zoned for single-family residential use, so no building permit is needed. A fence taller than the zoning limit is not allowed. Height and placement rules are in Part 8 of Zoning Bylaw No. 3203.

Good to know

• Front yard: 1.25 m maximum in residential zones, for a fence in or along the front yard.
• Side and rear yards: 2.0 m maximum in residential zones. In other zones the maximum is 2.0 m unless the bylaw says otherwise.
• Height is measured from the average grade within 1.0 m of both sides of the fence.
• On a corner lot, nothing may block vision between 1.0 m and 3.0 m above the street centre line grade, inside the area bounded by the property lines and a line joining points 6.0 m from the street intersection.
• Electrical, barbed or razor wire is prohibited in Residential and Multi-residential zones.
• A swimming pool needs a sturdy, non-climbable fence at least 1.5 m high with openings of 0.1 m or less.
• Retaining walls 1.2 m or higher count as buildings under the Zoning Bylaw.
• Lots next to the Agricultural Land Reserve need a 10.0 m fence and landscape buffer inside the property line.
• Fines under Bylaw 3185: an over-height fence is a $500 bylaw notice ($375 if paid within 14 days); no fence around a private pool is a $1,000 municipal ticket ($750 early).
• The Building Bylaw gives no fence exemption for lots outside single-family residential zones; ask Building at building@courtenay.ca whether a permit is needed.