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

# Cumberland 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 Village of Cumberland a fence up to 2.0 m high does not need a building permit. In residential and mixed-use zones the zoning bylaw limits fences to 1.2 m in a front yard and 2.0 m in side and rear yards.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Cumberland, https://cumberland.ca)  
**Cost:** No building permit fee for a fence up to 2.0 m. Check whether a development permit applies to your lot.  
**How long:** Not applicable for a fence under the building bylaw.  
**Where:**
- In person: Village Office, 2673 Dunsmuir Avenue, Cumberland, BC (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
- Phone: Village Office, 250-336-2291
- Email: Planner, planning@cumberland.ca

## Key facts

- **Permit:** No building permit is needed for a fence up to 2.0 m high, because the Building Bylaw's definition of a structure excludes fences up to that height. Zoning also caps fence height (see the height rules).
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 949, 2012, consolidated January 2020, Part B, definition of STRUCTURE](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Bylaw-949-Building-Bylaw-CONS-Jan-17-2020.pdf)
  - Official wording: "fences equal to or less than 2.0metres (6.6feet) in height."
  - Source: [Building Amendment Bylaw No. 1254, 2026, s. 2(b)(ix)](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Bylaw-1254-Building-Amendment-2026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "specifically excludes signs, fences up to 2.0 metres in height"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, front yard:** 1.2 m in a front yard in residential and mixed-use zones. Rural, public use and interchange zones: 2.0 m in all yards. Industry zones: 2.5 m to 3.5 m.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, consolidated July 27, 2026, s. 7.4, Table 7.4(3)](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Bylaw-1238-consolidated_27Jul2026_nav.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Front Yard - 1.2 m" … "Front Yard - 1.2 m Residential and Mixed-Use All Other Yards - 2.0 m Rural and Public Use All Yards - 2.0 m"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, side and rear yards:** 2.0 m in side and rear yards in residential and mixed-use zones (2.0 m in all yards in rural, public use and interchange zones). Industry zones: fences must be 2.5 m to 3.5 m.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, consolidated July 27, 2026, s. 7.4, Table 7.4(3)](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Bylaw-1238-consolidated_27Jul2026_nav.pdf)
  - Official wording: "All Other Yards - 2.0 m" … "Front Yard - 1.2 m Residential and Mixed-Use All Other Yards - 2.0 m Rural and Public Use All Yards - 2.0 m" … "Industry All Yards 2.5 m 3.5 m"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, consolidated July 27, 2026, s. 7.4, Table 7.4(3)](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Bylaw-1238-consolidated_27Jul2026_nav.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Rural and Public Use All Yards - 2.0 m"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Corner lots and sightlines:** On a corner lot nothing (building, fence, retaining wall, landscaping or screening) may be placed in the sight triangle formed by measuring 6.0 m along both lot lines from the point where the highways meet.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, consolidated July 27, 2026, s. 7.6(1)](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Bylaw-1238-consolidated_27Jul2026_nav.pdf)
  - Official wording: "On any corner lot, no building, structure, fence, retaining wall, landscaping, screening, or other" … "6.0 metres along the edge of the two adjoining property boundaries from the point of"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Other rules:** Measured from finished grade to the top, including any retaining wall under the fence. No barbed wire, razor wire or plywood (except I-3 zone). Where the neighbouring lot is higher: up to 3.0 m, if no more than 2.0 m above its grade. Retaining walls: 1.2 m maximum, up to 3.0 m with an engineer's design.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, consolidated July 27, 2026, s. 7.4(2), Table 7.4(3) conditions; s. 7.5(2)](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Bylaw-1238-consolidated_27Jul2026_nav.pdf)
  - Official wording: "The height of a fence is determined by measuring the vertical distance between the highest point" … "can be comprised of or contain barbed" … "No retaining wall can exceed 1.2 metres, except as required as a condition of subdivision approval" … "The maximum height of a fence erected on a lot which abuts a neighbouring lot where the finished" … "No retaining wall can exceed 1.2 metres, except as required as a condition of subdivision approval or development permit or where constructed in accordance with a professional design by a qualified professional engineer, up to a maximum height of 3.0 metres."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, s. 7.4 (Fence) and s. 7.6 (Visual Clearance at Intersections)
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, consolidated July 27, 2026, s. 1.1](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Bylaw-1238-consolidated_27Jul2026_nav.pdf)
  - Official wording: "This Bylaw may be cited as “Village of Cumberland Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025”."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The Building Bylaw's definition of a structure excludes fences up to 2.0 m, so such a fence does not need a building permit. Height is limited by [Zoning Bylaw No. 1238](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Bylaw-1238-consolidated_27Jul2026_nav.pdf), section 7.4.

- Residential and mixed-use zones: 1.2 m in a front yard, 2.0 m in side and rear yards.
- Rural, public use and interchange zones: 2.0 m in all yards.
- Industry zones: fences must be 2.5 m to 3.5 m.

Height is measured from finished grade to the top, including any retaining wall under the fence. Barbed wire, razor wire and plywood are not allowed (plywood is allowed in the I-3 zone). Where the neighbouring lot is higher, a fence up to 3.0 m is allowed if the ground is no more than 2.0 m above your grade. Retaining walls are limited to 1.2 m, or up to 3.0 m with an engineer's design.

## Steps

1. Find your zone on the Village iMap Viewer (see the zoning-lookup answer).
2. Check the height limit for your yard and zone above.
3. On a corner lot, keep the sight triangle clear (see below).
4. Ask the Planner (planning@cumberland.ca or 250-336-2291) if your lot is in a development permit area or the Heritage Conservation Area, where a permit may still be needed.

## Good to know

- On a corner lot nothing (building, fence, retaining wall, landscaping or screening) may be placed in the sight triangle formed by measuring 6.0 m along both lot lines from the point where the highways meet (section 7.6).
- Pool fences and gates fall under the Building Bylaw's pool enclosure rules.
- Confirm the zone on the Village iMap and in the bylaw, as the zone labels in the height table were hard to read in the text copy.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, consolidated July 27, 2026 (PDF)](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Bylaw-1238-consolidated_27Jul2026_nav.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Cumberland building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cumberland/building-permit.md)
- [Cumberland zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cumberland/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Cumberland permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cumberland/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)
- [Courtenay](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/courtenay/fence-rules.md)
- [Comox](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/comox/fence-rules.md)
- [Campbell River](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/campbell-river/fence-rules.md)
- [Powell River](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/powell-river/fence-rules.md)
- [Port Alberni](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-alberni/fence-rules.md)
- [Qualicum Beach](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/qualicum-beach/fence-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, consolidated July 27, 2026 (PDF)](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Bylaw-1238-consolidated_27Jul2026_nav.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Bylaw No. 949, 2012, consolidated January 2020 (PDF)](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Bylaw-949-Building-Bylaw-CONS-Jan-17-2020.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Amendment Bylaw No. 1254, 2026 (PDF)](https://cumberland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Bylaw-1254-Building-Amendment-2026.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Contact, Village of Cumberland](https://cumberland.ca/contact/) (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 Cumberland. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cumberland/fence-rules/_