Cumberland 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 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.
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).Building Bylaw No. 949, 2012, consolidated January 2020, Part B, definition of STRUCTURE; Building Amendment Bylaw No. 1254, 2026, s. 2(b)(ix) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingfences equal to or less than 2.0metres (6.6feet) in height. specifically excludes signs, fences up to 2.0 metres in height |
|---|---|
| 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, consolidated July 27, 2026, s. 7.4, Table 7.4(3) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingFront 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 |
| 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, consolidated July 27, 2026, s. 7.4, Table 7.4(3); Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, consolidated July 27, 2026, s. 7.4, Table 7.4(3) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingAll 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 Rural and Public Use All Yards - 2.0 m |
| 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, consolidated July 27, 2026, s. 7.6(1) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingOn 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 |
| 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, consolidated July 27, 2026, s. 7.4(2), Table 7.4(3) conditions; s. 7.5(2) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingThe 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. |
| Bylaw | Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, s. 7.4 (Fence) and s. 7.6 (Visual Clearance at Intersections)Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, consolidated July 27, 2026, s. 1.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingThis Bylaw may be cited as “Village of Cumberland Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025”. |
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, 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
- Find your zone on the Village iMap Viewer (see the zoning-lookup answer).
- Check the height limit for your yard and zone above.
- On a corner lot, keep the sight triangle clear (see below).
- 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
The same question in other places
Courtenay · Comox · Campbell River · Powell River · Port Alberni · Qualicum Beach
Sources
- Zoning Bylaw No. 1238, 2025, consolidated July 27, 2026 (PDF) (read 2026-11-08)
- Building Bylaw No. 949, 2012, consolidated January 2020 (PDF) (read 2026-11-08)
- Building Amendment Bylaw No. 1254, 2026 (PDF) (read 2026-11-08)
- Contact, Village of Cumberland (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. How answers are checked.