---
title: "Fernie fence rules: permits and height limits"
question: "Do I need a permit to build a fence, and how high can it be?"
place: Fernie, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/fernie
category: Building, renovating and your property
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of Fernie
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fernie/fence-rules/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fernie/fence-rules.json"
---

# Fernie fence rules: permits and height limits

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

**Short answer:** No building permit is needed for a fence in the City of Fernie. Under the Zoning Bylaw a fence may be up to 1.0 m (3.3 ft) high in a front yard and 2.0 m (6.6 ft) in a required side or rear yard, and it must not block sightlines at corners.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Fernie, https://www.fernie.ca)  
**Cost:** No building permit fee for a fence. A retaining wall 1.2 m or higher needs a building permit (see the building permit fees answer).  
**Where:**
- Phone: City Hall (Planning), 250-423-6817 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
- Email: Planning, planning@fernie.ca

## Key facts

- **Permit:** No building permit is needed for a fence. Retaining walls 1.2 m or higher do need a building permit. A fence on City land (road, reserve or City-owned parcel) needs an Encroachment Agreement.
  - Source: [Building and Plumbing Bylaw No. 2526, 2025, s. 4.4(a); s. 12.1](https://fernie.civicweb.net/document/577)
  - Official wording: "fences and landscaping and retaining walls, excepting as set out in Part 12 of this bylaw;" … "No person may construct or make repairs affecting the structure of a retaining wall any part of which" … "is greater than or equal to 1.2 meters in height without first obtaining a building permit."
  - Source: [Building Permits and Inspections, Building Permit Exemptions](https://www.fernie.ca/EN/main/residents/city-services/building-permits-inspections.html)
  - Official wording: "A building permit is not required for the construction of fencing."
  - Source: [Encroachment Bylaw No. 2460, 2022, Definition of Encroachment; Prohibitions](https://fernie.civicweb.net/document/143198)
  - Official wording: "Sheds including those attached to a dwelling and/or fence; Fences; Asphalt, concrete or brick sidewalks, curbs, parking pads, driveways" … "All Encroachments within the City of Fernie shall be deemed to be prohibited and unauthorized unless an Encroachment Agreement is in place"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Height, front yard:** 1.0 m (3.3 ft) measured from ground level. In the CD-4 zone, no fencing is allowed in the front yard setback of residential uses.
  - Source: [Consolidated Zoning Bylaw No. 1750, s. 3.10(1)(a)](https://fernie.civicweb.net/document/197505)
  - Official wording: "No person shall locate screening or fencing higher than 1.0 m (3.3 ft) from ground level in a front yard."
  - Source: [Consolidated Zoning Bylaw No. 1750, CD-4 zone, s. 6(b)](https://fernie.civicweb.net/document/197505)
  - Official wording: "Fencing shall not be permitted within the front yard setback of residential uses within the CD-4"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Height, side and rear yards:** 2.0 m (6.6 ft) from ground level in a required side yard or rear yard. In non-residential zones, screening other than open mesh or chain link may not exceed 2.0 m on or parallel to a parcel line.
  - Source: [Consolidated Zoning Bylaw No. 1750, s. 3.10(1)(b) and (e)](https://fernie.civicweb.net/document/197505)
  - Official wording: "No person shall locate screening or fencing higher than 2.0 m (6.6 ft.) from ground level in a required side yard or rear yard." … "No person shall locate screening (other than an open mesh or chain link type fence) exceeding 2.0 m (6.6 feet) in height on, or parallel to, any parcel line in zones other than residential zones."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Corner lots and sightlines:** On corner parcels nothing may block visibility within a triangle formed by the two parcel lines and a straight line joining points 5.0 m (16.5 ft) from where they meet. All screening must comply with this rule.
  - Source: [Consolidated Zoning Bylaw No. 1750, s. 3.8; s. 3.10(2)](https://fernie.civicweb.net/document/197505)
  - Official wording: "No person shall obstruct the visibility at any intersection on corner parcels by any means" … "within a triangular area bounded by the two parcel lines adjacent to the highway right-of-way and a straight line joining each parcel line at a distance of 5.0 m (16.5 feet) from their point of intersection" … "All screening shall comply with the requirements of Section 3.9 "Visibility at Intersections""
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Other rules:** Barbed wire may not be used in the rural residential zone; in other non-residential zones only for security. Outdoor pools need a perimeter fence at least 2.0 m (6.6 ft) high with locked gates. In the R-SS zone, fences and gates must not block emergency access from the front yard. Siting setbacks do not apply to fences.
  - Source: [Consolidated Zoning Bylaw No. 1750, s. 3.10(1)(c), (d), (g); s. 3.7(6); R-SS s. 4.2.1(5)(1)](https://fernie.civicweb.net/document/197505)
  - Official wording: "Barbed wire shall not be used as part of any screening in the rural residential zone." … "Barbed wire may be used as part of any screening only for reasons of security in" … "All outdoor swimming pools shall have a perimeter fence not less than 2.0 m (6.6 ft.) in height with locked gates." … "Regulations concerning siting of buildings or structures in Part 4 of this Bylaw shall not" … "Fences and gates shall not be constructed in a manner that may impede this"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 1750, s. 3.10 (Screening and Fencing Requirements) and s. 3.8 (Visibility at Intersections)
  - Source: [Consolidated Zoning Bylaw No. 1750, ss. 3.8, 3.10](https://fernie.civicweb.net/document/197505)
  - Official wording: "3.10 SCREENING AND FENCING REQUIREMENTS" … "3.8 VISIBILITY AT INTERSECTIONS" … "BYLAW NO. 1750"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Fernie's [Building and Plumbing Bylaw](https://fernie.civicweb.net/document/577) exempts fences from a building permit. Fences are instead governed by section 3.10 of the [Zoning Bylaw](https://fernie.civicweb.net/document/197505), and the zoning setback rules do not apply to them.

## Good to know

- **Height:** 1.0 m (3.3 ft) in a front yard, and 2.0 m (6.6 ft) in a required side yard or rear yard, measured from ground level. In the CD-4 zone, no fencing is allowed in the front yard setback of residential uses. In non-residential zones, screening other than open mesh or chain link may not exceed 2.0 m on or parallel to a parcel line.
- **Corners:** on a corner parcel, nothing may block visibility within a triangle formed by the two parcel lines and a straight line joining points 5.0 m (16.5 ft) from where they meet.
- **Barbed wire:** not allowed in the rural residential zone. In other non-residential zones it is allowed only for security.
- **Pools:** an outdoor pool needs a perimeter fence at least 2.0 m (6.6 ft) high with locked gates.
- **Retaining walls:** a retaining wall 1.2 m or higher needs a building permit.
- **Emergency access:** in the R-SS zone, fences and gates must not block emergency access from the front yard.
- **City land:** a fence on City land (road, reserve or City-owned parcel) needs an [Encroachment Agreement](https://fernie.civicweb.net/document/143198).
- Overgrown or broken fencing can make a property "unsightly" under the Community Standards Bylaw.
- For anything not covered here, ask Planning at 250-423-6817 or planning@fernie.ca.

## Official forms and pages

- [Consolidated Zoning Bylaw No. 1750 (PDF)](https://fernie.civicweb.net/document/197505)
- [Encroachment Bylaw No. 2460, 2022 (PDF)](https://fernie.civicweb.net/document/143198)

## Related questions

- [Fernie permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fernie/deck-shed-garage-permit.md)
- [Fernie zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fernie/zoning-lookup.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fence-rules.md)
- [Sparwood](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sparwood/fence-rules.md)
- [Cranbrook](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/fence-rules.md)
- [Elkford](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/elkford/fence-rules.md)
- [Kimberley](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kimberley/fence-rules.md)
- [Canal Flats](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/fence-rules.md)
- [Creston](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/creston/fence-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Consolidated Zoning Bylaw No. 1750 (PDF), City of Fernie](https://fernie.civicweb.net/document/197505) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Building and Plumbing Bylaw No. 2526, 2025 (PDF), City of Fernie](https://fernie.civicweb.net/document/577) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Building Permits and Inspections, City of Fernie](https://www.fernie.ca/EN/main/residents/city-services/building-permits-inspections.html) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Encroachment Bylaw No. 2460, 2022 (PDF), City of Fernie](https://fernie.civicweb.net/document/143198) (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. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of Fernie. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fernie/fence-rules/_