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

# Grand Forks fence rules: permits and height limits

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

**Short answer:** A fence in the City of Grand Forks needs no building permit, but a retaining wall does. The Zoning Bylaw allows closed fencing up to 1.3 m and open fencing up to 1.85 m anywhere on a lot, including the front yard. Taller fencing is tied to setbacks, and parts of the bylaw are unclear, so confirm first.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Grand Forks, https://www.grandforks.ca)  
**Cost:** No fee is stated for a fence, because no building permit is required. A retaining wall needs a building permit; see the building permit fees answer.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Planner, City of Grand Forks, 250-442-8266
- Email: City of Grand Forks, info@grandforks.ca
- In person: City Hall, 7217 4th Street, Grand Forks, BC V0H 1H0 (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

## Key facts

- **Permit:** No building permit is needed for a fence: the Building Bylaw does not apply to fences. Retaining walls are the exception: no one may build or structurally repair one without a building permit. The Zoning Bylaw (s. 28) still sets fence heights and locations.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 2070, s. 3.4(a)](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2070Building-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "(a) except as set out in Part 11 [Retaining Walls] of this bylaw, a fence;"
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 2070, s. 11.1](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2070Building-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "11.1 No person may construct, or stmcturally repair, a retaining wall without a building permit."
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, unofficial consolidation (Amendments A1-A40, updated October 13, 2026), s. 28.1](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2039-Zoning-Bylaw-CONSOLIDATED.pdf)
  - Official wording: "28.1 A person may not place screening or fencing unless in accordance with this section except"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Height, front yard:** Closed fencing and landscape screens up to 1.3 m, and open fencing up to 1.85 m, may be placed on any part of a parcel, including the front yard. Open fencing up to 2.4 m must be sited behind the zone's required front setback. R-4 and R-4A have no restriction on open fencing.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, unofficial consolidation (Amendments A1-A40, updated October 13, 2026), s. 28.2-28.3](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2039-Zoning-Bylaw-CONSOLIDATED.pdf)
  - Official wording: "28.2 Landscape screens and closed fencing 1.3 metres or less and open fencing 1.85 metres or" … "less may be sited on any portion of a parcel." … "28.3 Open fencing 2.4 meters or less shall be sited in accordance with the required front setbacks" … "Landscape screens and closed fencing 1.3 metres or less and open fencing 1.85 metres or" … "Open fencing 2.4 meters or less shall be sited in accordance with the required front setbacks"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Height, side and rear yards:** Interior side line: landscape screens and closed fencing up to 1.85 m, and open fencing up to 2.4 m, sited behind the zone's required front setback. Fencing over 2.4 m is also sited behind the front setback, with no stated height cap. No rear-yard figure; closed fencing from 1.85 m to 2.4 m is not addressed. Check with the Planner.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, unofficial consolidation (Amendments A1-A40, updated October 13, 2026), s. 28.3-28.5](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2039-Zoning-Bylaw-CONSOLIDATED.pdf)
  - Official wording: "28.4 Landscape screens and closed fencing on the interior side parcel line shall be 1.85 metres or" … "28.3 Open fencing 2.4 meters or less shall be sited in accordance with the required front setbacks" … "28.5 Landscape screens, closed fencing and open fencing greater than 2.4 metres shall be sited" … "Landscape screens, closed fencing and open fencing greater than 2.4 metres shall be sited" … "in accordance with the required front setbacks for a principal building within the same zone."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Corner lots and sightlines:** At the corner of two highways, no tree, shrub, plant, fence, building or other structure greater than 1.0 m high within a sight triangle bounded by the parcel lines and a line joining points 7.5 m from the corner along each.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, unofficial consolidation (Amendments A1-A40, updated October 13, 2026), s. 33.1](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2039-Zoning-Bylaw-CONSOLIDATED.pdf)
  - Official wording: "no trees, shrubs," … "plants, fences, buildings or other structures shall be placed that are greater than 1.0 metre in" … "a line joining points along said parcel line 7.5 metres from their point of intersection"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Other rules:** Pool, spa or hot tub fences: at least 1.22 m (4 ft) high, no openings over 100 mm, self-closing, self-latching gate as tall as the fence (a locking cover may replace the fence on a spa or hot tub). Retaining walls (structures over 1.2 m) need a building permit. No rule found on barbed wire, electric fencing or how fence height is measured.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 2070, s. 14.2, 14.5-14.6](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2070Building-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "minimum height of 1.22 metres (4 feet) and no openings greater than 100 mm (4 inches)" … "self-closing and self-latching gate" … "14.6 The gate shall be of the same height as the fence." … "14.4 In lieu of a fence, a spa or hot tub may be covered with a locking cover" … "No person may construct, or stmcturally repair, a retaining wall without a building" … "retaining wall means a structure exceeding 1.2 metres (4 feet) in height that holds or"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, s. 28 (Screening and Fencing) and s. 33 (Visibility); Building Bylaw No. 2070, s. 3.4(a), Part 11 and Part 14
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, unofficial consolidation (Amendments A1-A40, updated October 13, 2026), title](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2039-Zoning-Bylaw-CONSOLIDATED.pdf)
  - Official wording: "ZONING BYLAW NO. 2039, 2018" … "28 Screening and Fencing"
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 2070, title](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2070Building-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "BUILDING BYLAW No. 2070"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

The City of Grand Forks [Building Bylaw 2070](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2070Building-Bylaw.pdf) does not apply to a fence, so no building permit is needed. A retaining wall is the exception: no one may build or structurally repair one without a building permit. The [Zoning Bylaw 2039](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2039-Zoning-Bylaw-CONSOLIDATED.pdf), section 28, still sets fence heights and locations.

## Steps

1. Find your property lines first.
2. Check the heights below for your zone.
3. Because the bylaw is unclear on taller fences, call the Planner (250-442-8266) before building above 1.85 m.

## Good to know

- Closed fencing and landscape screens up to 1.3 m, and open fencing up to 1.85 m, may be placed on any part of a parcel, including the front yard.
- Open fencing up to 2.4 m must sit behind the zone's required front setback. R-4 and R-4A zones have no restriction on open fencing.
- On an interior side line, landscape screens and closed fencing up to 1.85 m, and open fencing up to 2.4 m, must sit behind the front setback.
- Fencing over 2.4 m must also sit behind the front setback, but the bylaw states no height cap. It also does not address closed fencing between 1.85 m and 2.4 m, or rear and exterior side lines. Confirm with the Planner.
- In the NC, HC and CC zones a fence may not exceed 2.4 m.
- Corner lots: no tree, shrub, plant, fence, building or other structure over 1.0 m high within a triangle bounded by the parcel lines and a line joining points 7.5 m from the corner along each.
- Pool, spa or hot tub fences must be at least 1.22 m (4 ft) high with no openings over 100 mm and a self-closing, self-latching gate as tall as the fence. A locking cover may replace the fence on a spa or hot tub. A pool needs a building permit.
- A retaining wall over 1.2 m needs a building permit; walls supporting soil under 1.22 m (4 ft) are exempt.
- The bylaws set no rule on barbed wire, electric fencing or how fence height is measured.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, consolidated (PDF)](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2039-Zoning-Bylaw-CONSOLIDATED.pdf)
- [Building Bylaw No. 2070 (PDF)](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2070Building-Bylaw.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Grand Forks building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/building-permit.md)
- [Grand Forks permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/deck-shed-garage-permit.md)
- [Grand Forks zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/zoning-lookup.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fence-rules.md)
- [Greenwood](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/greenwood/fence-rules.md)
- [Rossland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/rossland/fence-rules.md)
- [Warfield](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/warfield/fence-rules.md)
- [Trail](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/fence-rules.md)
- [Montrose](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/fence-rules.md)
- [Castlegar](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/castlegar/fence-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, unofficial consolidation (Amendments A1-A40, updated October 13, 2026) (PDF), City of Grand Forks](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2039-Zoning-Bylaw-CONSOLIDATED.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Building Bylaw No. 2070 (PDF), City of Grand Forks](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2070Building-Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Payment Options (PDF), City of Grand Forks](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/PAYMENT-OPTIONS.pdf) (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 Grand Forks. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/fence-rules/_