Grand Forks fence rules: permits and height limits
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.
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.Building Bylaw No. 2070, s. 3.4(a); Building Bylaw No. 2070, s. 11.1; Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, unofficial consolidation (Amendments A1-A40, updated October 13, 2026), s. 28.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wording(a) except as set out in Part 11 [Retaining Walls] of this bylaw, a fence; 11.1 No person may construct, or stmcturally repair, a retaining wall without a building permit. 28.1 A person may not place screening or fencing unless in accordance with this section except |
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| 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, unofficial consolidation (Amendments A1-A40, updated October 13, 2026), s. 28.2-28.3 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wording28.2 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 |
| 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, unofficial consolidation (Amendments A1-A40, updated October 13, 2026), s. 28.3-28.5 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wording28.4 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. |
| 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, unofficial consolidation (Amendments A1-A40, updated October 13, 2026), s. 33.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingno 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 |
| 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.Building Bylaw No. 2070, s. 14.2, 14.5-14.6 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingminimum 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 |
| 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 14Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, unofficial consolidation (Amendments A1-A40, updated October 13, 2026), title; Building Bylaw No. 2070, title · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingZONING BYLAW NO. 2039, 2018 28 Screening and Fencing BUILDING BYLAW No. 2070 |
How it works
The City of Grand Forks Building Bylaw 2070 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, section 28, still sets fence heights and locations.
Steps
- Find your property lines first.
- Check the heights below for your zone.
- 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
The same question in other places
Greenwood · Rossland · Warfield · Trail · Montrose · Castlegar
Sources
- Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, unofficial consolidation (Amendments A1-A40, updated October 13, 2026) (PDF), City of Grand Forks (read 2026-11-05)
- Building Bylaw No. 2070 (PDF), City of Grand Forks (read 2026-11-05)
- Payment Options (PDF), City of Grand Forks (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. How answers are checked.