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

# Harrison Hot Springs fence rules: permits and height limits

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

**Short answer:** In Harrison Hot Springs you do not need a building permit for a fence up to 2.4 m high, except a swimming pool fence. The Village zoning bylaw limits residential fences to 1.2 m in a front yard and 1.8 m elsewhere on the lot.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Harrison Hot Springs, https://www.harrisonhotsprings.ca)  
**Cost:** No permit fee for a fence up to 2.4 m. A pool fence needs a building permit with a $125 fee.  
**How long:** Not applicable; no fence permit is needed.  
**Where:**
- In person: Village Office, 495 Hot Springs Road, Harrison Hot Springs, BC V0M 1K0 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
- Phone: Village Office, 604-796-2171
- Email: FVRD Building Inspection, building@fvrd.bc.ca

## Key facts

- **Permit:** No building permit is needed for a fence up to 2.4 m high (8 ft), except a fence required around a swimming pool, which needs one. Zoning height limits still apply.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 1188, 2013 (PDF, consolidated), Fraser Valley Regional District, s. 5.4(r) and 5.2(c)](https://www.fvrd.ca/assets/Government/Documents/Bylaws/Building/CONSOLIDATED%20Bylaw%201188,%202013%20-%20Bulding%20Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "fences up to a maximum of 2.4 metres (8 feet) high measured on any face except" … "installation or alteration of fencing around a swimming pool as required under"
  - Source: [Building Permits Q&A, 2018, Village Building Permits Q&A](https://www.harrisonhotsprings.ca/sites/default/files/2021-10/2018.08.17-HHS-Building-Permits-QA.pdf)
  - Official wording: "A retaining wall or fence."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, front yard:** 1.2 m in a front yard in a Residential zone. It may be 2.0 m if transparent mesh is used for the part above 1.2 m.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1115, 2017 (PDF, consolidated to December 15, 2025), s. 4.4.1(a)(ii) and (b)(i)](https://www.harrisonhotsprings.ca/sites/default/files/2026-03/Zoning-Bylaw-No.-1115--%28Consolidated-to-December-15%2C-2025%29.pdf)
  - Official wording: "The maximum height of a fence must not exceed 1.2 m in a front yard and not" … "the Fence height may be increased to 2.0 m in a front yard provided"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, side and rear yards:** 1.8 m on all other parts of a lot in a Residential zone. In other zones the maximum is 2.5 m. Closed fences and landscape screens in a required setback next to a residential lot must be under 2.0 m.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1115, 2017 (PDF, consolidated to December 15, 2025), s. 4.4.1](https://www.harrisonhotsprings.ca/sites/default/files/2026-03/Zoning-Bylaw-No.-1115--%28Consolidated-to-December-15%2C-2025%29.pdf)
  - Official wording: "more than 1.8 m on all other parts of a Lot in a Residential zone" … "the maximum height of a fence must not exceed 2.5 m in any other zone" … "except closed fences and landscape" … "2.0 m in height when sited in a required Setback area"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Corner lots and sightlines:** At a street corner, nothing (including a hedge) may be built or allowed to grow higher than 0.3 m above the grade of the highway within the sight triangle formed by extending 6.0 m along the lot lines from the corner.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1115, 2017 (PDF, consolidated to December 15, 2025), s. 3.8(a)](https://www.harrisonhotsprings.ca/sites/default/files/2026-03/Zoning-Bylaw-No.-1115--%28Consolidated-to-December-15%2C-2025%29.pdf)
  - Official wording: "exceeding a height greater than 0.3 m above the established grade" … "lines formed by extending 6.0 m in an area bounded by the intersecting Lot lines at a"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Other rules:** Height is measured to the highest point from average finished grade at the base, including a fence on a retaining wall. Barbed wire, razor wire, electric current and hazardous materials are banned, except for farm uses. A single residential retaining wall is limited to 1.2 m, and walls must be 0.6 m apart. A pool over 13.9 m² and 0.46 m deep needs a fence at least 1.1 m high with a self-closing, spring-locked gate.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1115, 2017 (PDF, consolidated to December 15, 2025), s. 4.4.1(a)(i), (c), (d)](https://www.harrisonhotsprings.ca/sites/default/files/2026-03/Zoning-Bylaw-No.-1115--%28Consolidated-to-December-15%2C-2025%29.pdf)
  - Official wording: "The height of a Fence or wall must be measured to the highest point from, and" … "The use of barbed wire, razor wire, electric current, or any hazardous material for" … "not exceed a height of 1.2 m measured from the Average Finished Grade level at"
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 1188, 2013 (PDF, consolidated), Fraser Valley Regional District, s. 19.2](https://www.fvrd.ca/assets/Government/Documents/Bylaws/Building/CONSOLIDATED%20Bylaw%201188,%202013%20-%20Bulding%20Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Swimming pools shall be enclosed within a fence. The fence shall be not less than 1.1 metres" … "having a surface area greater than 13.9 m2 (150 sq. ft.) and a" … "depth greater than 0.46 metres (18 inches)."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Village of Harrison Hot Springs Zoning Bylaw No. 1115, 2017, s. 4.4.1 and s. 3.8; FVRD Building Bylaw No. 1188, 2013, s. 5.4(r) and 19.2.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1115, 2017 (PDF, consolidated to December 15, 2025), s. 4.4](https://www.harrisonhotsprings.ca/sites/default/files/2026-03/Zoning-Bylaw-No.-1115--%28Consolidated-to-December-15%2C-2025%29.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Fences, Screening and Retaining Walls"
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 1188, 2013 (PDF, consolidated), Fraser Valley Regional District, title page](https://www.fvrd.ca/assets/Government/Documents/Bylaws/Building/CONSOLIDATED%20Bylaw%201188,%202013%20-%20Bulding%20Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "BUILDING BYLAW NO. 1188, 2013"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The [Zoning Bylaw No. 1115, 2017](https://www.harrisonhotsprings.ca/sites/default/files/2026-03/Zoning-Bylaw-No.-1115--%28Consolidated-to-December-15%2C-2025%29.pdf) sets fence heights in Harrison Hot Springs. The Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) [Building Bylaw No. 1188](https://www.fvrd.ca/assets/Government/Documents/Bylaws/Building/CONSOLIDATED%20Bylaw%201188,%202013%20-%20Bulding%20Bylaw.pdf) says no building permit is needed for a fence up to 2.4 m (8 ft) high, except a fence required around a swimming pool. Zoning height limits still apply.

## Height limits (Residential zones)

- Front yard: 1.2 m. It may be 2.0 m if transparent mesh is used for the part above 1.2 m.
- All other parts of the lot: 1.8 m.
- Other zones: 2.5 m maximum.
- Closed fences and landscape screens in a required setback next to a residential lot must be under 2.0 m.
- Corner lots: nothing, including a hedge, may be built or grow higher than 0.3 m above the street grade within the sight triangle formed by extending 6.0 m along the lot lines from the corner.

## Steps

1. Check your zone and lot lines with the Village Office (604-796-2171).
2. Build within the height limits. Height is measured to the highest point from average finished grade at the base, including a fence on a retaining wall.
3. For a pool fence, apply for a building permit through the FVRD.

## Good to know

- Barbed wire, razor wire, electric current and hazardous materials are banned in fences, except for farm uses.
- A single residential retaining wall is limited to 1.2 m, and walls must be 0.6 m apart.
- A pool over 13.9 m² and 0.46 m deep needs a fence at least 1.1 m high with a self-closing, spring-locked gate.
- A fence over the height limit can be ticketed at $200 ($190 if paid early, $210 if late) under the Village's [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw](https://www.harrisonhotsprings.ca/sites/default/files/2026-04/Bylaw-855---Bylaw-Notice-Enforcement-Bylaw-%28Consolidated-%29-April-2026.pdf).

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 1115, 2017 (PDF, consolidated to December 15, 2025), Village of Harrison Hot Springs](https://www.harrisonhotsprings.ca/sites/default/files/2026-03/Zoning-Bylaw-No.-1115--%28Consolidated-to-December-15%2C-2025%29.pdf)
- [Building Bylaw No. 1188, 2013 (PDF, consolidated), Fraser Valley Regional District](https://www.fvrd.ca/assets/Government/Documents/Bylaws/Building/CONSOLIDATED%20Bylaw%201188,%202013%20-%20Bulding%20Bylaw.pdf)

## Related questions

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

## The same question elsewhere

- [Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fence-rules.md)
- [Kent](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kent/fence-rules.md)
- [Chilliwack](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/chilliwack/fence-rules.md)
- [Hope](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hope/fence-rules.md)
- [Abbotsford](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/abbotsford/fence-rules.md)
- [Mission](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/mission/fence-rules.md)
- [Maple Ridge](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/maple-ridge/fence-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 1115, 2017 (PDF, consolidated to December 15, 2025), Village of Harrison Hot Springs](https://www.harrisonhotsprings.ca/sites/default/files/2026-03/Zoning-Bylaw-No.-1115--%28Consolidated-to-December-15%2C-2025%29.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Bylaw No. 1188, 2013 (PDF, consolidated), Fraser Valley Regional District](https://www.fvrd.ca/assets/Government/Documents/Bylaws/Building/CONSOLIDATED%20Bylaw%201188,%202013%20-%20Bulding%20Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Permits Q&A, 2018 (PDF), Village of Harrison Hot Springs](https://www.harrisonhotsprings.ca/sites/default/files/2021-10/2018.08.17-HHS-Building-Permits-QA.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 855 (PDF, consolidated April 2026), Village of Harrison Hot Springs](https://www.harrisonhotsprings.ca/sites/default/files/2026-04/Bylaw-855---Bylaw-Notice-Enforcement-Bylaw-%28Consolidated-%29-April-2026.pdf) (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 Harrison Hot Springs. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/harrison-hot-springs/fence-rules/_