---
title: "Hope fence rules: permits and height limits"
question: "Do I need a permit to build a fence in Hope, and how high can it be?"
place: Hope, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/hope
category: Building, renovating and your property
owner: municipal
owner_body: District of Hope
sources_read: 2026-11-06
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hope/fence-rules/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hope/fence-rules.json"
---

# Hope fence rules: permits and height limits

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

**Short answer:** Hope's bylaws do not require a permit for an ordinary fence, except for swimming pool fences. Fences can be 1.2 m high in the front yard, and 2 m (RS-1 zone) or 2.5 m (other zones) at the side and rear. Ask Community Development to confirm.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (District of Hope, https://www.hope.ca)  
**Cost:** No fence permit fee is listed. A pool fence needs a building permit; see building-permit-fees.  
**How long:** Not applicable.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Municipal Hall, Planning, 604-869-5671
- Email: Planning, planning@hope.ca
- In person: Municipal Hall, 325 Wallace Street, Hope, BC V0X 1L0

## Key facts

- **Permit:** Not confirmed. No ordinary fence permit rule turned up in Hope's Zoning or Building Bylaw.
- **Height, front yard:** 1.2 m in the front yard and in the part of a side yard that abuts a street in front of the principal building. The bylaw exempts the Rural Zones (L-1, AG-1, RU-1, CR-1) from fence height limits, though clause (a) also says 'in all zones'; confirm with Planning. (Sources differ: Rural Zones in the bylaw are L-1, AG-1, RU-1 and CR-1 (s. 8.6.3). The limits are 'subject to visibility provisions of this Bylaw'. Zoning Bylaw consolidated to March 20, 2025.)
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1324, 2012, consolidated to March 20, 2025, s. 7.14.1](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/86966/ConsolidatedMar202025COMBINED_UDXvHH.pdf)
  - Official wording: "1.2 metres in the front yard and that portion of a side yard that abuts a street in front of the" … "except in the Rural Zones where no" … "restrictions are applicable"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Height, side and rear yards:** Side and rear yards: 2 m in the Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (RS-1) zone (1.2 m for the rear yard fence where a detached accessory dwelling unit is reached from the lane); 2.5 m in all other zones; no limit in Rural Zones. Fences needed for screening may be 2.5 m; tennis or basketball court enclosures 3.5 m.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1324, 2012, consolidated to March 20, 2025, s. 7.14.1](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/86966/ConsolidatedMar202025COMBINED_UDXvHH.pdf)
  - Official wording: "2 metres in the side yard and rear yard in the Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (RS-1) Zone, except" … "rear yard fence shall be 1.2 metres" … "2.5 metres in the side yard and rear yard in all other zones" … "3.5 metres for tennis or basketball court enclosures"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Corner lots and sightlines:** On a residential-zone parcel at a street intersection, no landscaping, building or structure over 1 m high above the street grade is allowed within a triangle 5 m along the lot lines from the intersection (clear vision triangle). Fences must not obstruct vision at an intersection.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1324, 2012, consolidated to March 20, 2025, s. 5.12.1](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/86966/ConsolidatedMar202025COMBINED_UDXvHH.pdf)
  - Official wording: "exceeding 1 metre (~3.5 feet) in height above the established grade of the intersecting highway or" … "within a triangular plane 5 metres (~16.5 feet) along the lot lines from the intersecting highway"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1324, 2012, consolidated to March 20, 2025, s. 5.8.3](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/86966/ConsolidatedMar202025COMBINED_UDXvHH.pdf)
  - Official wording: "provided that they do not obstruct vision at an intersection"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Other rules:** Fence height is measured from the base of the fence. Outside Rural Zones and some comprehensive development zones, no barbed, electrified or razor wire except for commercial or industrial security or to keep people from a hazardous area (then at least 2 m up). Swimming pool fences: at least 1.1 m, no openings over 10 cm, self-closing gate; a permit is needed.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1324, 2012, consolidated to March 20, 2025, s. 7.14.2, s. 7.5.3](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/86966/ConsolidatedMar202025COMBINED_UDXvHH.pdf)
  - Official wording: "The height of a fence shall be measured from the base of the fence." … "no fence shall be constructed of barbed, electrified or razor wire"
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 972, consolidated to June 2024, s. 18.01, s. 12.01(c)](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/136109/Building%20Bylaw%20%28June%202024%29%20-%20Consolidated%20Version.pdf)
  - Official wording: "The fence shall be not less than 1.1 metres in height, with no openings greater than 10 cm in their least" … "the installation, alteration or repair of fencing around a swimming pool as"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 1324, 2012, s. 7.14 (fence height), s. 7.5.3 and s. 5.12 (consolidated to March 20, 2025); Building Bylaw No. 972, s. 18.01 (pool fences)
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1324, 2012, consolidated to March 20, 2025, s. 7.14](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/86966/ConsolidatedMar202025COMBINED_UDXvHH.pdf)
  - Official wording: "FENCE HEIGHT RESTRICTIONS" … "(CONSOLIDATED TO MARCH 20, 2025)"
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 972, consolidated to June 2024, s. 18](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/136109/Building%20Bylaw%20%28June%202024%29%20-%20Consolidated%20Version.pdf)
  - Official wording: "FENCING OF SWIMMING POOLS"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Fence height rules are in section 7.14 of the [Zoning Bylaw No. 1324](<https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/86966/ConsolidatedMar202025COMBINED_UDXvHH.pdf>). Height is measured from the base of the fence. The [Building Bylaw No. 972](<https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/136109/Building%20Bylaw%20%28June%202024%29%20-%20Consolidated%20Version.pdf>) mentions fences only for swimming pools. No ordinary fence permit rule turned up in either bylaw, so ask Community Development whether your fence needs one.

| Location | Maximum height |
|---|---|
| Front yard, and the side yard part that abuts a street in front of the house | 1.2 m |
| Side and rear yard, Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (RS-1) zone | 2 m (1.2 m for a rear fence where a detached accessory dwelling unit is reached from the lane) |
| Side and rear yard, other zones | 2.5 m |
| Rural Zones (L-1, AG-1, RU-1, CR-1) | No limit stated |

A fence required for screening can be 2.5 m, and tennis or basketball court enclosures 3.5 m.

## Steps

1. Check your zone and lot lines, then email planning@hope.ca or call 604-869-5671 to confirm the permit question.
2. Keep the fence out of the clear vision triangle at street corners (below).
3. For a pool, apply for a building permit first.

## Good to know

- The bylaw contradicts itself for rural zones. Clause (a) says the front-yard limit applies "in all zones", but the section exempts Rural Zones from fence height limits. Confirm with Planning.
- On a corner lot in a residential zone, nothing over 1 m high above street grade is allowed within 5 m along the lot lines from the intersection.
- Outside Rural Zones and some comprehensive development zones, barbed, electrified or razor wire is not allowed, except for commercial or industrial security or to keep people from a hazardous area (then at least 2 m up).
- Pool fences (pools over 13.9 m² and deeper than 0.46 m): at least 1.1 m high, no openings over 10 cm, self-closing gate, and a permit is needed.
- Zoning offences: a bylaw notice is $500 ($400 if paid early); a municipal ticket is $1,000.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 1324, 2012 (PDF, consolidated to March 20, 2025)](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/86966/ConsolidatedMar202025COMBINED_UDXvHH.pdf)
- [Building Bylaw No. 972 (PDF)](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/136109/Building%20Bylaw%20%28June%202024%29%20-%20Consolidated%20Version.pdf)

## Related questions

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

## Sources

- [Community Development - Hope, BC](https://hope.ca/community-development) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Zoning Bylaw No. 1324, 2012, consolidated to March 20, 2025 (PDF), District of Hope](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/86966/ConsolidatedMar202025COMBINED_UDXvHH.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Building Bylaw No. 972, consolidated to June 2024 (PDF), District of Hope](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/136109/Building%20Bylaw%20%28June%202024%29%20-%20Consolidated%20Version.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 1627, 2026 (PDF), District of Hope](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/136112/1627%20-%20Bylaw%20Notice%20Enforcement%20Bylaw%20%28website%29.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 1628, 2026 (PDF), District of Hope](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/136113/1628%20-%20Municipal%20Ticket%20Information%20Bylaw%20%28website%29.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 6 facts was matched to the official text; 1 could not be confirmed. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with District of Hope. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hope/fence-rules/_