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

# Kamloops fence rules: permits and height limits

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

**Short answer:** Kamloops does not require a building permit for an ordinary fence, but Zoning Bylaw 55 sets height limits. In most residential zones a fence may be 1.2 m high in a required front or street-side yard and 2 m in interior side and rear yards. Swimming pool fences need a pool permit.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Kamloops, https://www.kamloops.ca)  
**Cost:** No permit fee for a regular fence.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Planning (zoning questions), 250-828-3561
- Email: Planning, planning@kamloops.ca
- Phone: Building Section (pool fences, retaining walls), 250-828-3554

## Key facts

- **Permit:** No building permit is needed for a fence, except swimming pool fences, which fall under Part 19 (Pool Permits) of the Building Regulation Bylaw.
  - Source: [Building Regulation Bylaw 11-84, s. 6.4(a); Part 19](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/204248/)
  - Official wording: "a fence, except as set out in Part 19 of this bylaw;" … "Without limiting Section 6.4 of this bylaw, a person must not Construct, or structurally"
  - Source: [Apply by ePermit, Homeowners](https://www.kamloops.ca/business-development/building-permits/apply-epermit)
  - Official wording: "fences, sidewalks, and planters"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Height, front yard:** 1.2 m within a required front yard, a required side street yard, or a required rear yard that backs onto a street with vehicle access. In country residential zones (CR-1, CR-2, CR-3), up to 2 m in any yard.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 55, Sections 5.7 to 5.9, s. 5.7.1(a), (c)(ii)](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/138849)
  - Official wording: "In all CR, R, RM, commercial, comprehensive development, P2, I1S, and I1 zones," … "1.2 m within a required Front Yard, Required Side Street Yard, or" … "in all country residential Zones (CR-1, CR-2, and CR-3)," … "Fences to a maximum of 2 m high shall be permitted in any"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Height, side and rear yards:** 2 m within an interior side yard or rear yard (including a rear yard backing onto a street with no vehicle access, such as an arterial road or highway), and 2 m behind the setback line of a required front or side street yard. Exceptions: 1.2 m in CNS and CBD zones; 2.5 m in I1 and I1S side and rear yards.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 55, Sections 5.7 to 5.9, s. 5.7.1(b), (c)](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/138849)
  - Official wording: "2 m outside (behind the Setback line of) a Required Front Yard, or" … "2 m within an interior Side Yard, or Rear Yard, including a Rear Yard that" … "in the CNS and CBD Zones, the maximum Fence height in all" … "Fences to a maximum of 2.5 m shall be"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Corner lots and sightlines:** On a corner lot, nothing from fencing, hedges or landscaping may block the line of vision above 1 m within the area bounded by the street centre lines and a line joining points 25 m from their intersection. At provincial highway corners the limit is 0.6 m in a 6 m triangle; at lanes or walkways, a 1.5 m triangle. Side street yard fences are also capped at 1.2 m.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 55, Sections 5.7 to 5.9, s. 5.7.1(a)](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/138849)
  - Official wording: "1.2 m within a required Front Yard, Required Side Street Yard, or" … "Notwithstanding Sections 5.7 and 5.8 above, there shall be, from any landscaping," … "on a Corner Lot, above the 1 m level measured from the average height" … "above the 0.6 m level within an area formed by a" … "Lot Line, and a straight line which intersects the two Lot Lines 1.5 m from"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 55, Sections 5.7 to 5.9, s. 2.2, definitions](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/138849)
  - Official wording: "“Corner Cut” means a triangular area formed on a Corner Lot by the two" … "intersects them 4.5 m from the corner where they meet"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Other rules:** Hedges in a required yard abutting a street follow the same height limits. Barbed wire is prohibited in single-detached, two-unit and multi-unit residential zones (allowed in agricultural and rural residential zones); razor wire is prohibited in all residential zones. A fence in the rear yard of an interior lot that abuts a street needs a 0.8 m gate. Pool fences: at least 1.5 m high, with a self-closing, self-latching gate.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 55, Sections 5.7 to 5.9, ss. 5.7.2, 5.7.3, 5.8.5](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/138849)
  - Official wording: "they shall comply with the height" … "a 0.8 m gate must be installed in the Fence for maintenance purposes." … "Use of barbed wire as a fencing material is prohibited in all Single-Detached, Single-" … "is permitted in the Agricultural and Rural Residential Zones." … "Use of razor wire in conjunction with fencing is prohibited in all residential Zones,"
  - Source: [Building Regulation Bylaw 11-84, ss. 19.4, 19.8](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/204248/)
  - Official wording: "having a minimum height of 1.5 m and no openings" … "closing and self-latching gate designed and constructed or installed so as to cause"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 55, 2021, ss. 5.7 and 5.8 (Screening and Fencing) and s. 5.9 (Site Lines); Building Regulation Bylaw No. 11-84, 2025, Part 19 for pool fences
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 55, Sections 5.7 to 5.9, s. 1.1.1](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/138849)
  - Official wording: "This bylaw may be cited as “Zoning Bylaw No. 55, 2021”." … "Notwithstanding Sections 5.7 and 5.8 above, there shall be, from any landscaping,"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 55, Sections 5.7 to 5.9, s. 5.7](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/138849)
  - Official wording: "SCREENING AND FENCING - GENERAL REGULATIONS"
  - Source: [Building Regulation Bylaw 11-84, s. 1.1](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/204248/)
  - Official wording: "Building Regulation Bylaw No. 11-84, 2025"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

The City of Kamloops [Building Regulation Bylaw 11-84](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/204248/) does not require a building permit for a fence, except swimming pool fences. The [Zoning Bylaw](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/138849) still controls how tall a fence can be and where it can go. The bylaws do not say how fence height is measured, so ask Planning if it matters.

## Height limits (most residential zones)

- 1.2 m within a required front yard, a required side street yard, or a required rear yard that backs onto a street with vehicle access.
- 2 m behind the setback line of a required front or side street yard, and in interior side and rear yards (including a rear yard backing onto a street with no vehicle access, such as an arterial road or highway).
- Country residential zones (CR-1 to CR-3): up to 2 m in any yard.
- Exceptions: 1.2 m in the CNS and CBD zones; 2.5 m in side and rear yards in I1 and I1S zones; up to 3 m in a rear yard that directly abuts a railway.

## Good to know

- Corner lots: above 1 m, nothing from fencing, hedges or landscaping may block the line of vision within the area bounded by the street centre lines and a line joining points 25 m from their intersection (Zoning Bylaw s. 5.9.1). At provincial highway corners the limit is 0.6 m in a 6 m triangle; at lanes or walkways, a 1.5 m triangle.
- Hedges in a required yard next to a street follow the same height limits.
- A fence in the rear yard of an interior lot that abuts a street needs a 0.8 m maintenance gate.
- Barbed wire is prohibited in single-detached, two-unit and multi-unit residential zones; razor wire is prohibited in all residential zones.
- Pool fences must be at least 1.5 m high with a self-closing, self-latching gate (Building Regulation Bylaw Part 19).
- A retaining wall of 1.2 m or higher needs a building permit.
- Planning at 250-828-3561 can confirm your zone and limits.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw 55, Division 5 Screening and Fencing (PDF)](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/138849)
- [Building Regulation Bylaw 11-84 (PDF)](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/204248/)

## Related questions

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

## The same question elsewhere

- [Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fence-rules.md)
- [Sun Peaks](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sun-peaks/fence-rules.md)
- [Barriere](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/barriere/fence-rules.md)
- [Logan Lake](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/logan-lake/fence-rules.md)
- [Ashcroft](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/ashcroft/fence-rules.md)
- [Cache Creek](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cache-creek/fence-rules.md)
- [Merritt](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/merritt/fence-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw 55, Sections 5.7 to 5.9 (PDF), City of Kamloops](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/138849) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Building Regulation Bylaw 11-84 (PDF), City of Kamloops](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/204248/) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Apply by ePermit, City of Kamloops](https://www.kamloops.ca/business-development/building-permits/apply-epermit) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Zoning Information Request, City of Kamloops](https://www.kamloops.ca/business-development/planning-development/apply-epermit/zoning-information-request) (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 Kamloops. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kamloops/fence-rules/_