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Keremeos fence rules: permits and height limits

Do I need a permit to build a fence in Keremeos, and how high can it be?

Keremeos, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-08

Short answer

In Keremeos a fence does not need a building permit, but the Zoning Bylaw limits its height: 1.3 m in the front setback and 1.9 m in side and rear yards, with exceptions in some zones. Retaining walls do need a building permit.

Key facts

PermitThe Building Bylaw does not apply to a fence, except for retaining walls (Part 12), so a fence itself does not need a building permit. Zoning height limits still apply.Building Bylaw No. 835, 2019 (PDF, consolidated), s. 4.3(a) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
Except as set out in PART 12: (Retaining Walls) of this bylaw, a fence;
Height, front yard1.3 m in the front setback. Exceptions: 1.9 m in the AG and RSM zones; 3.0 m in the M1 zone.Zoning Bylaw No. 851 (PDF, revised June 10, 2026), s. 6.5.2 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
No fence shall exceed 1.9 metres in height to the rear of a front setback, or 1.3
metres in height in the front setback except:
in the RSM Zone all fences may be up to 1.9 metres in height;
Height, side and rear yards1.9 m to the rear of the front setback (side and rear yards). Exceptions: AG zone fences up to 1.9 m, with deer fences of see-through material not limited; M1 zone up to 3.0 m.Zoning Bylaw No. 851 (PDF, revised June 10, 2026), s. 6.5.2 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
No fence shall exceed 1.9 metres in height to the rear of a front setback, or 1.3
deer fences shall not be limited in height, provided such fences are constructed of
in the M1 Zone all fences may be up to 3.0 metres in height.
Corner lots and sightlinesOn a corner site at a highway intersection, nothing (fence, hedge, planting, tree, sign or other structure) within 6.0 m of the corner of the site may be higher than 1.0 m above the centre of the intersection (the "sight triangle").Zoning Bylaw No. 851 (PDF, revised June 10, 2026), s. 6.5.3 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
On a corner site contiguous to a highway intersection no fence, hedge, planting,
metres from the corner of the site at the intersection of the streets, as shown in
above the established elevation of the centre point of the intersection.
Other rulesHeight is measured from average grade within 1.0 m of both sides of the fence. Commercial and industrial parcels next to a residential zone need screening or a landscape buffer. Pool fences: at least 1.22 m high, openings no more than 100 mm (Building Bylaw s. 15.3). Retaining walls need a building permit (s. 12.1).Zoning Bylaw No. 851 (PDF, revised June 10, 2026), s. 6.5.1, 6.6; Building Bylaw No. 835, 2019 (PDF, consolidated), s. 15.3, 12.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
The height of a fence shall be determined by a measurement from the average
Screening or landscape buffers are required for all Commercial and Industrial zoned
A swimming pool, must be enclosed within a fence constructed without footholds or grips that
no openings greater than 100 mm at their greatest dimension.
12.1 No person may construct, or structurally repair, a retaining wall without a building permit.
BylawZoning Bylaw No. 851, s. 6.5 (Fence Heights)Zoning Bylaw No. 851 (PDF, revised June 10, 2026), s. 6.5 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
Village of Keremeos Zoning Bylaw No. 851
Fence Heights

How it works

Under Building Bylaw No. 835 a fence is outside the bylaw, so it needs no building permit. Height is set by section 6.5 of the Zoning Bylaw No. 851. Height is measured from average grade within 1.0 m of both sides of the fence.

  • Front setback: 1.3 m. In the AG and RSM zones it is 1.9 m, and in the M1 zone 3.0 m.
  • Side and rear yards (behind the front setback): 1.9 m. In the AG zone fences up to 1.9 m are allowed, and deer fences of see-through material are not limited. In the M1 zone the limit is 3.0 m.
  • Corner lots: at a highway intersection, nothing within 6.0 m of the corner of the site (fence, hedge, planting, tree, sign or other structure) may be higher than 1.0 m above the centre of the intersection.

Steps

  1. Check your zone and the height limits in the Zoning Bylaw, or call the Village Office.
  2. Keep to the corner sight-triangle rule if you are on a corner.
  3. If you are building a retaining wall, apply for a building permit first (see the building-permit answer).

Good to know

  • Commercial and industrial parcels next to a residential zone need screening or a landscape buffer.
  • Pool fences must be at least 1.22 m high with openings no more than 100 mm (Building Bylaw s. 15.3).
  • The zoning text does not mention barbed wire or electric fences. Ask the Village Office.

Official forms and pages

The same question in other places

Oliver · Osoyoos · Penticton · Summerland · Princeton · Peachland

Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality →

Sources

  1. Zoning Bylaw No. 851 (PDF, revised June 10, 2026), Village of Keremeos (read 2026-11-08)
  2. Building Bylaw No. 835, 2019 (PDF, consolidated), Village of Keremeos (read 2026-11-08)
  3. Contact, Village of Keremeos (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. How answers are checked.