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

# Lillooet fence rules: permits and height limits

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

**Short answer:** In Lillooet a fence does not need a building permit, but it must meet the Zoning Bylaw. No fence may be over 2.13 m (7 ft), or 2.40 m in Industrial and Agricultural Zones. The bylaw sets no separate front-yard height. Near a street corner the limit drops to 1.0 m.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (District of Lillooet, https://www.lillooet.ca)  
**Cost:** No permit fee for a fence.  
**How long:** Not applicable; no permit is needed.  
**Where:**
- Email: Planning Technician, planning@lillooet.ca
- In person: Municipal Hall, 615 Main Street, Lillooet, BC (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.; closed statutory holidays.)
- Phone: District office, 250-256-4289

## Key facts

- **Permit:** No building permit for a fence: the Building Bylaw does not apply to a fence, except for retaining walls (Part 11.0). Fences must still meet the Zoning Bylaw.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw 2021-006, consolidated to June 4, 2025, s. 3.1.3.1](https://lillooet.civicweb.net/document/97828/)
  - Official wording: "Except as set out in Part 11.0 [Retaining Walls and Grades] of this bylaw, a fence;"
  - Source: [Building Permits — Lillooet, Items Not Regulated by Building Code Not Requiring a Building Permit](https://www.lillooet.ca/building-permits)
  - Official wording: "Items Not Regulated by Building Code Not Requiring a Building Permit"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, front yard:** The Zoning Bylaw gives no separate front-yard height. Its general limit: no fence over 2.13 m (7 ft), except up to 2.40 m in Industrial and Agricultural Zones.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2025-026, s. 5.12.7](https://lillooet.civicweb.net/document/94551/)
  - Official wording: "No Fence shall exceed 2.13 metres (7 feet) in Height except in the Industrial Zones and the Agricultural Zones where all Fences may be up to 2.40 metres in Height."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, side and rear yards:** The Zoning Bylaw gives no separate side or rear yard height. Its general limit: no fence over 2.13 m (7 ft), except up to 2.40 m in Industrial and Agricultural Zones. Deer fences up to 3.05 m of see-through material.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2025-026, s. 5.12.7](https://lillooet.civicweb.net/document/94551/)
  - Official wording: "No Fence shall exceed 2.13 metres (7 feet) in Height except in the Industrial Zones and the Agricultural Zones where all Fences may be up to 2.40 metres in Height."
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2025-026, s. 5.12.8](https://lillooet.civicweb.net/document/94551/)
  - Official wording: "Deer fences shall not exceed 3.05 metres (10 feet) in Height, provided such Fences are constructed of material that permits visibility, such as wire mesh"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Corner lots and sightlines:** On a corner site at a street intersection, no fence, wall, hedge or other vegetation higher than 1.0 m above the centre of the intersecting streets, within 4.5 m of the corner (the sight triangle). In all zones the same 1.0 m limit applies to any fence, landscaping, retaining wall or obstruction in the sight triangle.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2025-026, s. 5.12.4](https://lillooet.civicweb.net/document/94551/)
  - Official wording: "no Fence, wall, hedge, or other vegetation is permitted at a greater Height than 1.0 metre above the established elevation of the centre point of intersecting highways"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2025-026, s. 5.23.1](https://lillooet.civicweb.net/document/94551/)
  - Official wording: "In all Zones, no Fence, landscaping, Retaining Wall, or other obstruction shall be erected or permitted at a Height greater than 1.0 metre"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Other rules:** Height is measured from ground level to the top of the fence. Barbed wire only in Agricultural and Industrial Zones; razor wire banned. Electric fencing allowed in all zones to protect farms, food gardens, orchards, livestock or bees (warning signs, commercially made, 2.0 m from lot lines outside AG and ALR). No fence within 1.8 m of a pool edge.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2025-026, ss. 5.12.1, 5.12.5, 5.12.6, 5.12.10, 5.12.14, 5.12.15, 5.24.2](https://lillooet.civicweb.net/document/94551/)
  - Official wording: "The Height of a Fence shall be determined by measurement from the ground level, at the place on which the Fence is to be located, to the top of the Fence." … "The use of barbed wire for fencing is prohibited within all Zones except for Agricultural and Industrial Zones." … "The use of razor wire for fencing is prohibited within all Zones." … "Electric fencing is permitted in all Zones for the purpose of protecting:" … "Electric fencing must be commercially manufactured and not hand-made." … "No Fence shall be placed closer than 1.8 metres to the edge of a swimming pool or other artificial body of water."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** District of Lillooet Zoning Bylaw 2025-026 (adopted January 20, 2026), s. 5.12 Fencing and s. 5.23 Sight Triangle.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2025-026, s. 1.1.1](https://lillooet.civicweb.net/document/94551/)
  - Official wording: "This Bylaw may be cited as the “District of Lillooet Zoning Bylaw 2025-026.”"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2025-026, s. 5.12](https://lillooet.civicweb.net/document/94551/)
  - Official wording: "with the District's Subdivision and Development Servicing Bylaw. 5.12 Fencing 5.12.1 The Height of a Fence shall be determined by measurement from the ground level," … "District of Lillooet Zoning Bylaw No. 2025-026 Table of Contents"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The Building Bylaw does not apply to a fence, except for retaining walls, so no building permit is needed. A fence must still meet s. 5.12 (Fencing) of the [Zoning Bylaw 2025-026](https://lillooet.civicweb.net/document/94551/). Its general limit is no fence over 2.13 m (7 ft), except up to 2.40 m in Industrial and Agricultural Zones. Deer fences may be up to 3.05 m if made of see-through material. The bylaw gives no separate front-yard, side-yard or rear-yard height.

Height is measured from ground level to the top of the fence. If a fence sits on a retaining wall, the combined height at the parcel line may not exceed 3.8 m.

## Steps

1. Check your zone on the District's Interactive Planning Map (see the zoning-lookup answer).
2. Keep the fence within the height limit and out of the sight triangle at corners.
3. Ask the Planning Technician at planning@lillooet.ca or 250-256-4289 if you are unsure.

## Good to know

- Corner lots: no fence, wall, hedge or other vegetation higher than 1.0 m above the centre of the intersecting streets, within 4.5 m of the corner. The same 1.0 m limit applies to any obstruction in the sight triangle in all zones.
- Barbed wire is allowed only in Agricultural and Industrial Zones; razor wire is banned.
- Electric fencing is allowed in all zones to protect farms, food gardens, orchards, livestock or bees. It needs warning signs and must be commercially made, 2.0 m from lot lines outside AG and ALR.
- No fence within 1.8 m of a pool edge. Pool fencing must follow the Building Bylaw.
- A fencing infraction is a bylaw notice of $300 ($175 if paid within 1-14 days; $500 at 31-60 days).

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 2025-026](https://lillooet.civicweb.net/document/94551/)

## Related questions

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

## The same question elsewhere

- [Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/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)
- [Logan Lake](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/logan-lake/fence-rules.md)
- [Clinton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/clinton/fence-rules.md)
- [Lytton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lytton/fence-rules.md)
- [Pemberton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/pemberton/fence-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 2025-026, District of Lillooet](https://lillooet.civicweb.net/document/94551/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Bylaw 2021-006, consolidated to June 4, 2025, District of Lillooet](https://lillooet.civicweb.net/document/97828/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 2021-002, District of Lillooet](https://lillooet.civicweb.net/document/96235/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Contact Us, District of Lillooet](https://www.lillooet.ca/contact-us) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Permits — Lillooet](https://www.lillooet.ca/building-permits) (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 District of Lillooet. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lillooet/fence-rules/_