{"title":"Lytton fence rules: permits and height limits","question":"Do I need a permit to build a fence, and how high can it be?","slug":"fence-rules","place":{"path":"ca/bc/lytton","name":"Lytton","region":{"code":"bc","name":"British Columbia"},"country":{"code":"ca","name":"Canada"}},"category":{"slug":"building-and-renovating","name":"Building, renovating and your property"},"owner":"municipal","owner_label":"Municipal","owner_body":{"name":"Village of Lytton","url":"https://www.lytton.ca"},"short_answer":"In Lytton a fence itself needs no building permit; only retaining walls do. Fences can be up to 1.3 m high on the front and exterior side lot lines and 1.8 m on the rear and interior side lot lines.","aliases":["fence height lytton","fence permit lytton","lytton fence rules","pool fence lytton"],"cost":"No building permit fee for an ordinary fence. A retaining wall that needs a permit pays the building permit fee (see the building-permit-fees answer).","how_long":"No application is needed for an ordinary fence. A retaining wall permit has no stated processing time.","where":[{"type":"phone","label":"Planning","value":"778-554-7880"},{"type":"email","label":"Planning","value":"planning@lytton.ca"},{"type":"email","label":"Building Department","value":"building@lytton.ca"}],"documents":[],"forms":[{"title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 484, 1998 (consolidated February 19, 2025) (PDF)","url":"https://www.lytton.ca/media/1630"},{"title":"Building Bylaw No. 710, 2022 (PDF)","url":"https://www.lytton.ca/media/108"}],"related":[{"slug":"deck-shed-garage-permit","title":"Lytton permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lytton/deck-shed-garage-permit/"},{"slug":"zoning-lookup","title":"Lytton zoning: find your zone and what it allows","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lytton/zoning-lookup/"},{"slug":"building-permit","title":"Lytton building permits: when you need one and how to apply","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lytton/building-permit/"}],"nearby":[{"place":"ca/bc/logan-lake","name":"Logan Lake","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/logan-lake/fence-rules/"},{"place":"ca/bc/ashcroft","name":"Ashcroft","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/ashcroft/fence-rules/"},{"place":"ca/bc/lillooet","name":"Lillooet","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lillooet/fence-rules/"},{"place":"ca/bc/merritt","name":"Merritt","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/merritt/fence-rules/"},{"place":"ca/bc/cache-creek","name":"Cache Creek","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cache-creek/fence-rules/"},{"place":"ca/bc/pemberton","name":"Pemberton","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/pemberton/fence-rules/"}],"topic":{"title":"Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fence-rules/"},"facts":{"permit":{"label":"Permit","value":"No building permit for a fence itself: the Building Bylaw does not apply to a fence except retaining walls. A retaining wall (a structure over 1.2 m high that holds soil) needs a building permit.","short":"No building permit","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.lytton.ca/media/108","title":"Building Bylaw No. 710, 2022 (PDF)","section":"s. 3.3(a); s. 11.1","quotes":["except as set out in Part 11 [Retaining Walls] of this bylaw, a fence;","No person may construct, or structurally repair, a retaining wall without a building","retaining wall means a structure exceeding 1.2 metres in height that holds or retains soil"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"height_front":{"label":"Height, front yard","value":"1.3 m (4.3 ft) on the front and exterior side lot lines.","short":"1.3 m","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.lytton.ca/media/1630","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 484, 1998 (consolidated February 19, 2025) (PDF)","section":"s. 3.10","quotes":[".2 Subject to sections 3.19 and 3.20, the maximum height of the fence shall be:","1.3m (4.3ft) on the front and exterior side lot lines."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"height_side_rear":{"label":"Height, side and rear yards","value":"1.8 m (5.9 ft) on rear and interior side lot lines.","short":"1.8 m","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.lytton.ca/media/1630","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 484, 1998 (consolidated February 19, 2025) (PDF)","section":"s. 3.10","quotes":["1.8m (5.9ft) on rear and interior side lot lines;"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"corner_lots":{"label":"Corner lots and sightlines","value":"On a corner lot, within the triangle formed by the street lines and a line joining points 6 m (19.7 ft) from where they meet, nothing may be planted or erected higher than 0.9 m (3 ft) above street grade. Open mesh and chain-link fences that do not restrict visibility are not counted as fences.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.lytton.ca/media/1630","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 484, 1998 (consolidated February 19, 2025) (PDF)","section":"ss. 3.19-3.20","quotes":["from the point of intersection of the street lines, no landscaping, screening, fences,","(3ft) above the established grade of the street.","Open mesh and chain link fences that do not restrict visibility shall not be"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"other_rules":{"label":"Other rules","value":"A fence must be within lot lines (Zoning s. 3.10). A pool, spa or hot tub must be enclosed by a fence at least 1.22 m high with no footholds, openings of no more than 100 mm and a self-closing, self-latching gate; a spa or hot tub may instead have a locking cover.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.lytton.ca/media/1630","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 484, 1998 (consolidated February 19, 2025) (PDF)","section":"s. 3.10","quotes":[".1 The fence is located within lot lines."]},{"url":"https://www.lytton.ca/media/108","title":"Building Bylaw No. 710, 2022 (PDF)","section":"ss. 14.2-14.3","quotes":["having a","minimum height of 1.22 metres and no openings greater than 100 mm at their greatest","self-closing and self-latching gate","In lieu of a fence, a spa or hot tub may be covered with a locking cover, which would"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"bylaw":{"label":"Bylaw","value":"Zoning Bylaw No. 484, 1998, s. 3.10 (consolidated February 19, 2025)","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.lytton.ca/media/1630","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 484, 1998 (consolidated February 19, 2025) (PDF)","section":"s. 3.10","quotes":["Fences shall be permitted in accordance with the following conditions:"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}}},"facts_summary":{"total":6,"stated":6,"matched":6,"none":0,"unknown":0},"body_markdown":"## How it works\n\nThe [Building Bylaw No. 710, 2022](https://www.lytton.ca/media/108) does not apply to a fence, except retaining walls, so an ordinary fence needs no building permit. A retaining wall (a structure over 1.2 m high that holds soil) does need one. The Village's page says retaining walls over 1.22 m (4 ft.) and fencing for them need a permit.\n\nHeights are set in section 3.10 of the [Zoning Bylaw No. 484, 1998](https://www.lytton.ca/media/1630): 1.3 m (4.3 ft) on the front and exterior side lot lines, and 1.8 m (5.9 ft) on rear and interior side lot lines. A fence must be within your lot lines.\n\n## Steps\n\n1. Find your property lines before you build.\n2. Check the height limit for each side of your lot.\n3. On a corner lot, keep the corner clear (see below).\n4. For a retaining wall or a pool enclosure, contact the Building Department.\n\n## Good to know\n\n- Corner lots: within the triangle formed by the street lines and a line joining points 6 m (19.7 ft) from where they meet, nothing may be planted or erected higher than 0.9 m (3 ft) above street grade. Open mesh and chain-link fences that do not restrict visibility are not counted as fences.\n- A pool, spa or hot tub must be enclosed by a fence at least 1.22 m high with no footholds, openings of no more than 100 mm, and a self-closing, self-latching gate. A spa or hot tub may instead have a locking cover. These rules are in Part 14 of the Building Bylaw.\n- The Zoning Bylaw also sets screening fence heights in the R2 and C zones (up to 2.4 m next to R1). Ask Planning at 778-554-7880 if this may apply to you.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.lytton.ca/media/1630","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 484, 1998 (consolidated February 19, 2025) (PDF)","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://www.lytton.ca/media/108","title":"Building Bylaw No. 710, 2022 (PDF)","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://www.lytton.ca/business-development/building-permits","title":"Building Permits, Village of Lytton","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://www.lytton.ca/local-government/contact-us","title":"Contact Us, Village of Lytton","accessed":"2026-11-08"}],"sources_read":"2026-11-08","review":{"status":"machine_checked","badge":"Checked against official text","label":"Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 6 facts was matched to the official text."},"urls":{"html":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lytton/fence-rules/","markdown":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lytton/fence-rules.md","json":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lytton/fence-rules.json"}}