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

# Lytton fence rules: permits and height limits

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

**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.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Lytton, https://www.lytton.ca)  
**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:**
- Phone: Planning, 778-554-7880
- Email: Planning, planning@lytton.ca
- Email: Building Department, building@lytton.ca

## Key facts

- **Permit:** 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.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 710, 2022, s. 3.3(a); s. 11.1](https://www.lytton.ca/media/108)
  - Official wording: "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: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, front yard:** 1.3 m (4.3 ft) on the front and exterior side lot lines.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 484, 1998 (consolidated February 19, 2025), s. 3.10](https://www.lytton.ca/media/1630)
  - Official wording: ".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: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, side and rear yards:** 1.8 m (5.9 ft) on rear and interior side lot lines.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 484, 1998 (consolidated February 19, 2025), s. 3.10](https://www.lytton.ca/media/1630)
  - Official wording: "1.8m (5.9ft) on rear and interior side lot lines;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Corner lots and sightlines:** 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.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 484, 1998 (consolidated February 19, 2025), ss. 3.19-3.20](https://www.lytton.ca/media/1630)
  - Official wording: "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: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Other rules:** 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.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 484, 1998 (consolidated February 19, 2025), s. 3.10](https://www.lytton.ca/media/1630)
  - Official wording: ".1 The fence is located within lot lines."
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 710, 2022, ss. 14.2-14.3](https://www.lytton.ca/media/108)
  - Official wording: "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: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 484, 1998, s. 3.10 (consolidated February 19, 2025)
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 484, 1998 (consolidated February 19, 2025), s. 3.10](https://www.lytton.ca/media/1630)
  - Official wording: "Fences shall be permitted in accordance with the following conditions:"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The [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.

Heights 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.

## Steps

1. Find your property lines before you build.
2. Check the height limit for each side of your lot.
3. On a corner lot, keep the corner clear (see below).
4. For a retaining wall or a pool enclosure, contact the Building Department.

## Good to know

- 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.
- 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.
- 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.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 484, 1998 (consolidated February 19, 2025) (PDF)](https://www.lytton.ca/media/1630)
- [Building Bylaw No. 710, 2022 (PDF)](https://www.lytton.ca/media/108)

## Related questions

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

## The same question elsewhere

- [Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/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)
- [Lillooet](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lillooet/fence-rules.md)
- [Merritt](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/merritt/fence-rules.md)
- [Cache Creek](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cache-creek/fence-rules.md)
- [Pemberton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/pemberton/fence-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 484, 1998 (consolidated February 19, 2025) (PDF)](https://www.lytton.ca/media/1630) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Bylaw No. 710, 2022 (PDF)](https://www.lytton.ca/media/108) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Permits, Village of Lytton](https://www.lytton.ca/business-development/building-permits) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Contact Us, Village of Lytton](https://www.lytton.ca/local-government/contact-us) (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 Village of Lytton. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lytton/fence-rules/_