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

# Merritt fence rules: permits and height limits

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

**Short answer:** A fence in the City of Merritt does not need a building permit, but a retaining wall does. In residential zones a fence may be 1.25 m high in the front yard and 2.0 m at the side and rear. Barbed wire is not allowed in residential zones.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Merritt, https://www.merritt.ca)  
**Cost:** No building permit fee for a fence. A retaining wall needs a building permit (see the building permit fees answer).  
**Where:**
- Phone: Planning & Development Services, 250-378-8615
- In person: City Hall, 2185 Voght Street, Merritt, BC V1K 1B8 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed 12:00 to 1:15 p.m.)

## Key facts

- **Permit:** No building permit for a fence: the Building Bylaw does not apply to a fence, except for retaining walls, which need a building permit. A retaining wall over 1.2 m must also be designed by a professional engineer. (Sources differ: Building Services page says a retaining wall under 1 m needs no permit; the Building Bylaw defines a retaining wall as over 1.2 m. Bylaw followed. A Development Permit may be needed in some areas (Building Services page).)
  - Source: [City of Merritt Building Bylaw No. 2382, 2024, s. 3.3(a), s. 11.1](http://www.merritt.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Bylaw_2382_2024_City_of_Merritt_Building_Code_and_Regulation-CONSOLIDATED.pdf)
  - Official wording: "except as set out in Part 11 [Retaining Walls and Grades] of this bylaw, a fence;" … "No person may construct, or structurally repair, a retaining wall without a building permit."
  - Source: [City of Merritt Zoning Bylaw No. 2284, 2020, 2026 consolidation, s. 6.5.1](http://www.merritt.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2284_Zoning-Bylaw_2026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Retaining walls exceeding 1.2 metres in Height must be designed and reviewed by a"
  - Source: [Building Services, Building Services page](https://www.merritt.ca/business-development/planning-development/building-services/)
  - Official wording: "- Accessory buildings under 100 sq ft - Fences, sidewalks, planters - Construction of a retaining wall less than one (1) metre in height"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Height, front yard:** Residential zones: 1.25 m in the front yard (between the front parcel line and the front building line), and no fence facing and within 3 m of the front parcel line may exceed 1.25 m. Fences over 1.25 m there must be chain link or other transparent barrier.
  - Source: [City of Merritt Zoning Bylaw No. 2284, 2020, 2026 consolidation, s. 4.14.1, 4.14.5](http://www.merritt.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2284_Zoning-Bylaw_2026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "1.25 metres in height where constructed between the Front Parcel Line and the" … "Front Building Line;" … "No fence facing, and constructed on or within 3 metres of the Front Parcel Line," … "chain link fencing or other transparent barrier"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Height, side and rear yards:** Residential zones: 2.0 m. Commercial, institutional and park zones: 2.5 m (3.5 m for cemetery, park, playfield, playground or public school). Industrial zones: 2.5 m.
  - Source: [City of Merritt Zoning Bylaw No. 2284, 2020, 2026 consolidation, s. 4.14](http://www.merritt.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2284_Zoning-Bylaw_2026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "2.0 metres in height where constructed on the Parcel other than between the" … "2.5 metres in height where constructed on the Parcel other than between the" … "3.5 metres in height for Cemetery, Park," … "may not exceed 2.5 metres in height, except where this bylaw requires otherwise;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Corner lots and sightlines:** Fences on corner parcels must stay out of the sight triangle: nothing over 1.25 m above the street grade within the triangle formed by extending 6 m along each parcel line from the corner.
  - Source: [City of Merritt Zoning Bylaw No. 2284, 2020, 2026 consolidation, s. 4.14.7, 4.15](http://www.merritt.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2284_Zoning-Bylaw_2026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Fences constructed on Corner Parcels must conform to the sight triangle, as per" … "A sight triangle on a corner Parcel must be kept free of all obstacles or obstructions" … "that are more than 1.25 metres in height above the established Grade of the adjoining" … "extending a line 6 metres"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Other rules:** No barbed wire fence in residential zones; no razor wire fence in any zone. In-ground pools must be fenced at least 1.5 m high with a lockable gate, climb-resistant, not letting a 0.1 m sphere pass, and not made of hedges or plants. Retaining walls on residential parcels: 1.2 m maximum.
  - Source: [City of Merritt Zoning Bylaw No. 2284, 2020, 2026 consolidation, s. 4.14.6, 4.17.4, 6.5.2](http://www.merritt.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2284_Zoning-Bylaw_2026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No barbed wire fence may be constructed in any residential zone and no razor wire" … "Minimum of 1.5 metres in height;" … "Include a lockable gate;" … "Not allow the passage of a 0.1 metre sphere; and" … "Retaining walls on all residential Parcels, may not exceed a height of 1.2 metres"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 2284, 2020, s. 4.14 (Fences), s. 4.15 (Visibility), s. 6.5 (Retaining Walls); Building Bylaw No. 2382, 2024, Part 11.
  - Source: [City of Merritt Zoning Bylaw No. 2284, 2020, 2026 consolidation, title, s. 4.14](http://www.merritt.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2284_Zoning-Bylaw_2026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Zoning Bylaw No. 2284, 2020" … "Consolidated to January 2026"
  - Source: [City of Merritt Building Bylaw No. 2382, 2024, s. 3.3, Part 11](http://www.merritt.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Bylaw_2382_2024_City_of_Merritt_Building_Code_and_Regulation-CONSOLIDATED.pdf)
  - Official wording: "PART 11: RETAINING WALLS AND GRADES"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Under the [Building Bylaw](http://www.merritt.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Bylaw_2382_2024_City_of_Merritt_Building_Code_and_Regulation-CONSOLIDATED.pdf), a City of Merritt fence needs no building permit. Retaining walls are the exception and need one. Height and placement are set by the [Zoning Bylaw](http://www.merritt.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2284_Zoning-Bylaw_2026.pdf). A Development Permit may be needed in some areas.

## Good to know

- **Front yard (residential zones):** 1.25 m between the front parcel line and the front building line. No fence facing and within 3 m of the front parcel line may exceed 1.25 m. A fence over 1.25 m there must be chain link or another transparent barrier.
- **Side and rear (residential zones):** 2.0 m. Commercial, institutional and park zones allow 2.5 m (3.5 m for a cemetery, park, playfield, playground or public school). Industrial zones allow 2.5 m.
- **Corner lots:** nothing over 1.25 m above the street grade within the triangle formed by extending 6 m along each parcel line from the corner.
- **Not allowed:** barbed wire fences in residential zones, and razor wire fences in any zone.
- **Pools:** an in-ground pool must be fenced at least 1.5 m high with a lockable gate. The fence must be climb-resistant, must not let a 0.1 m sphere pass, and cannot be hedges or plants.
- **Retaining walls:** a residential parcel's limit is 1.2 m, and a wall over 1.2 m must be designed by a professional engineer. A fence and retaining wall within 1.0 m of a parcel line together may not exceed 2.0 m from grade.
- The City's Building Services page says a retaining wall under 1 m needs no permit; the bylaw uses 1.2 m. Confirm with the City.
- The bylaw does not say how fence height is measured, and does not mention electric fences. Ask Planning at 250-378-8615.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 2284, 2020, sections 4.14, 4.15 and 6.5 (PDF)](http://www.merritt.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2284_Zoning-Bylaw_2026.pdf)
- [Building Bylaw No. 2382, 2024 (PDF)](http://www.merritt.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Bylaw_2382_2024_City_of_Merritt_Building_Code_and_Regulation-CONSOLIDATED.pdf)
- [Building Services (City of Merritt)](https://www.merritt.ca/business-development/planning-development/building-services/)

## Related questions

- [Merritt building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/merritt/building-permit.md)
- [Merritt permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/merritt/deck-shed-garage-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)
- [Lytton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lytton/fence-rules.md)
- [Kamloops](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kamloops/fence-rules.md)
- [Princeton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/princeton/fence-rules.md)
- [Ashcroft](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/ashcroft/fence-rules.md)
- [Peachland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/peachland/fence-rules.md)

## Sources

- [City of Merritt Zoning Bylaw No. 2284, 2020 (PDF), 2026 consolidation](http://www.merritt.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2284_Zoning-Bylaw_2026.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [City of Merritt Building Bylaw No. 2382, 2024 (PDF)](http://www.merritt.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Bylaw_2382_2024_City_of_Merritt_Building_Code_and_Regulation-CONSOLIDATED.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Building Services, City of Merritt](https://www.merritt.ca/business-development/planning-development/building-services/) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Contact, City of Merritt](https://www.merritt.ca/contact/) (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 Merritt. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/merritt/fence-rules/_