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

# Montrose fence rules: permits and height limits

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

**Short answer:** In Montrose an ordinary fence needs no building permit. The Zoning Bylaw limits fences to 1.3 m in the front or exterior side yard setback area and 2.0 m elsewhere. Pool fences, electric fences, boulevard fences and tall retaining walls have their own rules.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Montrose, https://www.montrose.ca)  
**Cost:** No permit fee stated; no permit needed for an ordinary fence.  
**How long:** Not applicable.  
**Where:**
- In person: Village Office, 565 11th Ave., Montrose, BC V0G 1P0 (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: Village Office, 250-367-7234
- Email: Village Office, admin@montrose.ca

## Key facts

- **Permit:** No building permit is needed for an ordinary fence: the Building Bylaw's definition of "structure" excludes fences. The Zoning Bylaw (s. 3.5) sets only height and material rules. Pool fences and tall retaining walls have their own rules.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw (2005-1) No. 633, s. 2.1 (Structure), s. 8.1.1](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/633_Building.pdf)
  - Official wording: "cludes landscaping, fences, paving and retaining structures less than"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, front yard:** 1.3 m in the front yard setback area or the exterior side yard setback area.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022, s. 3.5.1(a)](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/771-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "The maximum height of screening and fences is:" … "1,3 m if located within the front yard setback area or the exterior side yard setback area;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, side and rear yards:** 2.0 m, where the fence is not in the front yard or exterior side yard setback area.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022, s. 3.5.1(b)](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/771-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "2.0 m if not located within the front yard setback area or the exterior side yard setback area."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Corner lots and sightlines:** At street corners and lane corners, nothing (landscaping, fencing, buildings) may be higher than 1.3 m above street grade inside the sight triangle: 6 m from the corner along each lot line at a street corner, 3 m at a lane corner.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022, s. 3.16](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/771-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No landscaping, screening, fencing, building or structure shall be planted, erected or maintained to a" … "height greater than 1.3 m above the established grade of the street within:" … "lot lines 6 m from their point" … "lot lines 3 m from their point of intersection;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Other rules:** Open fencing is unrestricted in C1, C1a, C2, C3, PR, ICF and RU zones. Electric fences: 1 m in from lot lines, 10,000 volts at most, grounded, signed. No barbed wire in residential zones. Boulevard fences need written permission. Pool area: fence 1.5 m or higher, self-closing gate, openings under 100 mm. Retaining walls over 1.5 m need a registered professional.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022, ss. 3.5.2-3.5.4](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/771-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "open fencing shall not be restricted as to height or location on" … "must not conduct current in excess of 10,000 volts;" … "Barbed wire shall not be used in a residential zone,"
  - Source: [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 779, 2024, s. 6.2(b)](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2024-02-08-Montrose-Good-Neighbour-Bylaw-FINAL.pdf)
  - Official wording: "erect any sign, fence, wall or other structure on any Boulevard, except with written"
  - Source: [Building Bylaw (2005-1) No. 633, s. 20.2, s. 21.1](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/633_Building.pdf)
  - Official wording: "An exterior pool area must be enclosed within a fence of not less than" … "vent the passage of a spherical object having a diameter of 100 mm."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw #771, 2022, s. 3.5 (Screening and Fences) and s. 3.16 (Visibility - Corner Lots)
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022, ss. 3.5, 3.16](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/771-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "3.5 Screening and Fences" … "3.16 Visibility-Comer Lots"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The Village of Montrose's [Zoning Bylaw 771](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/771-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf) (s. 3.5, Screening and Fences) sets fence height and material rules. The [Building Bylaw 633](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/633_Building.pdf) defines "structure" so that fences are excluded, so an ordinary fence needs no building permit. A fence is also not treated as a structure for setbacks.

- **Front yard or exterior side yard setback area:** 1.3 m high at most.
- **Elsewhere (side and rear):** 2.0 m at most.
- **Corners:** within the sight triangle (6 m from the corner along each lot line at a street corner, 3 m at a lane corner), nothing may be higher than 1.3 m above street grade.

## Good to know

- Open fencing is unrestricted in the C1, C1a, C2, C3, PR, ICF and RU zones.
- Electric fences must be 1 m in from lot lines, 10,000 volts at most, grounded and signed. Barbed wire is not allowed in residential zones.
- A fence on the boulevard needs written permission from the Village.
- Pool areas need a fence 1.5 m or higher with a self-closing gate and openings under 100 mm (Good Neighbour Bylaw 779, s. 6.2(b)).
- Retaining walls over 1.5 m need a registered professional.
- Check your zone on the Village Zoning Map or call the Village Office on 250-367-7234.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022 (PDF), Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/771-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
- [Building Bylaw (2005-1) No. 633 (PDF), Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/633_Building.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Montrose building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/building-permit.md)
- [Montrose zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Montrose permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/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)
- [Fruitvale](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fruitvale/fence-rules.md)
- [Trail](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/fence-rules.md)
- [Warfield](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/warfield/fence-rules.md)
- [Rossland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/rossland/fence-rules.md)
- [Castlegar](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/castlegar/fence-rules.md)
- [Salmo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salmo/fence-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022 (PDF), Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/771-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Bylaw (2005-1) No. 633 (PDF), Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/633_Building.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 779, 2024 (PDF), Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2024-02-08-Montrose-Good-Neighbour-Bylaw-FINAL.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Contacts, Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/contacts/) (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 Montrose. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/fence-rules/_