Montrose fence rules: permits and height limits
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.
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.Building Bylaw (2005-1) No. 633, s. 2.1 (Structure), s. 8.1.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingcludes landscaping, fences, paving and retaining structures less than |
|---|---|
| Height, front yard | 1.3 m in the front yard setback area or the exterior side yard setback area.Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022, s. 3.5.1(a) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingThe 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; |
| Height, side and rear yards | 2.0 m, where the fence is not in the front yard or exterior side yard setback area.Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022, s. 3.5.1(b) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wording2.0 m if not located within the front yard setback area or the exterior side yard setback area. |
| 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022, s. 3.16 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingNo 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; |
| 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022, ss. 3.5.2-3.5.4; Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 779, 2024, s. 6.2(b); Building Bylaw (2005-1) No. 633, s. 20.2, s. 21.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingopen 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, erect any sign, fence, wall or other structure on any Boulevard, except with written 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. |
| Bylaw | Zoning Bylaw #771, 2022, s. 3.5 (Screening and Fences) and s. 3.16 (Visibility - Corner Lots)Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022, ss. 3.5, 3.16 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wording3.5 Screening and Fences 3.16 Visibility-Comer Lots |
How it works
The Village of Montrose's Zoning Bylaw 771 (s. 3.5, Screening and Fences) sets fence height and material rules. The Building Bylaw 633 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
The same question in other places
Sources
- Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022 (PDF), Village of Montrose (read 2026-11-08)
- Building Bylaw (2005-1) No. 633 (PDF), Village of Montrose (read 2026-11-08)
- Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 779, 2024 (PDF), Village of Montrose (read 2026-11-08)
- Contacts, Village of Montrose (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. How answers are checked.