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

# Nakusp fence rules: permits and height limits

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

**Short answer:** In Nakusp, no building permit is needed for a fence, but it must follow the Zoning Bylaw. The limit is 2.13 m (7 ft) in front, side and back yards, and 1 m within the corner sight triangle.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Nakusp, https://www.nakusp.com)  
**Cost:** No permit fee. The RDCK brochure says no building permit is needed for a fence.  
**How long:** Not applicable.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Village Office, 250.265.3689 (Ask about fence rules and your zone.)
- Phone: RDCK Building Inspector, Nakusp (pool fencing), 250.265.4111

## Key facts

- **Permit:** No building permit is needed for a fence (RDCK brochure). The fence must meet the zoning height limits. The bylaws read name no fence permit.
  - Source: [RDCK Building Brochure, March 2024, p. 3](https://rdck.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/2024-03-15-Building_Brochure_03-24.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Fences (fence height must comply with Regional"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, front yard:** 2.13 m (7 ft) maximum. The same limit applies in front, side and back yards, with a 1 m limit within the corner sight triangle.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 729, 2023, s. 3.3.1](https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/15437/)
  - Official wording: "No fence shall exceed 2.13 m (7 ft) in height in an interior side yard, exterior side yard, front yard, and back yard."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, side and rear yards:** 2.13 m (7 ft) maximum in interior side, exterior side and back yards.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 729, 2023, s. 3.3.1](https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/15437/)
  - Official wording: "No fence shall exceed 2.13 m (7 ft) in height in an interior side yard, exterior side yard, front yard, and back yard."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Corner lots and sightlines:** On corner parcels, fences within the sight triangle may be no higher than 1 m. In all zones no fence, landscaping, retaining wall or other obstruction may be higher than 1.0 m above the centre of the intersection within 6.0 m of the parcel corner.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 729, 2023, s. 3.3.1, 3.4.1](https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/15437/)
  - Official wording: "Fences on corner Parcels within a sight triangle as" … "described in Section 3.4.1 of this Bylaw shall not exceed 1m in height." … "no fence, landscaping, retaining wall, or other obstruction shall be erected" … "or permitted at a height greater than 1.0 metre above the established"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Other rules:** Hedges and rows of trees or shrubs count as fences. Retaining walls are not fences, but the part of a retaining wall above the ground it holds counts as screening. Screening and landscape buffers are measured from finished grade. Swimming pools may not be in a front yard or within 3 m of any property line.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 729, 2023, Definition of FENCE; s. 3.22.3-3.22.4; s. 3.8.4](https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/15437/)
  - Official wording: "FENCE means a constructed structure, or contiguous barrier composed of trees, shrubs, or" … "Any portion of a retaining wall projecting above the surface of the ground which it supports is considered as a" … "The height of screening and landscape buffers is determined by measurement" … "Swimming pools must not be constructed within any front yard or within 3 m to any"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 729, 2023, s. 3.3 and 3.4 (consolidated November 2024)
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 729, 2023, Title](https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/15437/)
  - Official wording: "Zoning Bylaw No. 729, 2023" … "Consolidated November 2024"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 729, 2023, s. 3.3, 3.4](https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/15437/)
  - Official wording: "3.3 Height of Fences" … "3.4 Visibility at Intersections"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

Under the Village's [Zoning Bylaw No. 729](https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/15437/), a fence may be no higher than 2.13 m (7 ft) in front, interior side, exterior side and back yards. The RDCK brochure says a fence does not need a building permit, but its height must comply with the zoning rules, and the bylaw names no fence permit.

## Good to know

- Corner lots: within the sight triangle a fence may be no higher than 1 m. In all zones, nothing (fence, landscaping, retaining wall or other obstruction) may be higher than 1.0 m above the centre of the intersection within 6.0 m of the parcel corner.
- Hedges and rows of trees or shrubs count as fences. A retaining wall is not a fence, but the part above the ground it holds counts as screening.
- Swimming pools may not be in a front yard or within 3 m of any property line. Pool fencing falls under the RDCK Building Bylaw No. 2200.
- A fence over 2.13 m is a $400 bylaw notice.
- The bylaw does not mention barbed wire or electric fences. Ask the Village Office if you plan one.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 729, 2023 (consolidated November 2024)](https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/15437/)

## Related questions

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

## The same question elsewhere

- [Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fence-rules.md)
- [New Denver](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-denver/fence-rules.md)
- [Silverton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/silverton/fence-rules.md)
- [Slocan](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/slocan/fence-rules.md)
- [Kaslo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kaslo/fence-rules.md)
- [Revelstoke](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/revelstoke/fence-rules.md)
- [Lumby](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lumby/fence-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 729, 2023, Village of Nakusp (consolidated November 2024)](https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/15437/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [RDCK Building Brochure, March 2024 (PDF)](https://rdck.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/2024-03-15-Building_Brochure_03-24.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw, Village of Nakusp](https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/7413/) (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 Nakusp. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/nakusp/fence-rules/_