---
title: "Oak Bay fence rules: permits and height limits"
question: "Do I need a permit to build a fence in Oak Bay, and how high can it be?"
place: Oak Bay, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/oak-bay
category: Building, renovating and your property
owner: municipal
owner_body: District of Oak Bay
sources_read: 2026-11-06
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oak-bay/fence-rules/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oak-bay/fence-rules.json"
---

# Oak Bay fence rules: permits and height limits

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

**Short answer:** In Oak Bay a fence can be up to 2 m (6.5 feet) high at the side and rear, and up to 1.38 m (4.5 feet) within 7.62 m (25 feet) of a street. The fence bylaw does not mention a permit, but the fence must fully comply with it.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (District of Oak Bay, https://www.oakbay.ca)  
**Cost:** The fence bylaw sets no permit fee.  
**How long:** Not applicable.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Building and Planning Department, 250-598-2042 ext. 7496
- Email: Building inspections, inspections@oakbay.ca
- In person: Municipal Hall, 2167 Oak Bay Avenue, Victoria, BC V8R 1G2

## Key facts

- **Permit:** Not confirmed. The Screens and Fences Bylaw and the District's permit page do not mention a fence permit.
- **Height, front yard:** Within 7.62 m (25 feet) of any property line abutting a street: no more than 1.38 m (4.5 feet) high. On a corner lot, no more than 1 m (3 feet) within the corner sightline square.
  - Source: [Screens and Fences Bylaw No. 3536, s. 6.2, s. 6.1](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/3536-Screens-Fences-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "no person shall build within 7.62 m (25 feet) of any property line abutting a" … "street a fence which exceeds a height of" … "1.38 m (4.5 feet)."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Height, side and rear yards:** No more than 2 m (6.5 feet), except a wire fence enclosing a tennis court. A trellis up to 0.46 m (1.5 feet) may be added if it meets the rules in s. 6.4.
  - Source: [Screens and Fences Bylaw No. 3536, s. 6.3, s. 6.4](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/3536-Screens-Fences-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "no person shall build a fence, other than a wire fence that encloses a" … "tennis court, which exceeds a height of 2 m (6.5 feet)." … "not more than 0.46 m (1.5"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Corner lots and sightlines:** On a corner lot, no fence over 1 m (3 feet) high within a square at the corner whose sides are at least 7.62 m (25 feet), measured from the paved roads' intersection point.
  - Source: [Screens and Fences Bylaw No. 3536, s. 6.1](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/3536-Screens-Fences-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Notwithstanding any other regulations in this Bylaw, no person shall build on a corner lot a fence" … "that exceeds 1 m (3 feet) in height within a square superimposed off the paved road:" … "The sides of which are not less than 7.62 m (25 feet);"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Other rules:** Height is measured from the highest natural ground within 1 m of the fence. A swimming pool must be enclosed by a fence at least 1.2 m high, with openings under 100 mm and self-closing, self-locking gates. A retaining wall's exposed face may not exceed 1.2 m (Zoning Bylaw s. 4.17.1). The bylaw does not mention barbed wire or electric fences.
  - Source: [Screens and Fences Bylaw No. 3536, s. 3.1, s. 7.1](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/3536-Screens-Fences-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: ""HEIGHT" means the vertical distance between the top of any part of a fence and the highest" … "natural ground elevation within 1 m (3 feet) in any direction of any part of the fence." … "A swimming pool shall be enclosed by a fence, and such fence shall:" … "Be not less than 1.2 m (4 feet) in height;"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 3531 (PDF, consolidated), s. 4.17.1](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/3531-Oak-Bay-Zoning-Bylaw-Consolidated.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No retaining wall shall have an exposed face with a vertical distance from bottom to top exceeding 1.2 m (3.9 ft)."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Screens and Fences Bylaw No. 3536 (cited as the Screens and Fences Bylaw, 1986), ss. 5 to 7
  - Source: [Screens and Fences Bylaw No. 3536, s. 9.1](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/3536-Screens-Fences-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "This Bylaw may be cited as the "SCREENS AND FENCES BYLAW, 1986"." … "BYLAW NO. 3536"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Oak Bay's [Screens and Fences Bylaw No. 3536](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/3536-Screens-Fences-Bylaw.pdf) sets height limits. It does not mention a permit, and the District's list of work needing a building permit does not include fences (only retaining walls over 1.2 m). The bylaw says no one may build a fence unless it fully complies with it. "Fence" includes walls, railings and screens. Height is measured from the highest natural ground within 1 m of the fence.

## Steps

1. Check which limit applies: street side, corner, or side and rear.
2. Build within the limit.
3. If unsure whether you need a permit, call the Building and Planning Department before you build.

## Good to know

- Within 7.62 m (25 feet) of any property line next to a street: no higher than 1.38 m (4.5 feet).
- Corner lots: no fence over 1 m (3 feet) within a square at the corner whose sides are at least 7.62 m (25 feet), measured from where the paved roads meet.
- Side and rear: no higher than 2 m (6.5 feet), except a wire fence around a tennis court.
- A trellis up to 0.46 m (1.5 feet) may be added if it meets the open-lath rules in section 6.4. It cannot go within the corner square.
- A swimming pool must be enclosed by a fence at least 1.2 m high, with openings under 100 mm and self-closing, self-locking gates.
- A retaining wall's exposed face may not exceed 1.2 m under the [Zoning Bylaw](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/3531-Oak-Bay-Zoning-Bylaw-Consolidated.pdf).
- A municipal ticket for failing to comply with the fence rules is $390, or $300 if paid within 30 days. A court conviction can mean up to $2,000 plus costs.

## Official forms and pages

- [Screens and Fences Bylaw No. 3536 (PDF)](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/3536-Screens-Fences-Bylaw.pdf)

## Related questions

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

## The same question elsewhere

- [Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fence-rules.md)
- [Victoria](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/victoria/fence-rules.md)
- [Saanich](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/saanich/fence-rules.md)
- [Esquimalt](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/esquimalt/fence-rules.md)
- [View Royal](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/view-royal/fence-rules.md)
- [Colwood](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/colwood/fence-rules.md)
- [Langford](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/langford/fence-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Screens and Fences Bylaw No. 3536 (PDF), District of Oak Bay](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/3536-Screens-Fences-Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Zoning Bylaw No. 3531 (PDF, consolidated), District of Oak Bay](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/3531-Oak-Bay-Zoning-Bylaw-Consolidated.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 4846 (PDF), District of Oak Bay](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Bylaw-4846-Municipal-Ticket-Info-Consolidate.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Building and Plumbing Bylaw No. 4247 (PDF), District of Oak Bay](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4247-Building-Plumbing-Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 6 facts was matched to the official text; 1 could not be confirmed. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with District of Oak Bay. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oak-bay/fence-rules/_