Qualicum Beach fence rules: permits and height limits
Do I need a permit to build a fence in Qualicum Beach, and how high can it be?
Qualicum Beach's Building Bylaw does not apply to a fence, so no building permit is listed for one. Under the Zoning Bylaw a fence is not a structure if it is under 1.0 m within 5 m of the front lot line and under 2.0 m elsewhere. Pool fences must be at least 1.5 m.
Key facts
| Permit | The Building Bylaw does not apply to a fence, so no building permit is listed for one. Under the Zoning Bylaw a fence is not a 'structure' if it is under 1.0 m within 5 m of the front lot line and under 2.0 m elsewhere; taller fences are structures.Building Bylaw No. 903, 2024, s. 3.3(b); Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 2024 (Combined Version), Part 2, definition of structure · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordinguncovered decks, steps, landings, ramps and patios not more than 0.5 have no walls or roof, a fence; and fences under 1.0m in height within 5m of the front lot line, and under 2.0m in height elsewhere. |
|---|---|
| Height, front yard | 1.0 m (3 ft 3 in) within 5 m (16 ft 5 in) of the front property line.Fence Brochure, Fence brochure; Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 2024 (Combined Version), Part 2, definition of structure · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingFences are to be a maximum height of 1.0 m (3'3") within 5 m (16'5") of the front property line fences under 1.0m in height within 5m of the front lot line |
| Height, side and rear yards | 2.0 m (6 ft 6 in) elsewhere on the lot, outside the 5 m front area.Fence Brochure, Fence brochure; Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 2024 (Combined Version), Part 2, definition of structure · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingand a maximum of 2.0 m (6'6") elsewhere and under 2.0m in height |
| Corner lots and sightlines | On a corner parcel, nothing may block the line of vision between 1.0 m and 3.0 m above the street grade within the sight triangle, which extends 6.0 m along each parcel line from the corner.Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 2024 (Combined Version), Part 3, s. 3.3 item 6 Setbacks - Sight Triangle · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingOn a corner parcel in any zone there shall be no obstruction to the line of vision between the heights of 1.0m and 3.0m above the established grade of a highway |
| Other rules | A fence around a swimming pool must be at least 1.5 m high with no openings over 100 mm and no climbable footholds, with a self-closing, self-latching gate (Building Bylaw ss. 14.3-14.4). Fence height is measured from the natural grade below. Soil-retaining walls under 1.2 m are not structures (Zoning Bylaw).Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 2024 (Combined Version), Part 2, definitions; Building Bylaw No. 903, 2024, s. 14.3 and 14.4 Swimming Pool fence and gate · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingheight, fence means the greatest vertical distance between any point along the top of the fence and the natural grade vertically below that same point. retaining walls under 1.2m in height and which retains having a minimum height of 1.5 metres from finished grade outside the fence and no openings greater than 100 mm at their greatest dimension. Access through a fence enclosing a swimming pool must be only through a self- |
| Bylaw | Town of Qualicum Beach Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 2024 (Part 2 definitions of 'structure' and 'height, fence'; Part 3 s. 3.3 item 15, Height of Fence)Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 2024 (Combined Version), title and s. 3.3 item 15 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingTown of Qualicum Beach Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 15. Height of Fence |
How it works
The Building Bylaw No. 903 does not apply to a fence, so Qualicum Beach lists no building permit for one. Fence height is set by the Zoning Bylaw No. 900. A fence is not a "structure" if it is under 1.0 m (3 ft 3 in) within 5 m (16 ft 5 in) of the front lot line, and under 2.0 m (6 ft 6 in) elsewhere on the lot. Taller fences are structures under the Zoning Bylaw. Height is measured from the natural grade below.
The Zoning Bylaw allows more in a required setback in three cases: 2.4 m on public school property next to another lot or a railway; 1.8 m beside Highway 19A, Memorial Avenue, Rupert Road, Laburnum Road, Village Way (Memorial to 19A) and Jones Street, if screened from the road by a continuous hedge or trees; and 2.0 m between a residential lot and a commercial, industrial or institutional lot.
Corner lots: on a corner parcel, nothing may block the line of vision between 1.0 m and 3.0 m above the street grade within the sight triangle, which extends 6.0 m along each parcel line from the corner.
Pool fences: a fence around a swimming pool must be at least 1.5 m high with no openings over 100 mm and no climbable footholds, and a self-closing, self-latching gate (Building Bylaw ss. 14.3 and 14.4).
Steps
- Measure how far the fence sits from the front lot line and how tall it will be.
- Check the limits above and read the Town's Fence Brochure.
- If the fence is taller than the limits, or on a corner, or around a pool, call Planning or Building Inspection first.
Good to know
- The bylaws and brochure we read do not address materials such as barbed wire or electric fencing. Ask Planning.
- The brochure is a general outline for a standard residential lot; some locations differ.
- Soil-retaining walls under 1.2 m are not structures under the Zoning Bylaw.
Official forms and pages
The same question in other places
Parksville · Lantzville · Port Alberni · Nanaimo · Sechelt · Comox
Sources
- Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 2024 (Combined Version) (PDF), Town of Qualicum Beach (read 2026-11-06)
- Building Bylaw No. 903, 2024 (PDF), Town of Qualicum Beach (read 2026-11-06)
- Fence Brochure (PDF), Town of Qualicum Beach (read 2026-11-06)
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.