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

# Radium Hot Springs fence rules: permits and height limits

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

**Short answer:** In Radium Hot Springs a fence can be 1.3 m high in a front yard and 2.0 m elsewhere on the parcel (most zones). The Village's Building Permit Guide lists fences as not needing a building permit, but zoning rules still apply. Barbed wire and razor wire are banned in most zones.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Radium Hot Springs, https://radiumhotsprings.ca)  
**Cost:** No building permit fee for a fence, per the Village's Building Permit Guide. Retaining walls over 1.5 m need a building permit.  
**How long:** Not stated by the Village. Ask Building and Development Services.  
**Where:**
- In person: Village Office, 4836 Radium Boulevard, Radium Hot Springs, BC (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
- Phone: Building and Development Services, 250-347-6455 ext. 7 (The Building Official is available Monday to Thursday only.)
- Email: Building and Development Services, building@radiumhotsprings.ca

## Key facts

- **Permit:** No building permit is needed for a fence (the Village's Building Permit Guide lists "Landscaping, sidewalks, fences" as exemptions). Retaining walls over 1.5 m (5 ft) need a permit. Zoning height limits still apply.
  - Source: [Building Permit Guide, When do you need a building permit? Exemptions](https://radiumhotsprings.civicweb.net/document/10063/)
  - Official wording: "Landscaping, sidewalks, fences." … "Construct retaining walls over 5 ft in height."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, front yard:** 1.3 m (a fence, screen, wall or similar structure in a front yard). Applies in all zones except M1 and M2.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 528, 2026, s. 3.8.1](https://radiumhotsprings.civicweb.net/document/21642/)
  - Official wording: "the height of a Fence or Screen, wall, or similar Structure located in a front Yard shall not exceed 1.3 m in height"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, side and rear yards:** 2.0 m for a fence, screen or wall elsewhere on the parcel (all zones except M1 and M2). In industrial zones, 2.0 m anywhere on the parcel. Exception: where a rear and side parcel line meet in a residential zone, the front-yard part of the fence along the rear line is limited to 1.3 m.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 528, 2026, s. 3.8.1, 3.8.3](https://radiumhotsprings.civicweb.net/document/21642/)
  - Official wording: "and the height of any Fence or Screen, wall or similar Structure elsewhere on the Parcel shall not exceed 2.0 m." … "shall not exceed 1.3m in height."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Corner lots and sightlines:** On corner parcels (all zones except C1), nothing may block visibility by more than 60 cm in height within a triangle formed by the two parcel lines along the streets and a line joining points 6.0 m from where the lines meet. No parking area may be in the sight triangle.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 528, 2026, s. 3.15](https://radiumhotsprings.civicweb.net/document/21642/)
  - Official wording: "no person shall obstruct the visibility at any intersection on corner Parcels by any means greater than 60 horizontal centimetres" … "at a distance of 6.0 m from their point of intersection"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Other rules:** Barbed wire and razor wire are banned as fence or screen material in commercial, mixed-use, residential and public zones. A commercial or industrial parcel next to a residential zone needs an opaque fence or screen on the shared line. Fences and retaining walls may sit in a setback. Retaining structures over 1.5 m high need a building permit.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 528, 2026, s. 3.8.6, 3.8.5](https://radiumhotsprings.civicweb.net/document/21642/)
  - Official wording: "The use of barbed wire or razor wire as a Fence or Screen material, and any related hardware, is prohibited" … "the Parcel Line must include an opaque Fence or Screen around the"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 528, 2026, Table 1](https://radiumhotsprings.civicweb.net/document/21642/)
  - Official wording: "f) Fence or Screen, and retaining walls"
  - Source: [Building Permits](https://radiumhotsprings.ca/building-development/building-permits/)
  - Official wording: "Retaining structures over 1.5 metres in height"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Village of Radium Hot Springs Zoning Bylaw No. 528, 2026, s. 3.8 (Fencing and Screening) and s. 3.15 (Visibility at Intersections).
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 528, 2026, s. 3.8, 3.15](https://radiumhotsprings.civicweb.net/document/21642/)
  - Official wording: "3.8 Fencing and Screening" … "3.15 Visibility at Intersections"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

Fence heights are set in s. 3.8 of the [Zoning Bylaw No. 528](https://radiumhotsprings.civicweb.net/document/21642/). The limits apply in all zones except M1 and M2:

- **Front yard:** 1.3 m for a fence, screen, wall or similar structure.
- **Elsewhere on the parcel:** 2.0 m. In industrial zones, 2.0 m anywhere on the parcel.
- **Exception:** where a rear and a side parcel line meet in a residential zone, the front-yard part of the fence along the rear line is limited to 1.3 m.

The Village's [Building Permit Guide](https://radiumhotsprings.civicweb.net/document/10063/) lists "landscaping, sidewalks, fences" as work that does not need a building permit. Retaining walls over 1.5 m (5 ft) do need one. The zoning height limits still apply.

## Steps

1. Find your zone and parcel lines. See the zoning-lookup answer.
2. Keep the fence within the height limits above.
3. On a corner lot, check the visibility rule below.
4. If the fence includes a retaining wall over 1.5 m, apply for a building permit. See the building-permit answer.

## Good to know

- **Corner lots** (all zones except C1): nothing may block visibility by more than 60 cm in height within a triangle formed by the two parcel lines along the streets and a line joining points 6.0 m from where the lines meet. No parking area may be in the sight triangle.
- Barbed wire and razor wire are banned as fence or screen material in commercial, mixed-use, residential and public zones.
- A commercial or industrial parcel next to a residential zone needs an opaque fence or screen on the shared line.
- Fences and retaining walls may sit in a setback.
- No Village page or bylaw we read says in plain words that a fence needs, or does not need, a building permit; the Guide's list is the only statement. The bylaws we read do not set a method for measuring height or rules for pool fences. Ask Building and Development Services to confirm.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 528, 2026 (PDF)](https://radiumhotsprings.civicweb.net/document/21642/)
- [Building Permit Guide (PDF)](https://radiumhotsprings.civicweb.net/document/10063/)

## Related questions

- [Radium Hot Springs building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/radium-hot-springs/building-permit.md)
- [Radium Hot Springs permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/radium-hot-springs/deck-shed-garage-permit.md)
- [Radium Hot Springs zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/radium-hot-springs/zoning-lookup.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fence-rules.md)
- [Invermere](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/invermere/fence-rules.md)
- [Canal Flats](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/fence-rules.md)
- [Golden](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/golden/fence-rules.md)
- [Kaslo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kaslo/fence-rules.md)
- [Elkford](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/elkford/fence-rules.md)
- [Kimberley](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kimberley/fence-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 528, 2026 (PDF)](https://radiumhotsprings.civicweb.net/document/21642/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Permit Guide, Village of Radium Hot Springs (PDF)](https://radiumhotsprings.civicweb.net/document/10063/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Permits, Village of Radium Hot Springs](https://radiumhotsprings.ca/building-development/building-permits/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building and Plumbing Bylaw No. 392, 2013 (PDF)](https://radiumhotsprings.civicweb.net/document/4160/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building and Development Services, Village of Radium Hot Springs](https://radiumhotsprings.ca/administration/departments-staff/building-and-development-services/) (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 Radium Hot Springs. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/radium-hot-springs/fence-rules/_