{"title":"Salt Spring Island fence rules: permits and height limits","question":"Do I need a permit to build a fence, and how high can it be?","slug":"fence-rules","place":{"path":"ca/bc/salt-spring-island","name":"Salt Spring Island","region":{"code":"bc","name":"British Columbia"},"country":{"code":"ca","name":"Canada"}},"category":{"slug":"building-and-renovating","name":"Building, renovating and your property"},"owner":"other","owner_label":"Another public body","owner_body":null,"short_answer":"On Salt Spring Island, a fence does not need a Capital Regional District (CRD) building permit. The Islands Trust land use bylaw sets no fence height limit that we found. Near road corners, nothing over 0.75 m may stand in a 6 m sight triangle.","aliases":["fence height salt spring","fence permit salt spring island","how tall can my fence be","deer fence salt spring"],"cost":"No CRD permit fee for a fence.","how_long":null,"where":[{"type":"phone","label":"Islands Trust Salt Spring office","value":"250-537-9144","note":"Unit 4, 121 McPhillips Avenue, V8K 2T6."},{"type":"email","label":"Islands Trust Salt Spring office","value":"ssiinfo@islandstrust.bc.ca"},{"type":"email","label":"CRD building permit questions","value":"permitquestion@crd.bc.ca"}],"documents":[],"forms":[{"title":"Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF)","url":"https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/"},{"title":"CRD Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3741 (PDF)","url":"https://www.crd.ca/media/file/bylawno3741consolidated"}],"related":[{"slug":"zoning-lookup","title":"Salt Spring Island zoning: find your zone and what it allows","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/zoning-lookup/"},{"slug":"tree-removal","title":"Salt Spring Island tree removal rules and permits","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/tree-removal/"},{"slug":"deck-shed-garage-permit","title":"Salt Spring Island permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/deck-shed-garage-permit/"}],"nearby":[],"topic":{"title":"Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fence-rules/"},"facts":{"permit":{"label":"Permit","value":"No CRD building permit is needed to build a fence. Land use is regulated by the Islands Trust Land Use Bylaw, which exempts fences from its lot-line setbacks.","short":"No building permit","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.crd.ca/media/file/bylawno3741consolidated","title":"CRD Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3741, section 2.1.3 (PDF)","section":"s. 2.1.3(6)","quotes":["construction of a fence;"]},{"url":"https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/","title":"Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF), sections 4.2 and 4.3","section":"s. 4.3.1","quotes":["no building or structure except a fence, pumphouse,"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"height_front":{"label":"Height, front yard","value":null,"status":"unknown","reason":"not_published","note":"The bylaws read do not set a fence height limit; the Islands Trust can give a firm answer.","sources":[]},"height_side_rear":{"label":"Height, side and rear yards","value":null,"status":"unknown","reason":"not_published","note":"The bylaws read do not set a fence height limit; the Islands Trust can give a firm answer.","sources":[]},"corner_lots":{"label":"Corner lots and sightlines","value":"No building or structure taller than 0.75 m may be placed in the triangle formed by two intersecting highways and a line joining points 6 m from their intersection.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/","title":"Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF), sections 4.2 and 4.3","section":"s. 4.2.1","quotes":["No building or structure exceeding 0.75 metres in height may be sited within the","triangle formed by the boundaries of two intersecting highways and a line joining","points on those boundaries 6 metres from their point of intersection"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"other_rules":{"label":"Other rules","value":"Retaining structures under 1.2 m high need no CRD building permit; taller ones do unless more than 30 degrees off vertical. A fence is exempt from building permits but must still meet any zoning or development permit area rules.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.crd.ca/media/file/bylawno3741consolidated","title":"CRD Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3741, section 2.1.3 (PDF)","section":"s. 2.1.3(4)-(5)","quotes":["construction of retaining structures less than 1.2 meters in height;","greater than 30° off vertical;"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"bylaw":{"label":"Bylaw","value":"CRD Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3741 s. 2.1.3 (permits); Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 s. 4.2.1 and 4.3.1 (siting). Both apply to the Salt Spring Island electoral area.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.crd.ca/media/file/bylawno3741consolidated","title":"CRD Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3741, section 2.1.3 (PDF)","section":"s. 1.1.1","quotes":["Islands, and Salt Spring Island electoral areas in the Capital Regional District."]},{"url":"https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/","title":"Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF), sections 4.2 and 4.3","section":"s. 2.1.1","quotes":["The provisions of this Bylaw apply to that portion of Salt Spring Island Local Trust","Area that lies within Electoral Area “F” of the Capital Regional District"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}}},"facts_summary":{"total":6,"stated":4,"matched":4,"none":0,"unknown":2},"body_markdown":"## How it works\n\nSalt Spring Island is not a municipality. A fence is exempt from CRD building permits under [Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3741](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/bylawno3741consolidated). Land use is regulated by the Islands Trust through [Land Use Bylaw No. 355](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/), which exempts fences from its lot-line setbacks.\n\nThe bylaws we read do not set a fence height limit, in front yards or in side and rear yards. The Trust and the CRD do not state one, so ask the Islands Trust if you want a firm answer.\n\n## Steps\n\n1. Build an ordinary fence without a CRD permit.\n2. If you are near a road intersection, check the corner rule: no building or structure taller than 0.75 m may be placed in the triangle formed by two intersecting highways and a line joining points 6 m from their intersection. The bylaw does not name fences, but it treats a fence as a structure.\n3. If the fence is in a development permit area (for example near the shore or a stream) and building it involves vegetation removal or soil disturbance, ask the Islands Trust whether you need a development permit.\n4. For a firm answer on height, call or email the Islands Trust with your address.\n\n## Good to know\n\n- Retaining structures under 1.2 m high need no CRD building permit. Taller ones do, unless they are more than 30 degrees off vertical.\n- A fence still has to meet any zoning or development permit area rules.\n- We found no rules on fence materials (such as barbed wire or electric fencing) or pool fences in the documents we read.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.crd.ca/media/file/bylawno3741consolidated","title":"CRD Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3741, section 2.1.3 (PDF)","accessed":"2026-11-05"},{"url":"https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/","title":"Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF), sections 4.2 and 4.3","accessed":"2026-11-05"}],"sources_read":"2026-11-05","review":{"status":"machine_checked","badge":"Checked against official text","label":"Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 4 of 6 facts was matched to the official text; 2 could not be confirmed."},"urls":{"html":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/fence-rules/","markdown":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/fence-rules.md","json":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/fence-rules.json"}}