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Salt Spring Island fence rules: permits and height limits

Do I need a permit to build a fence, and how high can it be?

Salt Spring Island, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-05

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.

Key facts

PermitNo 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.CRD Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3741, section 2.1.3, s. 2.1.3(6); Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 4.2 and 4.3, s. 4.3.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
construction of a fence;
no building or structure except a fence, pumphouse,
Height, front yardNot confirmed. The bylaws read do not set a fence height limit; the Islands Trust can give a firm answer.
Height, side and rear yardsNot confirmed. The bylaws read do not set a fence height limit; the Islands Trust can give a firm answer.
Corner lots and sightlinesNo 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.Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 4.2 and 4.3, s. 4.2.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
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
Other rulesRetaining 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.CRD Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3741, section 2.1.3, s. 2.1.3(4)-(5) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
construction of retaining structures less than 1.2 meters in height;
greater than 30° off vertical;
BylawCRD 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.CRD Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3741, section 2.1.3, s. 1.1.1; Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 4.2 and 4.3, s. 2.1.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
Islands, and Salt Spring Island electoral areas in the Capital Regional District.
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

How it works

Salt Spring Island is not a municipality. A fence is exempt from CRD building permits under Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3741. Land use is regulated by the Islands Trust through Land Use Bylaw No. 355, which exempts fences from its lot-line setbacks.

The 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.

Steps

  1. Build an ordinary fence without a CRD permit.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. For a firm answer on height, call or email the Islands Trust with your address.

Good to know

  • Retaining structures under 1.2 m high need no CRD building permit. Taller ones do, unless they are more than 30 degrees off vertical.
  • A fence still has to meet any zoning or development permit area rules.
  • We found no rules on fence materials (such as barbed wire or electric fencing) or pool fences in the documents we read.

Official forms and pages

The same question in other places

Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality →

Sources

  1. CRD Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3741, section 2.1.3 (PDF) (read 2026-11-05)
  2. Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF), sections 4.2 and 4.3 (read 2026-11-05)

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. How answers are checked.