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

# Sidney fence rules: permits and height limits

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

**Short answer:** In Sidney a fence can be up to 1.8 m high in most yards and 1.2 m in a front or exterior side yard. The Town's guides and fee schedule treat a fence as needing a $50 building permit, but the bylaw names only a pool-fence permit, so confirm with Development Services.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Town of Sidney, https://www.sidney.ca)  
**Cost:** The Town's fee schedule lists a $50 building permit for a fence. Confirm whether it applies to an ordinary fence.  
**How long:** Not stated. Ask Development Services.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Development Services (building, planning, business licences), 250-656-1725
- In person: Town Hall, 2440 Sidney Avenue, Sidney, BC V8L 1Y7 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)

## Key facts

- **Permit:** The Town's guides and fee schedule treat building a fence as needing a building permit ($50), but the bylaw's list of required permits names only a Fence Permit for a new swimming-pool fence. Confirm with Development Services (250-656-1725) for an ordinary fence.
  - Source: [Building Regulations Bylaw No. 2016 (PDF, consolidated May 2022), s. 3.1.1(g); Appendix A, Permit Fees 4](https://www.sidney.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016-Building-CON.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Fence Permit prior to the construction of a new fence around a swimming pool" … "The fee for a Building Permit for a fence shall be: $50.00" … "The fee for a Building Permit for a fence shall be:"
  - Source: [A Homeowner's Guide to Building Permits, When is a Building Permit required](https://www.sidney.ca/wp-content/uploads/A-Homeowners-Guide-to-Building-Permits.pdf)
  - Official wording: "3⁄43⁄4 Change of use (i.e. establishing a home 3⁄43⁄4 Building a fence occupation, bed and breakfast, etc.) A Homeowner's Guide 1"
  - Source: [When is a Building Permit Required?, list](https://www.sidney.ca/wp-content/uploads/When-is-a-Building-Permit-Required.pdf)
  - Official wording: "building of a fence;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Height, front yard:** 1.2 m in a front or exterior side yard. On a panhandle lot a front-yard fence or gate may be up to 1.8 m, but fencing along the panhandle follows the height limits of the abutting properties.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2275 (PDF, consolidated July 21, 2025), s. 6.1.b and 6.1.c](https://www.sidney.ca/wp-content/uploads/2275-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "no fence or gate in a front or exterior side yard shall exceed a" … "height of 1.2 metres." … "On a panhandle lot, no fence or gate in a front yard shall exceed 1.8 metres, however, fencing"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Height, side and rear yards:** 1.8 m for a fence or gate (general limit). Fences and gates in a natural boundary setback are limited to 1.2 m. Fences and gates are not permitted in the R4 zone.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2275 (PDF, consolidated July 21, 2025), s. 6.1.a, 6.1.e, 6.1.i](https://www.sidney.ca/wp-content/uploads/2275-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No fence or gate shall exceed 1.8 metres in height above grade." … "no fence or gate in a natural boundary setback shall exceed" … "Fences and gates are not permitted in the R4 zone."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Corner lots and sightlines:** At a street corner, in the triangle formed by the lot lines 7 m from where they meet (6 m if a street is a lane), no structure other than a principal building or fence may be 1 m to 3 m above the road, and no vegetation may block that zone. Exterior side yard fences stay at 1.2 m.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2275 (PDF, consolidated July 21, 2025), s. 6.4](https://www.sidney.ca/wp-content/uploads/2275-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "6.4 Visual Clearance at Intersections" … "no structure other than a principal building or a fence shall be within 1 metres to 3 metres"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Other rules:** Height is measured from grade; where fill has been placed, from the original grade below the fence. A fence on top of a retaining wall counts retaining wall plus fence toward the limit. A private swimming pool must be fully enclosed by a fence 1.2 m to 1.8 m high with a self-closing, self-locking latched gate, no climbable projections, and no more than 10 mm ground clearance.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2275 (PDF, consolidated July 21, 2025), s. 6.1.f, 6.1.g, 6.1.h](https://www.sidney.ca/wp-content/uploads/2275-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "the calculation of height shall be measured from the original grade at" … "the combined height of the retaining" … "The fence shall completely surround the swimming pool;" … "Gates shall be latched with a self-closing and self-locking device located at the top" … "not less than 1.2 metres nor more than 1.8 metres in"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Town of Sidney Zoning Bylaw No. 2275, s. 6.1 (Fencing); Building Regulations Bylaw No. 2016 for fence permits
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2275 (PDF, consolidated July 21, 2025), s. 6.1](https://www.sidney.ca/wp-content/uploads/2275-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "6.1 Fencing" … "Town of Sidney “Zoning Bylaw No. 2275”"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Fence height is set by section 6.1 of the [Zoning Bylaw No. 2275](https://www.sidney.ca/wp-content/uploads/2275-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf):

- Front or exterior side yard: 1.2 m. On a panhandle lot a front-yard fence or gate may be up to 1.8 m, but fencing along the panhandle follows the height limits of the abutting properties.
- Side and rear yards: 1.8 m for a fence or gate. Along a property line abutting Highway 17 the limit is 1.8 m.
- Natural boundary setback: 1.2 m.
- Fences and gates are not permitted in the R4 zone.

Height is measured from grade; where fill has been placed, from the original grade below the fence. A fence on top of a retaining wall counts the retaining wall plus the fence toward the limit.

Permit: the [Building Regulations Bylaw No. 2016](https://www.sidney.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016-Building-CON.pdf) names only a Fence Permit for a new fence around a swimming pool, but its fee schedule lists a $50 building permit for a fence, and the Town's guides list fences as needing a permit. Confirm for an ordinary fence.

## Steps

1. Find your property lines and your zone (see the zoning-lookup answer).
2. Call Development Services (250-656-1725) to confirm whether your fence needs a permit and what height applies.
3. Build to the height limit for each yard.

## Good to know

- Corner lots: in the triangle formed by the lot lines 7 m from where they meet (6 m if a street is a lane), no structure other than a principal building or fence may be 1 m to 3 m above the road, and no vegetation may block that zone. Exterior side yard fences stay at 1.2 m.
- A private swimming pool must be fully enclosed by a fence 1.2 m to 1.8 m high with a self-closing, self-locking latched gate, no climbable projections, and no more than 10 mm ground clearance.
- The bylaws read set no fence material rule (barbed wire, electric).
- The Town's guides are older and the posted Building Regulations Bylaw is consolidated to May 2022, so confirm.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 2275 (PDF)](https://www.sidney.ca/wp-content/uploads/2275-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
- [Building Regulations Bylaw No. 2016 (PDF)](https://www.sidney.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016-Building-CON.pdf)

## Related questions

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

## The same question elsewhere

- [Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fence-rules.md)
- [North Saanich](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/north-saanich/fence-rules.md)
- [Central Saanich](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/central-saanich/fence-rules.md)
- [Highlands](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/highlands/fence-rules.md)
- [Saanich](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/saanich/fence-rules.md)
- [View Royal](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/view-royal/fence-rules.md)
- [Langford](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/langford/fence-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 2275 (PDF, consolidated July 21, 2025)](https://www.sidney.ca/wp-content/uploads/2275-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Building Regulations Bylaw No. 2016 (PDF, consolidated May 2022)](https://www.sidney.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016-Building-CON.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [A Homeowner's Guide to Building Permits (PDF)](https://www.sidney.ca/wp-content/uploads/A-Homeowners-Guide-to-Building-Permits.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [When is a Building Permit Required? (PDF)](https://www.sidney.ca/wp-content/uploads/When-is-a-Building-Permit-Required.pdf) (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. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Town of Sidney. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sidney/fence-rules/_