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Sidney fence rules: permits and height limits

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

Sidney, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-06

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.

Key facts

PermitThe 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.Building Regulations Bylaw No. 2016 (PDF, consolidated May 2022), s. 3.1.1(g); Appendix A, Permit Fees 4; A Homeowner's Guide to Building Permits, When is a Building Permit required; When is a Building Permit Required?, list · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
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:
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
building of a fence;
Height, front yard1.2 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 2275 (PDF, consolidated July 21, 2025), s. 6.1.b and 6.1.c · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
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
Height, side and rear yards1.8 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 2275 (PDF, consolidated July 21, 2025), s. 6.1.a, 6.1.e, 6.1.i · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
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.
Corner lots and sightlinesAt 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 2275 (PDF, consolidated July 21, 2025), s. 6.4 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
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
Other rulesHeight 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 2275 (PDF, consolidated July 21, 2025), s. 6.1.f, 6.1.g, 6.1.h · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
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
BylawTown of Sidney Zoning Bylaw No. 2275, s. 6.1 (Fencing); Building Regulations Bylaw No. 2016 for fence permitsZoning Bylaw No. 2275 (PDF, consolidated July 21, 2025), s. 6.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
6.1 Fencing
Town of Sidney “Zoning Bylaw No. 2275”

How it works

Fence height is set by section 6.1 of the Zoning Bylaw No. 2275:

  • 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 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

The same question in other places

North Saanich · Central Saanich · Highlands · Saanich · View Royal · Langford

Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality →

Sources

  1. Zoning Bylaw No. 2275 (PDF, consolidated July 21, 2025) (read 2026-11-06)
  2. Building Regulations Bylaw No. 2016 (PDF, consolidated May 2022) (read 2026-11-06)
  3. A Homeowner's Guide to Building Permits (PDF) (read 2026-11-06)
  4. 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. How answers are checked.