{"title":"Stewart 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/stewart","name":"Stewart","region":{"code":"bc","name":"British Columbia"},"country":{"code":"ca","name":"Canada"}},"category":{"slug":"building-and-renovating","name":"Building, renovating and your property"},"owner":"municipal","owner_label":"Municipal","owner_body":{"name":"District of Stewart","url":"https://districtofstewart.com"},"short_answer":"In Stewart's residential (R) zones a fence can be up to 1.3 m high in a front yard and 1.8 m elsewhere. The District's Building Permits page does not list fences, but the building bylaw is unreadable, so confirm with the District.","aliases":["fence height stewart","fence bylaw stewart bc","fence permit stewart","district of stewart fence rules"],"cost":"The Building Permits page does not list fences, and no fence fee is stated.","how_long":"Not applicable.","where":[{"type":"in_person","label":"District office","value":"705 Brightwell Street, Stewart, BC","note":"Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m."},{"type":"phone","label":"District office","value":"250-636-2251"},{"type":"email","label":"Clerk","value":"clerk@districtofstewart.com"},{"type":"email","label":"CAO","value":"cao@districtofstewart.com"}],"documents":[],"forms":[{"title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014 (PDF)","url":"https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/"},{"title":"Building Permits, District of Stewart","url":"https://districtofstewart.com/business-resources/developing-in-the-district/building-permits"}],"related":[{"slug":"building-permit","title":"Stewart building permits: when you need one and how to apply","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/stewart/building-permit/"},{"slug":"deck-shed-garage-permit","title":"Stewart permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/stewart/deck-shed-garage-permit/"},{"slug":"zoning-lookup","title":"Stewart zoning: find your zone and what it allows","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/stewart/zoning-lookup/"}],"nearby":[{"place":"ca/bc/hazelton","name":"Hazelton","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hazelton/fence-rules/"},{"place":"ca/bc/new-hazelton","name":"New Hazelton","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-hazelton/fence-rules/"},{"place":"ca/bc/terrace","name":"Terrace","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/terrace/fence-rules/"},{"place":"ca/bc/prince-rupert","name":"Prince Rupert","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-rupert/fence-rules/"},{"place":"ca/bc/port-edward","name":"Port Edward","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-edward/fence-rules/"},{"place":"ca/bc/smithers","name":"Smithers","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/fence-rules/"}],"topic":{"title":"Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fence-rules/"},"facts":{"permit":{"label":"Permit","value":null,"status":"unknown","reason":"scanned","note":"The District's Building Regulation Bylaw No. 843 is a scanned image that could not be read.","sources":[]},"height_front":{"label":"Height, front yard","value":"In R zones: not more than 1.3 m in a front yard. In the C1 zone, no fence in a front yard.","short":"1.3 m in R zones","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014 (PDF)","section":"s. 3.18","quotes":["No fence in an R zone or C1 zone shall:","Be constructed in a front yard in a C1 zone; and","Exceed 1.3 m in height in a front yard."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"height_side_rear":{"label":"Height, side and rear yards","value":"In R and C1 zones: not more than 1.8 m.","short":"1.8 m","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014 (PDF)","section":"s. 3.18","quotes":["No fence in an R zone or C1 zone shall:","Exceed 1.8 m in height;"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"corner_lots":{"label":"Corner lots and sightlines","value":"On a corner parcel, within the sight triangle 6.0 m from the point where the curb lines intersect, no screening, building or structure may be higher than 1.0 m above the street grade.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014 (PDF)","section":"s. 3.45 Vision Clearance","quotes":["No fence, wall, structure, hedge, bush, shrub, tree or other growth shall be maintained or","to a height greater than 1.0 m above the established grade of the street."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"other_rules":{"label":"Other rules","value":null,"status":"unknown","reason":"not_found","sources":[]},"bylaw":{"label":"Bylaw","value":"Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014 (s. 3.18 to 3.20, 3.45)","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://districtofstewart.com/business-resources/developing-in-the-district/building-permits","title":"Building Permits, District of Stewart","section":"Building Permits page","quotes":["Zoning Bylaw 881, 2014"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}}},"facts_summary":{"total":6,"stated":4,"matched":4,"none":0,"unknown":2},"body_markdown":"## How it works\n\nFence heights are set by the District's [Zoning Bylaw No. 881](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/) (sections 3.18 to 3.20 and 3.45). The Building Permits page does not list fences among the work that needs a permit, and the Official Community Plan treats \"the erection of a sign or fence\" as exempt from development permits in Development Permit Areas 1 and 2. The Building Regulation Bylaw No. 843 is a scanned image, so we could not confirm whether it asks for a permit.\n\nHeights depend on your zone:\n\n- R zones: not more than 1.3 m in a front yard, and not more than 1.8 m in side and rear yards.\n- C1 zone: no fence in a front yard; not more than 1.8 m elsewhere.\n- C2, C3, C4 and P1 zones: 1.8 m between the front parcel line and the front building line, and 2.5 m outside that area.\n- M and P2 zones: perimeter chain link fences up to 2.5 m.\n\n## Steps\n\n1. Find your zone using the zoning-lookup answer.\n2. Check the height limit for that zone above.\n3. On a corner lot, keep the corner clear (see below).\n4. Ask the District office whether your fence needs a permit before you build.\n\n## Good to know\n\n- On a corner parcel, within the sight triangle 6.0 m from the point where the curb lines intersect, no screening, building or structure may be higher than 1.0 m above the street grade.\n- The zoning bylaw sets no other fence rules that we found beyond height.\n- Fence rules for pools or retaining walls were not found; ask the District.","sources":[{"url":"https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014 (PDF)","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://districtofstewart.com/business-resources/developing-in-the-district/building-permits","title":"Building Permits, District of Stewart","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/927/","title":"Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 882, 2014 (PDF)","accessed":"2026-11-08"}],"sources_read":"2026-11-08","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/stewart/fence-rules/","markdown":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/stewart/fence-rules.md","json":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/stewart/fence-rules.json"}}