---
title: "Stewart fence rules: permits and height limits"
question: "Do I need a permit to build a fence, and how high can it be?"
place: Stewart, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/stewart
category: Building, renovating and your property
owner: municipal
owner_body: District of Stewart
sources_read: 2026-11-08
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/stewart/fence-rules/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/stewart/fence-rules.json"
---

# Stewart 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 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.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (District of Stewart, https://districtofstewart.com)  
**Cost:** The Building Permits page does not list fences, and no fence fee is stated.  
**How long:** Not applicable.  
**Where:**
- In person: District office, 705 Brightwell Street, Stewart, BC (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
- Phone: District office, 250-636-2251
- Email: Clerk, clerk@districtofstewart.com
- Email: CAO, cao@districtofstewart.com

## Key facts

- **Permit:** Not confirmed. The District's Building Regulation Bylaw No. 843 is a scanned image that could not be read.
- **Height, front yard:** In R zones: not more than 1.3 m in a front yard. In the C1 zone, no fence in a front yard.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014, s. 3.18](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/)
  - Official wording: "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: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, side and rear yards:** In R and C1 zones: not more than 1.8 m.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014, s. 3.18](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/)
  - Official wording: "No fence in an R zone or C1 zone shall:" … "Exceed 1.8 m in height;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Corner lots and sightlines:** 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.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014, s. 3.45 Vision Clearance](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/)
  - Official wording: "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: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Other rules:** Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read.
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014 (s. 3.18 to 3.20, 3.45)
  - Source: [Building Permits, Building Permits page](https://districtofstewart.com/business-resources/developing-in-the-district/building-permits)
  - Official wording: "Zoning Bylaw 881, 2014"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

Fence 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.

Heights depend on your zone:

- R zones: not more than 1.3 m in a front yard, and not more than 1.8 m in side and rear yards.
- C1 zone: no fence in a front yard; not more than 1.8 m elsewhere.
- 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.
- M and P2 zones: perimeter chain link fences up to 2.5 m.

## Steps

1. Find your zone using the zoning-lookup answer.
2. Check the height limit for that zone above.
3. On a corner lot, keep the corner clear (see below).
4. Ask the District office whether your fence needs a permit before you build.

## Good to know

- 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.
- The zoning bylaw sets no other fence rules that we found beyond height.
- Fence rules for pools or retaining walls were not found; ask the District.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014 (PDF)](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/)
- [Building Permits, District of Stewart](https://districtofstewart.com/business-resources/developing-in-the-district/building-permits)

## Related questions

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

## The same question elsewhere

- [Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fence-rules.md)
- [Hazelton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hazelton/fence-rules.md)
- [New Hazelton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-hazelton/fence-rules.md)
- [Terrace](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/terrace/fence-rules.md)
- [Prince Rupert](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-rupert/fence-rules.md)
- [Port Edward](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-edward/fence-rules.md)
- [Smithers](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/fence-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014 (PDF)](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Permits, District of Stewart](https://districtofstewart.com/business-resources/developing-in-the-district/building-permits) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 882, 2014 (PDF)](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/927/) (read 2026-11-08)

_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. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with District of Stewart. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/stewart/fence-rules/_