{"title":"Tofino fence rules: permits and height limits","question":"Do I need a permit to build a fence in Tofino, and how high can it be?","slug":"fence-rules","place":{"path":"ca/bc/tofino","name":"Tofino","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 Tofino","url":"https://tofino.ca"},"short_answer":"In Tofino a fence does not need a building permit, but it must meet the Zoning Bylaw's height limits. In most zones a fence may be 1 m (3.3 feet) high in a front yard and 1.8 m (6 feet) in a side or rear yard. Retaining walls are the exception and need a permit.","aliases":["fence height tofino","fence permit tofino","backyard fence rules tofino","retaining wall tofino"],"cost":"No fence permit fee. A retaining wall needs a building permit (see building-permit-fees).","how_long":"Not applicable for a fence.","where":[{"type":"phone","label":"Planning Services","value":"250-725-3229"},{"type":"phone","label":"Building Inspector (retaining walls)","value":"250-726-6349"}],"documents":[],"forms":[{"title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (PDF), section 7.4","url":"https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/"}],"related":[{"slug":"building-permit","title":"Tofino building permits: when you need one and how to apply","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tofino/building-permit/"},{"slug":"zoning-lookup","title":"Tofino zoning: find your zone and what it allows","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tofino/zoning-lookup/"},{"slug":"deck-shed-garage-permit","title":"Tofino permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tofino/deck-shed-garage-permit/"}],"nearby":[{"place":"ca/bc/ucluelet","name":"Ucluelet","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/ucluelet/fence-rules/"},{"place":"ca/bc/gold-river","name":"Gold River","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gold-river/fence-rules/"},{"place":"ca/bc/port-alberni","name":"Port Alberni","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-alberni/fence-rules/"},{"place":"ca/bc/cumberland","name":"Cumberland","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cumberland/fence-rules/"},{"place":"ca/bc/courtenay","name":"Courtenay","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/courtenay/fence-rules/"},{"place":"ca/bc/comox","name":"Comox","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/comox/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":"No building permit is needed for a fence. Retaining walls are the exception and are covered by Part 11 of the Building Bylaw.","short":"No building permit","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://tofino.civicweb.net/filepro/document/94955/Building%20Bylaw%20No.%201256,%202019.pdf","title":"Building Bylaw No. 1256, 2019 (PDF), s. 3.3 and Part 11","section":"s. 3.3(a)","quotes":["This bylaw does not apply to","except as set out in Part 11 [Retaining Walls] of this bylaw, a fence;"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"height_front":{"label":"Height, front yard","value":"1 metre (3.3 feet) in a front yard in residential, commercial, industrial, and parks and institutional zones. The limit does not apply in A (agricultural) districts, and corner lots have their own rule.","short":"1 m","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), section 7.4 Fences","section":"s. 7.4.1","quotes":["Height limitations table for fences and walls:","Residential 1 metre 1.8 metres 1.8 metres","Industrial 1 metre 2.4 metres 2.4 metres","The maximum height limitations in 7.4.1 do not apply in A districts and in the areas"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"height_side_rear":{"label":"Height, side and rear yards","value":"1.8 metres (6 feet) in side and rear yards in residential, commercial, and parks and institutional zones; 2.4 metres (8 feet) in industrial zones. Not applied in A (agricultural) districts or corner sightline areas.","short":"1.8 m (2.4 m in industrial zones)","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), section 7.4 Fences","section":"s. 7.4.1","quotes":["Residential 1 metre 1.8 metres 1.8 metres","Industrial 1 metre 2.4 metres 2.4 metres","Parks and 1 metre 1.8 metres 1.8 metres","The maximum height limitations in 7.4.1 do not apply in A districts and in the areas"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"corner_lots":{"label":"Corner lots and sightlines","value":"On corner lots a fence must be 1.2 metres (4 feet) or less, and nothing may be built in a triangle with sides of 9 metres along the road lot lines (6 metres along a lane) measured from the corner.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), section 7.4 Fences","section":"s. 7.4.3","quotes":["On corner lots, fencing shall be 1.2 metres (4 feet) or less in height, and no building,","A diagonal line connecting points along a road on the lot lines 9 metres (30","A diagonal line joining points along a lane on the lot lines 6 metres (20"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"other_rules":{"label":"Other rules","value":"Height is measured from average finished grade within 1 metre of both sides of the fence. A retaining wall may not exceed 1.2 metres, and the part above the ground it holds is treated as a fence. Open mesh fences on parks, school and cemetery sites may reach 3.7 metres.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), section 7.4 Fences","section":"s. 7.4","quotes":["The height of a fence or wall is determined by measurement from the ground level","at the average finished grade level within 1 metre (3 feet) of both sides of such fence,","That portion of a retaining wall that projects above the surface of the ground it","Retaining Walls: A retaining wall may not exceed 1.2 metres (4 feet) in height.","may reach a maximum height of 3.7 metres (12"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"bylaw":{"label":"Bylaw","value":"District of Tofino Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997, section 7.4 (Fences)","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), section 7.4 Fences","section":"s. 7.4","quotes":["Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997","Height limitations table for fences and walls:"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}}},"facts_summary":{"total":6,"stated":6,"matched":6,"none":0,"unknown":0},"body_markdown":"## How it works\n\nIn Tofino, the [Building Bylaw](https://tofino.civicweb.net/filepro/document/94955/Building%20Bylaw%20No.%201256,%202019.pdf) does not cover fences, so a fence needs no building permit. Height limits are in section 7.4 of the District's [Zoning Bylaw No. 770](https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/).\n\nHeight is measured from the average finished grade within 1 metre of both sides of the fence.\n\n- Front yard: 1 m (3.3 feet) in residential, commercial, industrial, and parks and institutional zones.\n- Side and rear yards: 1.8 m (6 feet) in residential, commercial, and parks and institutional zones; 2.4 m (8 feet) in industrial zones.\n- Corner lots: a fence must be 1.2 m (4 feet) or less, and nothing may be built in a triangle with sides of 9 m along the road lot lines (6 m along a lane) measured from the corner.\n- The front, side and rear limits do not apply in agricultural (A) districts.\n- Open mesh fences on parks, school and cemetery sites may reach 3.7 m.\n\n## Good to know\n\n- A retaining wall may not exceed 1.2 m, and the part above the ground it holds is treated as a fence. A retaining wall needs a building permit (Building Bylaw s. 11.1).\n- The bylaw sets no rule on barbed wire or electric fences, and no pool-fence rule was found in the Zoning Bylaw or Building Bylaw. Ask Planning Services.\n- Properties in a development permit area (for example riparian, foreshore or downtown) may have extra rules. Check with Planning Services before building.","sources":[{"url":"https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), section 7.4 Fences","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://tofino.civicweb.net/filepro/document/94955/Building%20Bylaw%20No.%201256,%202019.pdf","title":"Building Bylaw No. 1256, 2019 (PDF), s. 3.3 and Part 11","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 6 of 6 facts was matched to the official text."},"urls":{"html":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tofino/fence-rules/","markdown":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tofino/fence-rules.md","json":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tofino/fence-rules.json"}}