---
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?"
place: Tofino, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/tofino
category: Building, renovating and your property
owner: municipal
owner_body: District of Tofino
sources_read: 2026-11-08
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tofino/fence-rules/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tofino/fence-rules.json"
---

# 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?

**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.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (District of Tofino, https://tofino.ca)  
**Cost:** No fence permit fee. A retaining wall needs a building permit (see building-permit-fees).  
**How long:** Not applicable for a fence.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Planning Services, 250-725-3229
- Phone: Building Inspector (retaining walls), 250-726-6349

## Key facts

- **Permit:** No building permit is needed for a fence. Retaining walls are the exception and are covered by Part 11 of the Building Bylaw.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 1256, 2019, s. 3.3 and Part 11, s. 3.3(a)](https://tofino.civicweb.net/filepro/document/94955/Building%20Bylaw%20No.%201256,%202019.pdf)
  - Official wording: "This bylaw does not apply to" … "except as set out in Part 11 [Retaining Walls] of this bylaw, a fence;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, front yard:** 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.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), section 7.4 Fences, s. 7.4.1](https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/)
  - Official wording: "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: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, side and rear yards:** 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.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), section 7.4 Fences, s. 7.4.1](https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/)
  - Official wording: "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: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Corner lots and sightlines:** 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.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), section 7.4 Fences, s. 7.4.3](https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/)
  - Official wording: "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: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Other rules:** 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.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), section 7.4 Fences, s. 7.4](https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/)
  - Official wording: "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: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** District of Tofino Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997, section 7.4 (Fences)
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), section 7.4 Fences, s. 7.4](https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/)
  - Official wording: "Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997" … "Height limitations table for fences and walls:"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

In 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/).

Height is measured from the average finished grade within 1 metre of both sides of the fence.

- Front yard: 1 m (3.3 feet) in residential, commercial, industrial, and parks and institutional zones.
- 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.
- 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.
- The front, side and rear limits do not apply in agricultural (A) districts.
- Open mesh fences on parks, school and cemetery sites may reach 3.7 m.

## Good to know

- 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).
- 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.
- Properties in a development permit area (for example riparian, foreshore or downtown) may have extra rules. Check with Planning Services before building.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (PDF), section 7.4](https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/)

## Related questions

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

## The same question elsewhere

- [Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fence-rules.md)
- [Ucluelet](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/ucluelet/fence-rules.md)
- [Gold River](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gold-river/fence-rules.md)
- [Port Alberni](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-alberni/fence-rules.md)
- [Cumberland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cumberland/fence-rules.md)
- [Courtenay](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/courtenay/fence-rules.md)
- [Comox](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/comox/fence-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), section 7.4 Fences](https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Bylaw No. 1256, 2019 (PDF), s. 3.3 and Part 11](https://tofino.civicweb.net/filepro/document/94955/Building%20Bylaw%20No.%201256,%202019.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)

_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 District of Tofino. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tofino/fence-rules/_