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Tofino fence rules: permits and height limits

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

Tofino, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-08

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.

Key facts

PermitNo building permit is needed for a fence. Retaining walls are the exception and are covered by Part 11 of the Building Bylaw.Building Bylaw No. 1256, 2019, s. 3.3 and Part 11, s. 3.3(a) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
This bylaw does not apply to
except as set out in Part 11 [Retaining Walls] of this bylaw, a fence;
Height, front yard1 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), section 7.4 Fences, s. 7.4.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
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
Height, side and rear yards1.8 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), section 7.4 Fences, s. 7.4.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
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
Corner lots and sightlinesOn 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), section 7.4 Fences, s. 7.4.3 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
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
Other rulesHeight 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.Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), section 7.4 Fences, s. 7.4 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
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
BylawDistrict of Tofino Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997, section 7.4 (Fences)Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), section 7.4 Fences, s. 7.4 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997
Height limitations table for fences and walls:

How it works

In Tofino, the Building Bylaw 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.

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

The same question in other places

Ucluelet · Gold River · Port Alberni · Cumberland · Courtenay · Comox

Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality →

Sources

  1. Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), section 7.4 Fences (read 2026-11-08)
  2. Building Bylaw No. 1256, 2019 (PDF), s. 3.3 and Part 11 (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. How answers are checked.