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

# Ucluelet fence rules: permits and height limits

**Question:** Do I need a permit to build a fence in Ucluelet, and how high can it be?

**Short answer:** In Ucluelet you do not need a building permit for a fence, but it must meet zoning rules. On a lot with a single family dwelling, a fence can be up to 1.4 m in the required front yard and 2 m behind it. At corners, nothing over 1.2 m may block the sight triangle.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (District of Ucluelet, https://ucluelet.ca)  
**Cost:** No fence permit fee. Fences do not need a building permit.  
**How long:** Not applicable, since no permit is needed.  
**Where:**
- Email: Building Official, building@ucluelet.ca
- Phone: Municipal Office (Planning), 250-726-7744
- In person: Municipal Office, 200 Main Street, Ucluelet, BC V0R 3A0 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.)

## Key facts

- **Permit:** No building permit for a fence; the Building Regulation Bylaw does not apply to fences. Fences must still comply with zoning. A pool, spa or hot tub enclosure is covered by the pool building permit.
  - Source: [Building Regulation Bylaw No. 2001, 2026, s. 4.1.3(a)](https://ucluelet.civicweb.net/filepro/document/84287/2001%20Bylaw,%202026%20-%20Building%20Regulation%20Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "(a) a fence; (b) an accessory building with a floor area of less than 10 square metres;"
  - Source: [Building Permits & Inspection, Building Permits & Inspection page](https://ucluelet.ca/business-development/planning-building/building-permit-inspection/)
  - Official wording: "Typical maintenance projects can be completed without a permit."
  - Source: [Building Regulation Bylaw No. 2001, 2026, s. 15.1.1](https://ucluelet.civicweb.net/filepro/document/84287/2001%20Bylaw,%202026%20-%20Building%20Regulation%20Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "a person must not construct, or structurally repair, a swimming pool without a valid building permit."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, front yard:** 1.4 m (4.6 ft) in the required front yard, on a lot whose principal building is a single family dwelling with residential use and no commercial tourist accommodation.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1160, 2013, unofficial consolidation, s. 601.1(2)(a)](https://ucluelet.civicweb.net/document/72466/)
  - Official wording: "must not have a fence of a height exceeding:" … "(a) 1.4 m (4.6 ft) in the required front yard, and"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, side and rear yards:** 2 m (6.6 ft) to the rear of the required front yard, on a lot whose principal building is a single family dwelling with residential use and no commercial tourist accommodation.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1160, 2013, unofficial consolidation, s. 601.1(2)(b)](https://ucluelet.civicweb.net/document/72466/)
  - Official wording: "(b) 2 m (6.6 ft) to the rear of the required front yard."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Corner lots and sightlines:** At corners, no fence, wall or structure over 1.2 m (4 ft), and no hedge, bush, tree or growth that blocks vision, inside a triangle formed by extending 6 m (20 ft) along each lot line from the corner and joining those points.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1160, 2013, unofficial consolidation, s. 306.2(2)](https://ucluelet.civicweb.net/document/72466/)
  - Official wording: "(a) no fence, wall, building or structure, other than a permitted principal" … "building, may be placed, constructed, sunk into, erected, moved," … "minimum 6 m (20 ft) boundary along the lot lines from the point of the"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Other rules:** Height is measured from the average natural grade of the lot to the highest point of the structure. One fence along each property line is allowed despite setbacks, subject to corner vision clearance. Pool or spa fences: at least 1.22 m high, openings 100 mm or less, self-latching gate. No barbed or electric wire rules found.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1160, 2013, unofficial consolidation, s. 306.3(1)](https://ucluelet.civicweb.net/document/72466/)
  - Official wording: "(1) one fence along each property line;" … "the shortest vertical distance from the average elevation of the natural grade of the lot measured at the base of the building or structure, to the highest point of that building or structure"
  - Source: [Building Regulation Bylaw No. 2001, 2026, s. 15.1.2](https://ucluelet.civicweb.net/filepro/document/84287/2001%20Bylaw,%202026%20-%20Building%20Regulation%20Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "having a minimum height of 1.22 metres and no openings greater"
  - Source: [https://ucluelet.civicweb.net/filepro/document/84301/2017%20Bylaw,%202026%20-%20Unsightly%20Premises%20Bylaw.pdf, s. 3.5](https://ucluelet.civicweb.net/filepro/document/84301/2017%20Bylaw,%202026%20-%20Unsightly%20Premises%20Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "shall allow that fence to fall into disrepair."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** District of Ucluelet Zoning Bylaw No. 1160, 2013, ss. 306.2(2), 306.3(1) and 601.1; Building Regulation Bylaw No. 2001, 2026, s. 4.1.3 and the Pools part (headed 16, sections numbered 15.1 to 16.5).
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1160, 2013, unofficial consolidation, s. 601.1 and footer](https://ucluelet.civicweb.net/document/72466/)
  - Official wording: "Zoning Bylaw No. 1160, 2013 (unofficial consolidation up to Bylaw 1412, 2026)"
  - Source: [Building Regulation Bylaw No. 2001, 2026, s. 1](https://ucluelet.civicweb.net/filepro/document/84287/2001%20Bylaw,%202026%20-%20Building%20Regulation%20Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Building Regulation Bylaw No. 2001, 2026" … "16. POOLS: 15.1 Swimming Pool Permit and Fencing"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

Ucluelet does not require a building permit for a fence: the [Building Regulation Bylaw No. 2001, 2026](https://ucluelet.civicweb.net/filepro/document/84287/2001%20Bylaw,%202026%20-%20Building%20Regulation%20Bylaw.pdf) does not apply to fences. Fences must still follow the [Zoning Bylaw No. 1160, 2013](https://ucluelet.civicweb.net/document/72466/). A pool, spa or hot tub enclosure is covered by the pool building permit instead.

The height limits apply on a lot whose principal building is a single family dwelling with residential use and no commercial tourist accommodation. There, a fence can be 1.4 m (4.6 ft) high in the required front yard and 2 m (6.6 ft) to the rear of the required front yard. Height is measured from the average natural grade of the lot to the highest point of the structure.

## Steps

1. Find your zone and setbacks (see the zoning-lookup answer).
2. Check the height limits above and the corner rule below.
3. Build the fence. If you are unsure, email the Building Official or call the Municipal Office first.

## Good to know

- Corner lots: no fence, wall or structure over 1.2 m (4 ft), and no hedge, bush or tree that blocks vision, inside a triangle formed by going 6 m (20 ft) along each lot line from the corner and joining those points.
- One fence along each property line is allowed even where setbacks would otherwise apply, subject to the corner rule.
- Other lots (commercial, industrial, multi-family, home occupation or tourist accommodation uses in certain zones) must screen along lot lines that abut residential lots with a solid decorative fence 1.5 m to 2 m high.
- Pool or spa fences: at least 1.22 m high, openings of 100 mm or less, and a self-latching gate.
- A retaining wall over 1.2 m, or any that supports a building, needs a building permit.
- Zoning fines: a fence over the height limit is $100 for a first offence and $200 after that. Breaking the corner vision rule is $200, then $400.
- The bylaws we read set no rules on barbed or electric wire. Ask the Municipal Office.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 1160, 2013, unofficial consolidation](https://ucluelet.civicweb.net/document/72466/)
- [Building Regulation Bylaw No. 2001, 2026 (PDF)](https://ucluelet.civicweb.net/filepro/document/84287/2001%20Bylaw,%202026%20-%20Building%20Regulation%20Bylaw.pdf)

## Related questions

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

## The same question elsewhere

- [Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fence-rules.md)
- [Tofino](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tofino/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)
- [Qualicum Beach](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/qualicum-beach/fence-rules.md)
- [Comox](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/comox/fence-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 1160, 2013, unofficial consolidation, District of Ucluelet](https://ucluelet.civicweb.net/document/72466/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Regulation Bylaw No. 2001, 2026 (PDF), District of Ucluelet](https://ucluelet.civicweb.net/filepro/document/84287/2001%20Bylaw,%202026%20-%20Building%20Regulation%20Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Permits & Inspection, District of Ucluelet](https://ucluelet.ca/business-development/planning-building/building-permit-inspection/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [https://ucluelet.civicweb.net/filepro/document/84301/2017%20Bylaw,%202026%20-%20Unsightly%20Premises%20Bylaw.pdf](https://ucluelet.civicweb.net/filepro/document/84301/2017%20Bylaw,%202026%20-%20Unsightly%20Premises%20Bylaw.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 Ucluelet. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/ucluelet/fence-rules/_