---
title: "View Royal fence rules: permits and height limits"
question: "Do I need a permit to build a fence, and how high can it be?"
place: View Royal, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/view-royal
category: Building, renovating and your property
owner: municipal
owner_body: Town of View Royal
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/view-royal/fence-rules/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/view-royal/fence-rules.json"
---

# View Royal 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 the Town of View Royal, a fence does not need a building permit, but it must meet the Zoning Bylaw's height limits: 2 m in residential zones and 1.2 m in a front or flanking yard. A retaining wall over 1.2 m needs a retaining wall permit.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Town of View Royal, https://www.viewroyal.ca)  
**Where:**
- Phone: Development Services (Planning), 250-708-2254
- Email: Development Services (Planning), planning@viewroyal.ca

## Key facts

- **Permit:** A fence does not need a building permit, because the Building Bylaw does not apply to a fence. It still has to meet the Zoning Bylaw's height rules. A retaining wall over 1.2 m needs a retaining wall permit.
  - Source: [Building Bylaw 1111, 2023 (PDF, sections 4.3, 6.1, 23.2), ss. 4.3 and 6.1](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/1111%20-%20Building%20Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "nor does it apply to the following:" … "a) a fence;" … "a retaining wall permit for the construction or structural repair a retaining wall over 1.2m in height measured from the lowest exposed grade to top of wall;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Height, front yard:** 1.2 m in a front yard or flanking yard.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 900, consolidated to June 2026 (PDF, sections 3.3, 3.5, 3.6, 4.8), s. 4.8.3](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/900%20Zoning%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20to%20June%202026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "The height of a fence in the front yard or flanking yard must not exceed 1.2m."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Height, side and rear yards:** In residential and rural residential zones a fence at finished grade must not exceed 2 m. Where it abuts an agriculture or commercial zone the maximum is 2.5 m.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 900, consolidated to June 2026 (PDF, sections 3.3, 3.5, 3.6, 4.8), ss. 4.8.1 and 4.8.2](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/900%20Zoning%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20to%20June%202026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "A fence constructed at finished grade in a residential or rural residential zone must not exceed 2m in height." … "Where a fence is abutting an agriculture or commercial zone, the maximum height is 2.5m."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Corner lots and sightlines:** At a street corner, no fence, wall, structure, hedge, shrub, tree or other growth may be higher than 1.2 m inside the triangle formed by the two lot lines and a line joining points 6 m along each lot line from the corner.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 900, consolidated to June 2026 (PDF, sections 3.3, 3.5, 3.6, 4.8), s. 3.6.1](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/900%20Zoning%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20to%20June%202026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "A fence, wall, structure, hedge, bush, shrub, tree or other growth, must not be erected, maintained or allowed to grow, to a height greater than 1.2m so as to obstruct vision clearance" … "a line joining points along said lot line 6m from their points of intersection."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Other rules:** Barbed wire is not permitted except for livestock enclosures, detention facilities and cannabis production. Electrified fences are banned except on agricultural lots. A fence on a retaining wall is measured from the wall's base. Residential retaining walls: 1.2 m (2 m if the lot is lower). Pool fences: at least 1.5 m, openings no more than 100 mm.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 900, consolidated to June 2026 (PDF, sections 3.3, 3.5, 3.6, 4.8), ss. 4.8.6, 4.8.7, 4.8.9, 4.8.11, 3.3.2](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/900%20Zoning%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20to%20June%202026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Barbed wire fencing is not permitted in any zone, except where permitted uses" … "Electrified fences, except on lots associated with an agricultural use." … "finished grade is the elevation at the base of the retaining wall." … "must not exceed a height of 1.2m" … "a retaining wall may measure up to 2m measured"
  - Source: [Building Bylaw 1111, 2023 (PDF, sections 4.3, 6.1, 23.2), s. 23.2 (pool fence)](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/1111%20-%20Building%20Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "having a minimum height of 1.5 metres and no openings greater than 100 mm at their greatest dimension"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 2014, s. 4.8 (fences and retaining walls) and s. 3.6 (sight line triangle)
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 900, consolidated to June 2026 (PDF, sections 3.3, 3.5, 3.6, 4.8), ss. 4.8, 3.6](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/900%20Zoning%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20to%20June%202026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "ZONING BYLAW NO. 900, 2014" … "4.8 FENCES AND RETAINING WALLS" … "3.6. SIGHT LINE TRIANGLE"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

A fence does not need a building permit, because the [Building Bylaw](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/1111%20-%20Building%20Bylaw.pdf) does not apply to a fence. It still has to meet the height rules in section 4.8 of the [Zoning Bylaw](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/900%20Zoning%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20to%20June%202026.pdf). Fences and retaining walls are not subject to setback rules in any zone. A pool fence or a retaining wall has its own rules (below).

## Height limits

- Front yard or flanking (street side) yard: 1.2 m.
- Residential and rural residential zones, at finished grade: 2 m. The bylaw sets no separate side or rear yard figure.
- Where a fence abuts an agriculture or commercial zone: 2.5 m.
- Commercial or industrial zones: 2 m. Institutional zones: 2.5 m (6 m for an outdoor recreation facility).
- At a street corner, nothing (fence, wall, hedge, shrub, tree or other growth) may be higher than 1.2 m inside the triangle formed by the two lot lines and a line joining points 6 m along each lot line from the corner.

## Good to know

- If a fence sits on a retaining wall, height is measured from the base of the wall. Fences or walls less than 1 m apart on the same lot are measured from the base of the lower to the top of the higher.
- A retaining wall on a residential lot may not exceed 1.2 m, or 2 m where your lot is lower than the neighbouring lot. A retaining wall over 1.2 m also needs a retaining wall permit.
- A pool fence must be at least 1.5 m high, with openings of 100 mm or less (Building Bylaw s. 23.2). Pools need their own permit.
- Barbed wire is not permitted, except for livestock enclosures on agricultural land, detention and correctional facilities, and cannabis production. Electrified fences are banned except on agricultural lots.
- A municipal ticket for a fence over the height limit is $100.
- Questions or a possible variance: ask Planning.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw 900, consolidated to June 2026 (PDF)](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/900%20Zoning%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20to%20June%202026.pdf)
- [Building Bylaw 1111 (PDF)](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/1111%20-%20Building%20Bylaw.pdf)

## Related questions

- [View Royal zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/view-royal/zoning-lookup.md)
- [View Royal building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/view-royal/building-permit.md)
- [View Royal permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/view-royal/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)
- [Esquimalt](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/esquimalt/fence-rules.md)
- [Colwood](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/colwood/fence-rules.md)
- [Victoria](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/victoria/fence-rules.md)
- [Langford](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/langford/fence-rules.md)
- [Saanich](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/saanich/fence-rules.md)
- [Highlands](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/highlands/fence-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw 900, consolidated to June 2026 (PDF, sections 3.3, 3.5, 3.6, 4.8)](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/900%20Zoning%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20to%20June%202026.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Building Bylaw 1111, 2023 (PDF, sections 4.3, 6.1, 23.2)](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/1111%20-%20Building%20Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw 643 (PDF, to May 2026)](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/643%20MTI%20Bylaw%20No.%20643,%202007%20-%20May%202026.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Zoning & Rezoning, Town of View Royal](https://www.viewroyal.ca/EN/main/business/Land_Development/zoning.html) (read 2026-11-05)

_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 Town of View Royal. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/view-royal/fence-rules/_