View Royal fence rules: permits and height limits
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.
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.Building Bylaw 1111, 2023 (PDF, sections 4.3, 6.1, 23.2), ss. 4.3 and 6.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingnor 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; |
|---|---|
| Height, front yard | 1.2 m in a front yard or flanking yard.Zoning Bylaw 900, consolidated to June 2026 (PDF, sections 3.3, 3.5, 3.6, 4.8), s. 4.8.3 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingThe height of a fence in the front yard or flanking yard must not exceed 1.2m. |
| 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.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 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingA 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. |
| 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.Zoning Bylaw 900, consolidated to June 2026 (PDF, sections 3.3, 3.5, 3.6, 4.8), s. 3.6.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingA 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. |
| 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.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; Building Bylaw 1111, 2023 (PDF, sections 4.3, 6.1, 23.2), s. 23.2 (pool fence) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingBarbed 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 having a minimum height of 1.5 metres and no openings greater than 100 mm at their greatest dimension |
| Bylaw | Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 2014, s. 4.8 (fences and retaining walls) and s. 3.6 (sight line triangle)Zoning Bylaw 900, consolidated to June 2026 (PDF, sections 3.3, 3.5, 3.6, 4.8), ss. 4.8, 3.6 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingZONING BYLAW NO. 900, 2014 4.8 FENCES AND RETAINING WALLS 3.6. SIGHT LINE TRIANGLE |
How it works
A fence does not need a building permit, because the Building Bylaw does not apply to a fence. It still has to meet the height rules in section 4.8 of the Zoning Bylaw. 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
The same question in other places
Esquimalt · Colwood · Victoria · Langford · Saanich · Highlands
Sources
- Zoning Bylaw 900, consolidated to June 2026 (PDF, sections 3.3, 3.5, 3.6, 4.8) (read 2026-11-05)
- Building Bylaw 1111, 2023 (PDF, sections 4.3, 6.1, 23.2) (read 2026-11-05)
- Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw 643 (PDF, to May 2026) (read 2026-11-05)
- Zoning & Rezoning, Town of View Royal (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. How answers are checked.