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

# Warfield fence rules: permits and height limits

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

**Short answer:** In Warfield a fence under 2.0 m needs no building or development permit, but it must follow the Zoning Bylaw. In residential zones the limit is 1.2 m in a front yard and 1.8 m in side and rear yards.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Warfield, https://warfield.ca)  
**Cost:** No permit fee for a fence under 2.0 m.  
**How long:** No permit is needed for a fence under 2.0 m.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Village Office, 250-368-8202
- Email: Village Office, info@warfield.ca

## Key facts

- **Permit:** No building or development permit is needed for a fence under 2.0 m, but it must follow the zoning rules, not cross parcel lines and not sit in an easement. The Building Bylaw does not apply to fences (retaining walls and pool enclosures are separate).
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 896, 2021 (PDF, consolidated June 2024), s. 4.15.2](https://warfield.ca/wp-content/documents/bylaws/Warfield-Zoning-Bylaw-Consolidation-FINAL_2024_06_27.pdf)
  - Official wording: "no development permit and/or building permit shall be required for" … "a fence under 2.0 m in height, however fences must comply with the requirements of this part, not cross parcel boundaries,"
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 988, 2026, with backgrounder, s. 3.3(a)](https://warfield.ca/wp-content/documents/bylaws/Building-Bylaw-No.-988-2026-Backgrounder-QA-Signed.pdf)
  - Official wording: "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:** 1.2 m maximum in a front yard in residential zones.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 896, 2021 (PDF, consolidated June 2024), s. 4.15.4](https://warfield.ca/wp-content/documents/bylaws/Warfield-Zoning-Bylaw-Consolidation-FINAL_2024_06_27.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No fence shall exceed a height of 1.2 m in a front yard and 1.8 m in a side and rear yard in residential zone"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Height, side and rear yards:** 1.8 m maximum in side and rear yards in residential zones. In commercial, civic or comprehensive zones, 2.4 m in any yard.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 896, 2021 (PDF, consolidated June 2024), ss. 4.15.4, 4.15.5](https://warfield.ca/wp-content/documents/bylaws/Warfield-Zoning-Bylaw-Consolidation-FINAL_2024_06_27.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No fence shall exceed a height of 1.2 m in a front yard and 1.8 m in a side and rear yard in residential zone" … "No fence shall exceed a height of 2.4 m in in any yard in any commercial, civic or comprehensive zone"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Corner lots and sightlines:** On a corner parcel, nothing may be planted or built higher than 1 m above street grade within the sight triangle, measured 6 m from the corner (Bylaw 979 changed the 7.5 m in the June 2024 text to 6 m). Fences may not be in the sight triangle.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 896, 2021 (PDF, consolidated June 2024), ss. 4.15.6, 4.16.1](https://warfield.ca/wp-content/documents/bylaws/Warfield-Zoning-Bylaw-Consolidation-FINAL_2024_06_27.pdf)
  - Official wording: "no landscaping, screening, building or structure may be planted or erected to a height greater than 1 m above the grade of the street" … "with the exception of setbacks required for a watercourse and to the portion of a parcel that is within a required sight triangle"
  - Source: [Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 979, Amendment 6](https://warfield.ca/wp-content/documents/bylaws/Bylaw-979.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Sight Triangle Setbacks: Change "7.5 m" to "6 m" in the text to match Figure 3."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Other rules:** Height is measured from ground level at the base of the fence to its highest point. No razor wire, barbed wire, spire tips or sharp objects. Fences may go in required setbacks except watercourse setbacks. Pools need a fence at least 1.5 m high with a self-closing gate. A retaining wall needs a building permit.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 896, 2021 (PDF, consolidated June 2024), ss. 4.15.1, 4.15.3, 5.4.4](https://warfield.ca/wp-content/documents/bylaws/Warfield-Zoning-Bylaw-Consolidation-FINAL_2024_06_27.pdf)
  - Official wording: "as the vertical distance from the ground grade level at the base of the fence to the" … "No razor wire, barbed wire, spire tips, or fences including sharp objects shall be permitted." … "surrounded by a fence with a height of no less than 1.5 metres"
  - Source: [Building Bylaw No. 988, 2026, with backgrounder, s. 11.1](https://warfield.ca/wp-content/documents/bylaws/Building-Bylaw-No.-988-2026-Backgrounder-QA-Signed.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No person may construct, or structurally repair, a retaining wall without a building permit."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 896, 2021, s. 4.15 (fences) and s. 4.16 (vision triangles), as amended by Bylaw 979, 2025
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 896, 2021 (PDF, consolidated June 2024), s. 4.15](https://warfield.ca/wp-content/documents/bylaws/Warfield-Zoning-Bylaw-Consolidation-FINAL_2024_06_27.pdf)
  - Official wording: "FENCES AND SCREENING" … "No fence shall exceed a height of 1.2 m in a front yard"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

Under s. 4.15 of the Village's [Zoning Bylaw No. 896](https://warfield.ca/wp-content/documents/bylaws/Warfield-Zoning-Bylaw-Consolidation-FINAL_2024_06_27.pdf), a fence under 2.0 m needs no building or development permit. It must follow the zoning rules, stay within your parcel lines and stay out of any easement. The [Building Bylaw](https://warfield.ca/wp-content/documents/bylaws/Building-Bylaw-No.-988-2026-Backgrounder-QA-Signed.pdf) does not apply to fences, but retaining walls and pool enclosures are separate matters.

Height is measured from ground level at the base of the fence to its highest point. In residential zones the maximum is 1.2 m in a front yard and 1.8 m in side and rear yards. In commercial, civic or comprehensive zones it is 2.4 m in any yard.

## Steps

1. Check your zone and your property lines before you build.
2. Keep the fence within the height limit for the yard it is in.
3. Keep fences out of easements and, on a corner lot, out of the sight triangle.
4. For anything over 2.0 m, or a retaining wall, call the Village Office at 250-368-8202 first.

## Good to know

- Corner lots: nothing may be planted or built higher than 1 m above street grade within the sight triangle, measured 6 m from the corner. Fences may not be in the sight triangle. The Village's Zoning Bylaw copy still shows 7.5 m; [Bylaw 979](https://warfield.ca/wp-content/documents/bylaws/Bylaw-979.pdf) changed it to 6 m, so confirm with the Village.
- No razor wire, barbed wire, spire tips or sharp objects.
- Fences may go in required setbacks, except watercourse setbacks.
- A pool needs a fence at least 1.5 m high with a self-closing gate. A retaining wall needs a building permit.
- The bylaw does not mention electric fences; ask the Village Office.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 896, 2021 (PDF, consolidated June 2024)](https://warfield.ca/wp-content/documents/bylaws/Warfield-Zoning-Bylaw-Consolidation-FINAL_2024_06_27.pdf)
- [Zoning Bylaw Amendment Bylaw 979 (PDF)](https://warfield.ca/wp-content/documents/bylaws/Bylaw-979.pdf)

## Related questions

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

## The same question elsewhere

- [Fence height limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fence-rules.md)
- [Trail](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/fence-rules.md)
- [Rossland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/rossland/fence-rules.md)
- [Montrose](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/fence-rules.md)
- [Fruitvale](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fruitvale/fence-rules.md)
- [Castlegar](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/castlegar/fence-rules.md)
- [Salmo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salmo/fence-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 896, 2021 (PDF, consolidated June 2024), Village of Warfield](https://warfield.ca/wp-content/documents/bylaws/Warfield-Zoning-Bylaw-Consolidation-FINAL_2024_06_27.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 979 (PDF), Village of Warfield](https://warfield.ca/wp-content/documents/bylaws/Bylaw-979.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Bylaw No. 988, 2026, with backgrounder (PDF), Village of Warfield](https://warfield.ca/wp-content/documents/bylaws/Building-Bylaw-No.-988-2026-Backgrounder-QA-Signed.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 Village of Warfield. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/warfield/fence-rules/_