Victoria’s Schedule S to the Zoning Regulation Bylaw gives a residential front-yard maximum of 1.22 m and side/rear maximum of 1.83 m. It measures from natural grade to the highest point of a fence, not from a new layer of fill intended to make the panel appear shorter. Where the fence sits on a retaining wall, the measurement is from natural grade on the high side of the wall. For a sloping site, Schedule S directs measurements at the corner or edge at the highest natural grade and at intervals no farther than 2.5 m horizontally. A six-foot catalogue panel along an uneven Victoria lot may need varying post lengths to stay within its measured limit.
The same schedule permits ordinary posts to extend 0.30 m above the fence height. In a front yard, gate posts, gates and decorative features immediately at a gate can reach 2.6 m high and 1.5 m wide under the specified exception. It is a narrow entry feature allowance, not an extra height for every fence panel. Barbed wire, razor wire, similar sharp material and electrified fences are prohibited by the general conditions. A builder suggesting a sharp security topper or treating a long solid arch as a decorative gate should check the exact Schedule S wording before ordering it.
At a street corner, a fence over 1 m must stay outside the triangle formed by points 6 m from the corner if one street is arterial, or 3 m otherwise. The Highway Access Bylaw adds driveway-crossing sightline rules. Mark the lot corner and the road classification rather than applying the shorter triangle everywhere. A replacement rear fence that wraps toward an arterial corner is a good example: the back section may fit 1.83 m, but the last few metres must respect a one-metre view corridor. Victoria’s zoning page links the bylaw schedules; owners of strata lots should also check whether the fence is common property and seek any required corporation approval before altering it.
Last verified: September 28, 2026. This Victoria guide summarizes the linked municipal sources for planning; the property’s zoning, survey and any required approval decide the actual design. How we research fence rules →
