Are fencing by-laws the same across Canada?

Canada is a huge and diverse country. “One-size-fits-all” doesn’t cut it for most by-laws, and fencing is no exception. Here are a few of the regional quirks in our fencing rules and regulations.

🐻 1. Cochrane, Alberta

You must keep your fence low—under 1 metre—on corner lots, but you can go higher if it’s chain link. Why? To protect drivers’ sightlines… and apparently to prevent moose from hiding behind solid barriers.

🔒 2. Vancouver, BC

No barbed wire or electrified fences allowed—even in industrial zones—unless you apply for a special exception (which can take months).
However, hedges are exempt—so an aggressive thorny bush 8 feet tall? Perfectly legal.

🛷 3. Yellowknife, NWT

If your fence causes snow to drift onto public property, you’re responsible for removal—even if the drift is caused by wind patterns, not your construction.
Fences are also regulated by how they affect snowmobile access in certain zones.

🐶 4. Montreal, Quebec

In some boroughs, dog-proofing a fence with netting counts as a “structural modification,” requiring a permit—even if you don’t alter the actual fence.
Fences in heritage areas must conform to historical design guidelines, including paint colour and picket spacing.

🔩 5. Halifax, Nova Scotia

In the downtown core, you may not install a fence taller than 6-1/2 feet—even if your yard slopes downhill.
To “level the playing field,” you must measure from the lower ground point, meaning your fence could appear much shorter from one side than the other.

🧙 6. Stratford, Ontario

Decorative “witch-proof” fence toppers (anti-climb spikes, spirals, etc.) are banned unless under 2 metres and only if “not appearing hostile.”
Yes—”hostile” appearance is part of the by-law wording. It’s open to interpretation.

🐓 7. Rural Quebec municipalities

In some farming zones, if you install a fence taller than 5 feet, you must allow gaps at the bottom to let small animals like chickens or groundhogs pass through, unless you have a livestock license.

🎨 8. Winnipeg, Manitoba

You need a permit to paint your neighbor’s side of the fence—even if you built it—unless you have written permission. This includes murals.
Also: No mirrored panels allowed, because of complaints from people getting sun-glared in their homes.

🧊 9. St. John’s, Newfoundland

Some areas prohibit metal fences over 4 feet tall due to ice buildup from ocean winds, which can cause collapse or dangerous projectiles in winter storms.