If you’re planning to build a fence around your property in Toronto, you probably want to know how tall it can be. This is especially true for those wanting to build a fence for privacy reasons. What are the upper limits of fence height? The answer is easy to find with some help from the Toronto Fence Bylaws (PDF). However, if you don’t want to sort through a table to find your exact situation, you can check the common situations below to see what applies to you. Below are the most common height codes for constructed fences (not shrubs) on residential properties.
A Fence in a Front Yard
If you want to put up a fence in your front yard, the height limit has everything to do with what’s in front of it. If your front yard faces a public highway (not a lane), the distance from the lot line affects the fence height limit.
However, if your front yard is facing a public highway and you want your fence within 2.4m of the lot line, it can only be 1.2m tall. This is to allow visibility for safety reasons. However, if your front yard is not against a public highway, or if you place your fence further than 2.4m from the lot line, you can build it up to 2m tall.
A Fence in a Side or Back Yard
Placing a fence in a side or back yard is a bit more complicated. If your side lot is against a public highway, and your fence is placed within 2.4m of the side lot line and within 2.4m of a driveway, it can be 2m tall. This is also true if the nearest wall of the lot building extends all the way to the back lot line.
However, if you want to place a fence in a side yard or back yard that doesn’t fall under those specifications, you may be able to build it higher.
Placing a fence in a side or back yard where the lot line rests against a multi-residential or nonresidential property, a public walkway, or a public highway (without meeting the previous specifications as well), means you can build your fence up to 2.5m high.
Other Fences
Not seeing something that fits your situation? It might help you to know that fences bordering baseball diamonds and tennis courts are special. Those can be built to 3m tall.
Check the PDF linked at the beginning of the article to see if your specifications are listed there. The Toronto Fence Bylaw table is shown beginning on page 5.
Note that shrubbery or other natural things that act as fences have their own specifications. Fences on nonresidential properties also have their own specifications. While this article may give you an idea of what you can do, it’s best to be cautious. Check the table to be absolutely sure.
Don’t plan on building your own fence? In that case, you can rely on your neighborhood fence-building experts to know the bylaws for you. No need to get into all the red tape if someone else is handling it, right?
Give us a call at City Wide Post Hole Digging if you want to get started on your new fence.
