Greater Victoria, BCFencing Rules

What does my pool fence have to meet?

Pool fence requirements

Direct answer · reviewed 2026-09-29

A pool enclosure is the one fence rule that is a minimum rather than a maximum: no enclosure, no water. The specifications differ municipality by municipality — from Oak Bay's 100 mm sphere test to Sidney's 1.2 m–1.8 m *range* and ban on exterior rails. Colwood requires a building permit and a submitted plan — None for an ordinary fence. A pool fence is the exception: it needs a building permit and a $100 fee.. Saanich's rule reaches liquid storage tanks, not just pools.

Conditions and exceptions

  • Read from the bylaws on 29 September 2026. Several municipalities keep pool fencing in a building bylaw rather than the zoning bylaw.
  • The pool minimum and the zoning maximum both apply. Saanich says so expressly: the enclosure may not exceed the height permitted by the zoning bylaw.
  • The BC Building Code applies in addition to the municipal rule.
Check your fence rules

Local evidence

Every figure below is quoted from the source shown or is our labelled estimate. Verified dates are the day we last checked the source; a figure whose check is overdue is withheld rather than shown.

Pool enclosure in Saanich
Separate bylaw: enclosure not less than 1.2 m, ground clearance not more than 10 cm, self-closing self-locking gate latched at the top and inside. It also covers liquid storage tanks deeper than 45 cm, excluding tanks with a cover able to carry a 68 kg person.
District of Saanich · quoted · verified 2026-09-29
Pool enclosure in Oak Bay
Not less than 1.2 m; no opening that passes a 100 mm sphere; nothing between 100 mm and 1 m above the ground that would help a child climb; self-closing self-locking gates kept locked when not in use.
District of Oak Bay · quoted · verified 2026-09-29
Pool enclosure in Colwood
Permit required. Close-boarded lumber, chain link, solid masonry or 9 mm plywood; no foot holds or grips on the outside; no opening greater than 5 cm; gates on a self-latching spring hinge mounted inside at the top; not less than 1.5 m high with ground clearance not more than 10 cm.
City of Colwood · quoted · verified 2026-09-29
Pool enclosure in Sidney
A range, not a cap: not less than 1.2 m and not more than 1.8 m at any point, ground clearance not more than 10 mm, and an exterior surface free of projections, rails or bracing that would help climbing — which a standard board fence with outside rails fails.
Town of Sidney · quoted · verified 2026-09-29
Pool enclosure in Central Saanich
A pool may not sit in the required front or side yard and must be at least 3 m from the side and rear property lines. The enclosure specification is in the building bylaw, which has not been read.
District of Central Saanich · quoted · verified 2026-09-29
Pool enclosure in North Saanich
Applies to pools deeper than 1 m with a surface area over 15 m²: fence not less than 1.22 m, openings not over 100 mm, nothing between 100 mm and 900 mm that helps climbing, and a spring lock not less than 1070 mm above grade openable only from the pool side.
District of North Saanich · quoted · verified 2026-09-29
Pool enclosure in Metchosin
A pool needs a building permit; enclosure obligations arrive through that permit and the BC Building Code rather than through a fence rule.
District of Metchosin · quoted · verified 2026-09-29
Pool enclosure in Highlands
A true minimum: the enclosure must be no less than 1.5 m above grade, with a self-closing gate whose self-latching device locks at least 1.0 m above grade, and the base of the fence not more than 100 mm above the ground.
District of Highlands · quoted · verified 2026-09-29

What each municipality requires

Where a municipality is not listed, the enclosure requirement was not located in the documents read — which is not the same as there being none. Check with the municipality.

Pool enclosure specifications, by municipality
MunicipalityRequirement
SaanichSeparate bylaw: enclosure not less than 1.2 m, ground clearance not more than 10 cm, self-closing self-locking gate latched at the top and inside. It also covers liquid storage tanks deeper than 45 cm, excluding tanks with a cover able to carry a 68 kg person.
Oak BayNot less than 1.2 m; no opening that passes a 100 mm sphere; nothing between 100 mm and 1 m above the ground that would help a child climb; self-closing self-locking gates kept locked when not in use.
ColwoodPermit required. Close-boarded lumber, chain link, solid masonry or 9 mm plywood; no foot holds or grips on the outside; no opening greater than 5 cm; gates on a self-latching spring hinge mounted inside at the top; not less than 1.5 m high with ground clearance not more than 10 cm.
SidneyA range, not a cap: not less than 1.2 m and not more than 1.8 m at any point, ground clearance not more than 10 mm, and an exterior surface free of projections, rails or bracing that would help climbing — which a standard board fence with outside rails fails.
Central SaanichA pool may not sit in the required front or side yard and must be at least 3 m from the side and rear property lines. The enclosure specification is in the building bylaw, which has not been read.
North SaanichApplies to pools deeper than 1 m with a surface area over 15 m²: fence not less than 1.22 m, openings not over 100 mm, nothing between 100 mm and 900 mm that helps climbing, and a spring lock not less than 1070 mm above grade openable only from the pool side.
MetchosinA pool needs a building permit; enclosure obligations arrive through that permit and the BC Building Code rather than through a fence rule.
HighlandsA true minimum: the enclosure must be no less than 1.5 m above grade, with a self-closing gate whose self-latching device locks at least 1.0 m above grade, and the base of the fence not more than 100 mm above the ground.

The clause that catches ordinary fences

Several municipalities require that nothing on the outside of the enclosure helps a child climb it. Sidney requires the exterior surface to be "free from projections, rails or bracing". Oak Bay forbids any member, attachment or opening between 100 mm and 1 m above the ground that would facilitate climbing. North Saanich uses 100 mm to 900 mm. Colwood forbids foot holds or grips on the outside.

A standard board fence with the horizontal rails on the outside fails that test at a perfectly legal height. It is the most common way a pool enclosure is non-compliant.

Two rules that go further than you would expect

Saanich fences liquid storage tanks as well as pools — anything holding liquid deeper than 45 cm, outdoors, in or on the ground. Goldfish and ornamental ponds, irrigation ponds, ponds along a natural watercourse, sealed tanks and tanks with a cover able to carry a 68 kg person are excluded. Rainwater tanks and stock tanks are not.

Colwood treats a pool as anything 0.6 m (24 inches) deep or more, and requires a building permit for the fence itself.

Highlands sets a true minimum of 1.5 m with a self-latching device locking at least 1.0 m above grade, and a base no more than 100 mm off the ground.

Questions homeowners ask

How tall does a pool fence have to be?
Between 1.2 m and 1.5 m depending on the municipality — and in Sidney it must also not exceed 1.8 m, which makes it the only range rather than a floor.
Do I need a permit for a pool fence?
In Colwood, yes — a building permit, a fee and a plan. Elsewhere the enclosure is usually required but not separately permitted, though the pool itself often is.
Does a hot tub or rainwater tank need fencing?
In Saanich, possibly. Its bylaw covers any outdoor tank or pool able to hold liquid deeper than 45 cm, unless it has a cover capable of supporting a 68 kg person when closed.

Your next step

Pool rules sit in a different bylaw in several municipalities.

Check your municipality

Related decisions

Sources

Every figure on this site is read from the bylaw or statute itself, with the date it was read and a link to the document. Bylaws are amended at council meetings, so confirm the current rule for your exact address before you build. Report a correction.

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