Montreal
How high can a fence be in Montreal?
Varies by borough: no permit in Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie; in Ville-Marie, a permit for a front-yard fence only; in Ahuntsic-Cartierville, a permit only in a heritage area or around a pool.
Permit depends on the caseA zone, a heritage area or a shoreline can have its own standards: with your address, the Radar reads your zone's grid and tells you what applies to your property.
The rules, in short
Rules of the Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie and Ville-Marie boroughs. Each Montreal borough has its own by-law: check your address.
- Ahuntsic-Cartierville: at most 0.90 m high in front (including along the side lines from the façade) and 2 m at the back and along the side lines; hedge height is no longer regulated at the back. (montreal.ca "Installing a fence or hedge", Ahuntsic-Cartierville section)
- Ahuntsic-Cartierville: the fence must be on private land; a 7 m visibility triangle along each street must stay clear at an intersection. (montreal.ca "Installing a fence or hedge", Ahuntsic-Cartierville section)
- Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie: fence at least 0.75 m from the sidewalk (or the edge of the roadway); at most 0.90 m in front and 2 m at the back and sides (0.5 m more in the rear yard if the added part is more than 25% open). (montreal.ca "Installing a fence or hedge", Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie section)
- Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie: hedge at most 0.90 m in front and 3.5 m elsewhere on the lot. (montreal.ca "Installing a fence or hedge", Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie section)
- Ville-Marie: fence at least 0.30 m from the sidewalk (or the edge of the roadway); at most 1 m high in the front yard and 2 m elsewhere; in the front yard, clay brick, wrought iron or stone. (montreal.ca "Installing a fence or hedge", Ville-Marie section)
Summary by Radar Foncier, in our own words: the official French text of the by-law, linked above, prevails.
Applying in Montreal
- Processing time: Varies by borough (no general processing time published)
- Cost: Varies by borough; example shown on montreal.ca: $9.80 per $1,000 of work, with a minimum ($167.40 for a pool)
- Urban planning department: 311
- Permits on the municipality's website
Other projects in Montreal
Fence and hedge elsewhere: Côte Saint-Luc, Dorval, Gatineau, Sherbrooke, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Westmount.
Version française de cette page
Source: Borough urban planning by-laws: Ahuntsic-Cartierville (01-274), Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie (01-279) and Ville-Marie (01-282); rules taken from the montreal.ca how-to pages for these 3 boroughs only, checked on October 22, 2026. Plain-English summary: the official French text prevails, and a by-law can change. Confirm with the Montreal urban planning department before buying materials. Radar Foncier is an independent service, not affiliated with the municipality.
Radar Foncier in English. Permits and rules for Québec homeowners; the full site and the reports are in French. Version française