Fence heights by town
- Windsor: 1.2 m in front yards, 2.2 m in side and back yards
- LaSalle: 1.2 m in front yards if open, 0.6 m if solid, and 2.13 m elsewhere
- Tecumseh: 1.22 m in front yards, 1.9 m in side and back yards
- Lakeshore: 1.2 m in front yards, 1.8 m in side and back yards
- Amherstburg: 0.9 m in front yards, 0.6 m on a corner lot, and 2 m in side and back yards
- Kingsville: 0.91 m in front yards, 2.13 m in side and back yards
- Leamington: 2 m in side and back yards, at least 6 m back from the front lot line
- Town of Essex, including Harrow: 1.2 m in front yards, 1.8 m in side and back yards
These are the rules for homes, taken from each town's by-law in October 2026. This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. By-laws change, so confirm with your town before you build.
Do you need a fence permit?
It depends on the town. Tecumseh, Lakeshore and the Town of Essex require a permit before you build a fence. In LaSalle, Amherstburg and Kingsville, the by-law's permit rules are for pool fences, and Leamington's by-law page only spells out a permit for pool fences. Windsor's by-law doesn't lay out a permit process for a regular home fence.
If a pool is involved, ask first. Every one of these towns has separate permit rules for pools and pool fences.
LaSalle
By-law 8594 allows up to 2.13 m in side and back yards. In the required front yard, a fence can be 1.2 m if it's open, like chain link or open picket, or 0.6 m if it's solid. The same limits apply within 7.6 m of the rear lot line on a through lot, where the lot backs onto a second road.
No fence can sit inside the sight triangle on a corner lot. Height is measured from the ground at the base of the fence, not counting decorative post caps. On homes, barbed wire, chicken wire, electric fences, plastic sheets, tarps, sheet metal, pallets and old doors aren't allowed.
Read LaSalle's fence by-law (PDF) →
Tecumseh
Tecumseh's by-law, 2003-57 as amended, requires a fence permit first, with a plan showing the exact location of the fence. Fences can be up to 1.9 m in side and back yards and 1.22 m in front yards. There's also a minimum: 1 m.
A fence can't be closer than 9 m to an intersection, and anything that blocks a driver's view isn't allowed, including hedges. On the north side of Riverside Drive, fences are limited to 1.22 m north of the established building line and have to be open chain link or similar. Barbed wire isn't allowed, and electric fences are only for livestock on farm land.
Read Tecumseh's fence by-law (PDF) →
Lakeshore
Lakeshore requires a building permit for all fence installation, with a site plan and a sketch showing the height and materials. Its by-law, 39-2018, allows 1.8 m in side and back yards and 1.2 m in front yards. Within 7.5 m of a corner, a fence can't be over 0.9 m. Hedges count as fences.
Lots on the water, including Lake St. Clair, have stricter rules for the back yard. Allowed materials are chain link, wrought iron, wood, vinyl, stone and block. Barbed wire, razor wire and electric fences aren't allowed on homes. This is the most recent version we could find, so ask the Town if anything has changed.
Lakeshore's building permits page →
Amherstburg
By-law 2022-027 sets a low front yard limit: 0.9 m, or 0.6 m on a corner lot. Side and back yards can go to 2 m, with posts up to 0.2 m higher. Gates can be 2 m, plus up to 0.6 m for a decorative feature.
No fence can sit inside the visibility triangle, measured 3 m each way from where two streets meet. If the ground is different on each side of the fence, height is measured from the higher side. A fence has to be one uniform colour, and barbed wire and electric fences aren't allowed.
Read Amherstburg's fence by-law (PDF) →
Kingsville
By-law 63-2025 is the newest one here. It allows 2.13 m in back and side yards and 0.91 m in front yards. Sight triangles are 9.14 m where streets meet, and 4.57 m at alleys and where a driveway meets a street. A fence has to have a uniform appearance on each side.
Waterfront lots have their own rules. In the rear yard, a fence can be up to 2.13 m for the first 6 m out from the house, then 1.22 m and open beyond that, and it can't come within 3 m of the water. Barbed wire, chicken wire, electric fences, plastic sheets, tarps, sheet metal, pallets and old doors aren't allowed on homes.
Read Kingsville's fence by-law (PDF) →
Leamington
Leamington's fence rules are in its Zoning By-law, 890-09, section 4.18. In residential zones, fences can be up to 2 m in rear, interior side and exterior side yards, and they have to stay at least 6 m back from the front lot line. Where your back yard meets a neighbour's front yard, the limit drops to 1.2 m in a triangle running 6 m along the lot lines, unless the fence doesn't block the view.
Along Lake Erie, fences aren't allowed in the required rear yard unless they're under 1.2 m or don't block the view. Pool fences need a building permit.
Town of Essex, including Harrow
By-law 384 requires a permit before any fence goes up. Front yard fences can be 1.2 m above the nearest sidewalk, or above the ground where there's no sidewalk. Side and back yard fences can be 1.8 m. On a corner lot, anything over 0.5 m inside the 9 m triangle at the intersection has to be see-through, like chain link. Between Lake Erie and the average setback line, fences are limited to 1.2 m.
The by-law names chain link, wire and privacy board fences for residential districts. Since 2025, if your property borders municipally owned land other than a road, you need a survey from an Ontario Land Surveyor, at your own cost.
The Town of Essex fence by-law →
What catches people out
Corner lots
Every town limits fences near a corner so drivers can see. The distance and the height change from town to town, so measure before you dig.
Hedges
Some by-laws treat a hedge like a fence. Lakeshore's does, and so does Windsor's for front yards and visibility triangles.
Pool fences
Pool fences have their own rules in every town, and they're usually at least 1.2 m high with self-closing, self-latching gates. Sort out the permit before the pool goes in.
Where your property line is
Know where the line is before the posts go in. A survey is the only sure way, and it's a lot cheaper than moving a fence.
Who pays for a fence between neighbours?
In most of Ontario, the Line Fences Act gives neighbours a way to settle it. If they can't agree, fence viewers appointed by the municipality look at the fence and decide who does what and who pays.
That isn't the case everywhere here. In September 2026, Windsor council voted to exempt the city from the Act and replaced fence viewers with a non-binding guideline for sharing repair and replacement costs. Lakeshore's by-law also says the Act doesn't apply there. Either way, talk to your neighbour first and put what you agree to in writing.
Ontario's page on the Line Fences Act →
Planning a new fence?
We build wood and vinyl fences across Windsor-Essex. We'll walk the fence line with you at the free estimate, and you'll get a written quote the same day.
What a fence costs in Windsor →
Planning a new fence?
Free on-site estimate anywhere in Windsor-Essex, with a written quote the same day. Call or text 519-567-4724.
