Practical guide
Cantley fence by-laws
Cantley has a rule almost no other municipality in the Outaouais has: there are mapped areas where you simply cannot put up a fence at all. Check that before you order anything.
Verified 3 August 2026 with the City of Gatineau and the Government of Quebec.
Fences we actually installed
Real job sites in Gatineau and Ottawa. No catalogue photos.
The short answer
1.5 m in the front yard, 2 m in side and rear yards, for a residential use. And chain link is not allowed in a front yard at any height.
There is no permit, but there is a mandatory work declaration before you start. Those are two different instruments and they are easy to mix up. A certificate of authorisation is not required for a fence; the declaration is.
And check the map before anything else. In a white-tailed deer wintering area or a designated ecological corridor, fences are prohibited.
The areas where a fence is simply not allowed
This is Cantley's quirk and it catches everyone. In two kinds of mapped area, no fence may be installed:
- a white-tailed deer wintering area;
- a designated ecological corridor.
The exceptions are narrow: a snow fence protecting landscaping, an animal enclosure, a vegetable garden, and a pool safety fence. And even those may not encircle the lot.
Anything already in place before the by-law came into force has acquired rights. If your lot touches one of these areas, that is the first thing to settle, before height, before material, before anything.
The heights, and a way of measuring nobody expects
| Where | Maximum height |
|---|---|
| Front yard or margin | 1.5 m |
| Side yard or margin | 2 m |
| Rear yard or margin | 2 m |
| Visibility triangle, corner lot | 1 m |
Height includes ornamental detail, so the post cap counts.
Here is the unusual part: height is measured from the ground within a 2 m radius, section by section between two posts, not for the fence as a whole. Where a fence is stepped in tiers, it is measured from the centre of each section. On Cantley's uneven lots that distinction decides whether a project passes.
The visibility triangle: 6 m, and nothing above 1 m
On a corner lot, extend the two street lines in a straight line to where they meet, measure 6 m along each, then join the two ends. Nothing taller than 1 m may sit inside that triangle: no construction, no landscaping, no planting.
A corner lot touching more than one intersection gets one triangle per intersection.
Prohibited materials, and chain link in the front yard
- Chain link is allowed, except in a front yard. That is a location rule, not a height rule.
- Chicken wire: prohibited except for agricultural uses.
- Barbed wire: prohibited except for public, industrial and agricultural uses.
- Wood or plastic slats of the snow-fence type, except on an actual snow fence.
- Exposed particle board, chipboard or plywood.
- Wooden railway ties.
- Any flexible material (plastic, cardboard, paper) lacking the necessary rigidity.
Snow fences are permitted only from 15 October to 15 April and everything must come down afterwards.
Three more rules that sink projects
- A main building must already exist on the lot before a fence, hedge, low wall or screen may go up. The only exceptions are a natural wood post-and-rail fence and a natural stone wall no taller than 1 m.
- A fence may sit on the lot line except at the front, where a minimum 0.5 m setback applies.
- 1.5 m clearance from any dry hydrant or public utility equipment.
Also worth knowing: any retaining wall over 1.8 m must be topped with a fence at least 1 m high.
Cantley against its neighbours
| Cantley | Chelsea | Val-des-Monts | Ottawa | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front yard | 1.5 m | 2 m | 1.5 m | 1 m |
| Rear yard | 2 m | 2 m | 2.5 m | 2.13 m |
| Visibility triangle | 6 m, max 1 m | 7 m, max 0.75 m | 8 m, max 75 cm | 3 m, max 75 cm |
| Formality | Work declaration | Permit, up to 60 working days | To be confirmed | No permit |
Our other guides: Chelsea, Val-des-Monts, Gatineau and Ottawa. For a pool the rule is provincial: Quebec pool fence law.
Sources, and the date we checked them
Verified on 18 September 2026 against the Municipality of Cantley's own document.
- Zoning By-law no. 661-25, in force 23 June 2025. Fences are at section 13.4, article 13.4.2, heights in Table 112, materials in Table 113, and the visibility triangle at article 13.1.4.
- By-law on permits and certificates no. 663-1-26, for the work declaration.
Two honest cautions. The heights above are for the residential use group. The commercial, industrial and institutional rows of the table could not be read reliably and are therefore not published here. And a municipal by-law can be amended: confirm with the Municipality before ordering materials, or ask us to do it during the site visit.
Frequently asked questions
Cantley fence by-laws
How tall can a fence be in Cantley?
Do I need a permit for a fence in Cantley?
Are there places in Cantley where fences are banned?
Can I put chain link in my front yard in Cantley?
How is height measured on a sloped lot?
What is the visibility triangle in Cantley?
Can I fence a vacant lot in Cantley?
Do you serve Cantley?
Kevin & his team were very easy to work with and I'm very happy with the result of my new fence. I changed a few things to the original plan and there was no trouble or hassle in doing so. I'm already planning to hire them for another project!
Excellent service from start to finish! The work was completed quickly and with great care. The team is very professional and courteous, and communication was easy throughout the project. I am truly satisfied with the result-I highly recommend them. 5/5
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