Will I Need Planning Permission for My Driveway Gate?
Jay360 is a leading installer of fences and driveway gates in Ontario. Consult our fencing experts for the best guidance on fencing bylaws and to discuss your driveway gate options. Contact us here to learn more.
You do not require planning permission to install a driveway gate on your residential property. As long as you respect your city’s bylaws on fence height and the gate is standard construction, your local authority will not develop an interest.
In some cities, you only require planning permission where your driveway gate forms a boundary with a building that has heritage status. Cities want to preserve such buildings in their original, historic design and will not allow anything that would deface them or alter their facade in any way.
Since you would have to have a fence of some kind to add a driveway gate, does the fence itself require planning permission or a building permit?
You Do Not Require A Building Permit To Install A Fence
Installing a fence on your property also does not require planning permission, save for the reasonable requirement that it be built in a safe and consistent manner, which should also apply to your driveway gate project. You will obviously need to make sure your fence stays within your side of your property line.
However, most cities have bylaws that place restrictions on the height of your fence.
● The City of Waterloo’s bylaw regulations for fences and privacy screens stipulate that rear and side yard fences cannot exceed 2.4 meters, while flankage yard fences must be 1.83 meters and shorter. Front yard fences must not exceed a height of 0.9 meters.
Importantly, the regulations also mention a few exceptions for the maximum height allowed for driveway gates. Gates on front yard fences can be 0.3 meters higher than the fence. Where an archway forms part of the driveway entrance, the maximum height shall be 2.3 meters.
● According to the City Of Toronto’s municipal code for fences, fences on residential and non-residential properties that are ‘not within 2.4 meters of a lot line abutting a public highway’ cannot be higher than 2 meters.
If the fence is within 2.4 meters of ‘ of a lot line abutting a public highway’, it must be no higher than 1.2 meters.
● For the City of Kitchener, the neighborhood bylaw guide states that fences along the property line on the front of the house are allowed to be 0.9 meters high.
The same bylaw guide makes the point that no building permit is required to erect a fence in Kitchener.
Planning on securing your residential property in Kitchener with a driveway gate?
While fences and driveways generally do not require planning permission nor building permits, bylaws differ between cities. You may find that while fences under a certain height require no planning permission if the fence is a masonry wall, the rules may be a lot different. So it is always best to consult your city’s bylaws division for guidance.
Jay360 is a leading installer of fences and driveway gates in Ontario. Consult our fencing experts for the best guidance on fencing bylaws and to discuss your driveway gate options. Contact us here to learn more.