A FOOTHILLS HOME GUIDE RESOURCE
Check the location before construction.
This is a starting checklist, not a determination that a specific fence complies. Confirm the current requirements for your property with the Town of Okotoks and the appropriate professionals.
Start with the Town’s fence guidance
The Town’s August 2024 fence brochure says building permits are not required for fences, while a development permit is needed where the proposed height or location does not comply with the land-use requirements. Its stated maximum heights are 1.0 m in front yards and 2.0 m in other yards, with a 0.75 m limit in the corner-lot visibility triangle. Retaining walls affect the height calculation.
Use the Town’s diagram and confirm how it applies to your lot rather than assigning a yard or visibility triangle yourself. Read the official fence brochure. Source checked November 12, 2026; confirm changes before work.
Keep boundaries and restrictions separate
A Real Property Report helps identify property lines and rights-of-way; the Town does not mark the boundary for you. Its brochure directs owners to an Alberta Land Surveyor for that service. Title restrictions may also limit style or alterations. Construction and maintenance cost-sharing should be resolved between the affected owners.
Discuss the proposed location and any shared work before signing a construction scope. If boundary ownership or responsibilities are disputed, obtain appropriate professional advice rather than treating a contractor’s rough measure as a legal resolution.
Plan utility locates before any ground disturbance
Utility Safety Partners provides Alberta’s public utility-notification starting point. Its homeowner guidance explains that customer-owned services may require a private locator and that surface marks do not indicate depth. A locate request is not a property survey or blanket permission to dig.
Agree who will request locates, review the responses and arrange private-line assessment where needed. Follow the utility owners’ directions and the requirements for the actual work area. Read Utility Safety Partners’ homeowner guidance.
Put responsibility in the quote
- Who confirms the boundary and permitted fence location?
- Who reviews title restrictions and any required approvals?
- Who handles public and private utility-locate coordination?
- Who protects nearby landscaping and restores disturbed areas?
Record unresolved items in your project brief. Do not schedule excavation on the assumption that someone else has completed them.