Fence Gates

A gate fills an opening in a fence, swinging or sliding. In Ottawa, the Fence By-law lets a gate in a side or rear yard exceed the fence height limit by up to 30 cm, and an archway that forms part of an entrance may reach 250 cm. Those allowances are written for side and rear yards only; in a front yard the 1 m limit applies to the gate as well. The City's landscaping guide states the gate allowance more loosely, but the by-law text is what governs.

A gate across a driveway sits in a spot the by-law watches closely: within the triangle that runs 2 m along the lot line and the driveway at the street, nothing over 75 cm is allowed. Plan the gate posts outside that triangle, or keep that part low.

A gate on a pool enclosure is a different job with its own by-law and permit; see ottawapoolinstallation.ca.

Published Ontario installer pages put a pedestrian (walk) gate at about $500 to $1,500 installed and a driveway gate at about $800 to $2,200. Gates are priced on top of the per-foot fence price, so ask for them as their own line.