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It’s important that gardens, plants or fences on your property not impede the view of motorists, cyclists and pedestrians in your neighbourhood.
Measure the sightline triangle
To find the sightline triangle on your property, start at the corner survey stake. The stake is usually located several feet back from the sidewalk or curb. If you cannot find a stake, check your property survey to locate your property lines.
Corner lots
Measure nine metres (30 feet) from the stake in both directions. The area between these three points is the sightline triangle, and must be kept free of obstructions.
Corner lot sightlines
Other lots
Measure five metres (16.5 feet) from the stake (point A) along the driveway to point B. Measure four metres (13.2 feet) from the stake (point A) along the sidewalk or street to point C. The area between these three points is the sightline triangle, and must be kept free of obstructions.
Driveway sightline triangles with sidewalk
Driveway sightline triangles without sidewalk
The City regulates what can be built or grown inside the sightline triangle on corner lots.
No fence, shrub or foliage of any kind may exceed 0.8 metres (32 inches) in height as measured from the roadway. This usually means that the height may not exceed 0.66 metres (26 inches) as measured from the ground where the fence, shrub or foliage is located.
Any overhead obstructions, such as tree branches, that are within the sightline triangle and are less than 1.2 metres (3.11 feet) above the ground may need to be trimmed in order to comply with the City’s Zoning bylaw (section 4).
Removing problem vegetation
The City of Guelph may contact a property owner and request that vegetation be trimmed or obstructions be removed from the sightline triangle.
If the problem vegetation is located on the city road allowance (such as a boulevard garden), the City of Guelph may contact the owner of the property adjacent to the vegetation and request that they trim or remove the problem vegetation. If the owner is not able to keep the vegetation trimmed to the permitted height, the City will have the problem vegetation removed entirely to prevent sightline obstructions.
Related resources
For more information
Building Services
519-837-5615
[email protected]