Neighbours & Property Lines

Does My Neighbour Have to Pay for Half the Fence in Toronto?

By Nick Farnborough, Toronto Decks & Fences · Published June 10, 2026 · Updated June 10, 2026

This surprises almost everyone. The "neighbours split the fence 50/50" rule is one of the most repeated pieces of homeowner folklore in the GTA, and inside Toronto it simply isn't law.

What changed in 2018

The Line Fences Act is a provincial law that historically let a property owner compel a neighbour to contribute to a boundary fence, with municipally appointed "fence-viewers" arbitrating disputes. In June 2018, Toronto City Council exercised its power under the City of Toronto Act to exempt the city from the Act (except a narrow section about former railway lands) and terminated all fence-viewer appointments.

The practical result inside Toronto:

• The City does not accept line-fence viewing applications.
• The City has no formal role in resolving cost or location disputes over boundary fences.
• If your neighbour won't chip in, your options are persuasion, a written agreement, or paying for it yourself and building on your own side.

So how do neighbours actually split costs?

By agreement, and it works fine most of the time. A fair, common arrangement:

Get it in writing before work starts. An email confirming the spec, total price, and split is enough. The disputes we see almost always come from verbal agreements about "roughly half" made over the fence line in April and remembered differently in June.

This played out at my own house. We moved in with an old chain link fence on one side and a broken-down fence on the other, and asked both neighbours whether they wanted to share the cost of replacing them. Both said no. That's completely fine, and completely normal in Toronto. What it meant in practice: we paid for everything, and in exchange we got full control over exactly what the new fence looked like. Material, height, style, all decided at our own kitchen table without negotiating any of it. That's the real trade. Sharing gets you the cost benefit; going alone gets you the fence you actually want. Neither answer is wrong.

What if my neighbour refuses to pay anything?

You can't force them in Toronto. Your realistic options:

1. Build entirely on your side. You control everything and own the fence outright. This is what most people do.
2. Offer the good-side compromise. Facing the finished side toward the reluctant neighbour sometimes unlocks a contribution.
3. Wait them out. When their dog escapes or their reno needs a fence, the conversation often restarts on friendlier terms.

What you should not do: bill a neighbour after the fact for a fence they never agreed to. Even in municipalities where the Line Fences Act applies, it generally doesn't help someone who built first and asked for money later.

Outside Toronto

Some Ontario municipalities still operate under the Line Fences Act, and others have opted out like Toronto or passed their own bylaws. If you're in Mississauga, Vaughan, Markham, or elsewhere in the GTA, call the local bylaw office before assuming either way.

FAQ

My neighbour built a fence and is demanding I pay half. Do I have to? In Toronto, no, unless you agreed to it beforehand. A neighbour cannot unilaterally build and then invoice you.

Who owns a fence that sits on the property line? Both owners, jointly. Neither side can alter or remove it without the other's consent.

Does the good side of the fence have to face my neighbour? No. There's no Toronto bylaw dictating fence orientation. It's convention and courtesy, not law.

Can we write our cost-sharing deal into something enforceable? Yes. A simple signed agreement (even email) documenting spec, cost, and split is enforceable as a contract and prevents most disputes on its own.

This article is general information, not legal advice. For an active dispute, consult a real estate lawyer.

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