Annapolis, MD Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Director orders supplemental testing
- Who certifies
- A professional engineer
- Underlying permit
- Ch. 17.08 grading permit
- Small-disturbance exemption
- Under 5,000 sq ft (2,000 waterfront)
- Appeals
- Building Board of Appeals, 15 days
Summary
When the City orders supplemental inspections on a grading permit, retaining wall construction must be directed and certified adequate by a professional engineer before work is signed off.
When required by the Director or his or her designee, inspections and testing shall be performed under the direction of a professional engineer who shall certify all inspection reports and test results. The reports shall include certification by an engineer of the adequacy of:1.Cleared areas and benched or keyed surfaces prepared to receive fills; and2.Removal of unsuitable materials; and3.Construction of erosion-control or drainage devices, buttress fills, underdrains, retaining walls, and other grading appurtenances; and4.The degree of compaction where tests are performed.B.All certified inspection reports and certified test results shall be submitted periodically to the Director during the performance of the work. (Ord. No. O-27-13, § I, 10-14-2013)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 2025 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Annapolis City Code § 17.08.230 lets the Director of Planning and Zoning order supplemental testing and inspections on any grading permit. Once ordered, the work must proceed under a professional engineer's direction, and the engineer must certify the adequacy of erosion-control and drainage devices, buttress fills, underdrains, retaining walls, and other grading appurtenances, plus the degree of compaction where tests are performed. Certified inspection reports and test results go to the Director periodically while work is underway. Retaining wall construction that disturbs earth generally requires the Chapter 17.08 grading permit in the first place (§ 17.08.030), unless the project stays under the small-disturbance thresholds in § 17.08.040 (5,000 sq ft, or 2,000 sq ft on waterfront lots).
Violations & Fines
Failing to obtain a required grading permit or bypassing ordered engineer certification triggers a stop-work order under § 17.08.260, permit suspension or revocation under § 17.08.120, and municipal-infraction fines set by City Council resolution, with each day a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every Annapolis retaining wall need an engineer's certification?
What if I'm just replacing an existing retaining wall in kind?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Annapolis
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