Bend, OR Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)
Key Facts
- Cut slope cap over 5 ft
- 2:1 unless engineered wall
- Fill slope cap over 5 ft deep
- 2:1 unless engineered wall
- Rock/cemented tuff cut cap
- 0.5:1
- Fill on natural slope
- never steeper than 2:1
- Adjoining-property duty
- owner pays for wall or interior sloping
- Penalty
- Class A civil infraction, BC 16.05.050
Summary
In the City of Bend, cut slopes over five feet high and fill slopes deeper than five feet cannot exceed a 2:1 slope unless the City approves an engineered retaining wall, under Bend Code § 16.10.070(B). An owner who changes a site's grade must also protect adjoining property with an engineered wall or by keeping the slope entirely within their own lot.
Retaining wall means a wall designed to resist the lateral displacement of soil or other material, as defined in the current International Building Code (IBC). ... 1. ... Cut slopes greater than five feet in height must not exceed a slope of 2:1 except where approved retaining walls are engineered and installed, and where trenches are refilled with material from the excavation. Cut slopes in solid rock or cemented tuff must not exceed a slope of 0.5:1. ... 4. ... Fill slopes exceeding five feet in depth must be no steeper than 2:1, except where approved retaining walls are engineered and installed. ... 6. ... When the owner of any parcel alters the level or existing grade of a site by a fill or excavation, the owner shall at their own expense protect all adjoining property from encroachment by such fill, or from danger of collapse due to such excavation, either by the erection of an engineered retaining wall or by sloping the sides of such fill or excavation entirely within the confines of the site in a manner approved by the City.
Full Breakdown
060). 5:1. Fill slopes deeper than five feet get the same 2:1 cap and the same engineered-wall exception, and fill can never be built on a natural slope steeper than 2:1 in the first place. 070(B)(6) makes the owner responsible, at their own expense, for protecting adjoining property from encroachment or collapse, either by erecting an engineered retaining wall or by sloping the cut or fill entirely within their own site in a manner the City approves. 070(B)(7), (8)). 10. 015(A)(7) to regulate retaining walls as part of enforcing the State of Oregon's adopted building codes within city limits, alongside related items like fences, encroachments and protection of adjoining property.
Violations & Fines
Building a cut or fill slope beyond the 2:1 (or 0.5:1 in rock) standard without an engineered retaining wall approved through the grading permit process violates BC 16.10.070(B). Title 16 violations, including noncompliant slopes, are Class A civil infractions under BC 16.05.050, with each day a violation continues charged separately, and the City can also withhold grading permit inspections or approvals until the wall or slope is corrected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Bend require an engineered retaining wall for a steep cut slope?
How steep can a fill slope be in Bend without a retaining wall?
Who pays if grading on my Bend property threatens my neighbor's lot?
Which Bend department enforces grading and retaining wall rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bend
Compare Bend to another location·View the Oregon fence regulations overview
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