Carrollton, TX Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)
Key Facts
- Height trigger
- 4 feet or greater facing a thoroughfare
- Required finish
- Brick or stone veneer
- Alternate material
- Needs Planning & Zoning Commission approval
- Appeal window
- 10 days to City Council
- Grandfather exception
- Up to 50% of existing wall length
- Lean limit
- Max 15 degrees out of vertical, Ch. 96
- Penalty
- Up to $2,000/day, Article 36
Summary
Carrollton's zoning code sets no blanket height cap on a retaining wall, but any wall four feet or taller that faces or has exposure to a public thoroughfare must be veneered in brick or stone. Owners can ask Planning and Zoning to approve an alternate material, and a denial can be appealed to City Council within 10 days.
Retaining walls, four feet or greater in height, that face or have exposure to any public thoroughfare, shall be veneered with brick or stone unless an alternate is approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission. A denial of the request by the Planning & Zoning Commission may be appealed to the City Council if the appeal is filed with the Planning Department within 10 days of the action of the Planning & Zoning Commission. A maximum of 50 percent of the total linear feet of a continuous retaining wall, in existence at the time of the adoption of this provision, may be replaced without meeting this requirement.
Full Breakdown
Article 25, Section C, Item 13 of the Carrollton Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (updated April 2026) governs retaining walls within the Landscape and Screening article. Once a wall reaches four feet or greater in height and faces or has exposure to any public thoroughfare, it must be veneered with brick or stone. A property owner who wants a different finish needs the Planning and Zoning Commission's approval for that alternate. If the Commission denies the request, the owner has 10 days from the Commission's action to file an appeal with the Planning Department for a hearing before the City Council.
The ordinance grandfathers existing walls: up to 50 percent of the total linear footage of a continuous retaining wall standing when the veneer requirement took effect under Ordinance No. 2572, adopted November 7, 2000, can be replaced without triggering the brick-or-stone requirement. Separately, Chapter 96 of the Carrollton Code of Ordinances (the Property Maintenance Code) imposes an ongoing structural duty: it is unlawful for any portion of a retaining wall to lean more than 15 degrees out of vertical alignment, and repairs must use materials comparable in composition, color, size, shape and quality to the original wall.
Violations of the zoning veneer requirement fall under Article 36's general penalty, a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 for each day the violation continues.
Violations & Fines
Building or leaving a four-foot-plus retaining wall facing a public thoroughfare without the required brick or stone veneer, or without Planning and Zoning Commission approval of a substitute material, is a misdemeanor under Article 36 of the Zoning Ordinance, punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 for each day the violation continues. A wall allowed to lean more than 15 degrees out of vertical alignment separately violates the Chapter 96 property maintenance duty to keep retaining walls free of defect and deterioration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to build a retaining wall in Carrollton?
What if the Planning and Zoning Commission will not approve my wall material?
Can I keep an old retaining wall that is not veneered?
What happens if my retaining wall starts to lean?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Carrollton
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