Retaining walls over 4 feet in height (measured from bottom of footing to top) require a building permit and engineered plans in unincorporated Alameda County under the California Building Code.
Alameda County enforces the California Building Code for retaining walls. Walls retaining more than 4 feet of unbalanced fill (measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall) require a building permit, engineered plans stamped by a licensed civil or structural engineer, and inspections. Walls supporting a surcharge (such as a driveway, structure, or sloping backfill) may require a permit regardless of height. In the East Bay hillside areas including Castro Valley, San Lorenzo foothills, and unincorporated Fairview and Sunol, soils investigation may be required due to expansive clays, landslide risk, and seismic considerations along the Hayward Fault. Drainage behind walls must comply with grading ordinance requirements to prevent saturation and failure. Permits are issued by the Alameda County Public Works Agency Building Inspection Division at (510) 272-6984.
Contact your local code enforcement office for specific penalty information.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Castro Valley, CA
Alameda County Code §6.60.050 prohibits repairing, rebuilding, modifying or testing vehicles in residential areas between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. if it produces so...
Castro Valley, CA
Alameda County §6.60.050 makes amplified sound from any radio, stereo, instrument or device a violation at any time of day if plainly audible 50 feet from th...
Castro Valley, CA
Alameda County Code §6.60.050 limits use of electric or gas leaf blowers, sweepers, vacuums, mowers, trimmers, edgers and hedgers in residential areas to 7 a...
Castro Valley, CA
Alameda County Code §5.08.060 makes it unlawful for any person owning, keeping, or having custody of a dog or other animal to knowingly permit or suffer that...
Castro Valley, CA
Alameda County Code §6.60.080 exempts construction activity from Chapter 6.60 only if it occurs between 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturd...
Castro Valley, CA
Alameda County NPO §6.65.030 prohibits parking or storing vehicles on lawns or unimproved surfaces of residential property. Vehicles must be on paved concret...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Alameda County.
See how other cities in Alameda County handle retaining walls.
See how Castro Valley's retaining walls rules stack up against other locations.
Quick Compare
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.