Placer County, CA Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

Placer County's grading ordinance, Article 15.48, treats retaining walls as a permit trigger in their own right, separate from general grading. Section 15.48.060(A) requires a grading permit from the community development resource agency for any retaining wall over four feet in height, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the retained soil, and for any retaining wall subject to a surcharge (defined in Section 15.48.030 as additional loading above and behind the wall from sources like vehicles, buildings, snow, sloped backfill, stockpiles, or construction staging, regardless of the wall's height).

Section 15.48.070(D) carves out the exemption on the other side: retaining walls four feet or less in height, measured the same way, and not subject to a surcharge, may be built without a grading permit, though the exemption from a permit is not permission to violate any other article provision. Where a permit is required, Section 15.48.060 places retaining wall review inside the same grading-permit package as swimming pool fill (over four feet of fill) and private vehicular bridges, and the county can also require inspections during installation of any retaining wall over four feet under the permit's construction-monitoring provisions.

Section 17.56.020 and Appendix 33 of the county's adopted Uniform Building Code govern setback distances for other structures, but Section 15.48.020's setback text specifically carves fences and retaining walls out of that appendix, meaning retaining wall placement is controlled through the grading article rather than a zoning setback table. In the Tahoe Basin, Section 15.48.060 notes that a residential grading permit issued by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency can serve as evidence of conformity with county grading standards, but if the project includes a retaining wall over four feet or any wall subject to surcharge, a separate county grading permit is still required in addition to any TRPA approval.