Clovis, CA Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

100(D)(4)(b) sets the City's retaining wall standards, defining a retaining wall as one that structurally retains earth. Retaining walls up to 6 feet in height may be located within a required front, side, or rear setback, an exception to the general rule that structures cannot occupy setback area. Decorative landscape retaining walls, as distinct from structural retaining walls, are capped at 3 feet above finished grade. On construction materials, the code bars stacked block construction unless the wall is engineered, and otherwise requires poured concrete unless the Director modifies that requirement through site plan review under Chapter 56; any retaining wall whose face is visible from a public street must be built of decorative masonry, subject to the Director's review and approval.

100(B)(3) separately exempts retaining walls under 4 feet in height above finish grade from setback requirements entirely, meaning short retaining walls need not observe the district's yard setback lines at all. 100. Taller or engineered retaining walls, particularly those over 4 feet supporting a grade change near a structure, typically require a building permit and structural plan review by the Building Division before construction, given the code's explicit engineering requirement for stacked-block walls.