Retaining walls are a permitted accessory use in unincorporated Clackamas County residential districts, but taller walls require a building permit and engineering under the Oregon structural/residential code, and all walls must respect corner-vision and setback standards.
The ZDO lists 'Fences and Retaining Walls' as a permitted use in the urban residential districts. Under Oregon's adopted building code, a retaining wall over 4 feet in height (measured bottom of footing to top), or any wall supporting a surcharge, requires a building permit and engineered design; shorter, unloaded walls typically do not. Walls must also comply with the ZDO's 30-inch corner-vision limit within 20 feet of intersections and cannot be placed to obstruct sight lines. Apply through Clackamas County Building Codes.
Building an over-height or surcharged retaining wall without the required building permit is a violation subject to stop-work orders, permit-after-the-fact penalties, and correction requirements.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
clackamas-county-or
Backyard composting of yard debris and food scraps is allowed and encouraged in Clackamas County; no permit is needed for a home compost pile. Commercial-sca...
clackamas-county-or
Clackamas County has no ordinance banning or specifically regulating artificial turf in residential yards. Standard land-use rules on lot coverage, drainage,...
clackamas-county-or
Clackamas County does not mandate native-plant landscaping for private yards, but strongly encourages it and requires native-vegetation retention in protecte...
clackamas-county-or
Rooftop rainwater harvesting is legal in Oregon and does not need a water right. Clackamas County adds no ban. Collecting rain from an artificial impervious ...
clackamas-county-or
Clackamas County government sets no countywide outdoor-watering ban. Watering rules come from your local water provider (such as Clackamas River Water or Sun...
clackamas-county-or
Oregon law (ORS 569) declares noxious weeds a public nuisance to be controlled on all lands. Clackamas County runs the WeedWise program (since 2009) through ...
See how Clackamas County's retaining walls rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.