Dayton, OH Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

Dayton's subdivision code (R.C.G.O. Ch. 151, hillside area regulations) caps grading at a 1-foot rise per 2.5 feet of horizontal run between abutting lots; steeper cuts or fills require a retaining wall of sufficient height and thickness to hold the bank, per § 151.114. Section 151.116 then gives the City Engineer authority to require and approve retaining walls whenever topography warrants it or one is needed to retain fill or cut slopes within the right-of-way. This sits in the hillside-subdivision division of the general code, not a citywide dimensional wall standard: it governs new subdivision grading, not an existing backyard wall outside that context.