Dearborn Heights, MI Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

Sec. 36-4(a) requires a zoning compliance certificate for repair, construction, alteration or modification of "any premises, any structure, or any part of them" whenever the work could relate to zoning, land use or other property issues, and 36-4(e) expressly lists retaining walls, alongside fences, small accessory structures, water tanks, sidewalks and driveways, as the kind of work that necessarily triggers this duty. Under 36-4(c), a contractor cannot start work until the certificate issues, and 36-4(d) requires fees, set by City Council resolution, to be paid to the city treasurer in advance.

Sec. 36-4(f) lets the building official require plans and specifications, including lot dimensions and the location of proposed structures, before approval. Sec. 36-4(g) requires the building official to issue the certificate within ten business days of finding the work complies, and 36-4(i) makes an issued certificate valid for three hundred sixty-five days, extendable once by up to one hundred eighty days on written request. Sec. 36-4(h) lets the building official revoke a certificate for noncompliance or a false statement in the application. Separately, once a retaining wall exists as part of required landscaping, Sec.

36-395(f)(3) requires it, along with other constructed landscape elements such as benches and edging, to be kept in good condition and neat appearance, with rotted, deteriorated or damaged elements repaired, replaced or removed.