In unincorporated Snohomish County, a retaining wall up to four feet high (measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall) is exempt from a building permit unless it supports a surcharge. Walls over four feet, or supporting extra load, need a permit.
SCC 30.50.103(1)(c) exempts retaining walls not over four feet in height, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, unless the wall supports a surcharge or impounds Class I, II, or IIIA liquids. Walls taller than four feet, or any wall carrying a surcharge such as a slope or driveway load above it, require an engineered building permit through Planning and Development Services. Where a fence is built on top of a retaining wall, SCC 30.28.040(2) requires fence height to be measured on the uphill side, so a fence atop a wall cannot use the wall to gain extra effective height on the downhill face.
Constructing an over-height or surcharge-loaded retaining wall without a permit is a code violation; PDS may require engineering, permitting, or removal.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Edmonds, WA
Edmonds does not have a local airport. The nearest commercial airports are Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA, ~30 miles south) and Paine Field (PAE, ~10 mile...
Edmonds, WA
Persistent barking dog complaints are handled under ECC §5.30.130 (public disturbance noises) and ECC Ch. 5.05 (animal control). During nighttime hours, call...
Edmonds, WA
Construction noise is exempt from Edmonds noise limits under ECC §5.30.110 on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. and on Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. ...
Edmonds, WA
Edmonds noise rules are governed by ECC Ch. 5.30, which adopts the WAC 173-60 Environmental Designation for Noise Abatement (EDNA) framework. Residential mai...
Edmonds, WA
Abandoned vehicle removal is regulated under ECC Ch. 8.48 and RCW 46.55. Vehicles left on public or private property without permission for more than 24 hour...
Edmonds, WA
Under ECC §8.50.120, vehicles may not remain lawfully parked on a public street for more than 72 hours. Moving and re-parking a vehicle within the same block...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Snohomish County.
See how Edmonds'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 If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.