Elk Grove, CA Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

050(D) governs retaining walls directly. 030: retaining walls may be built only as part of an approved grading plan at initial development of a residential subdivision, multifamily development, or nonresidential project, as part of a roadway improvement project, or as necessary soil stabilization determined by the City Engineer. Paragraph 2 sets the height rule: there is no height limit for retaining walls built along a project's exterior property lines or the final interior property lines of a residential subdivision, but any other retaining wall taller than 4 feet must be benched so that no individual wall section within the bench series exceeds 6 feet, with each bench at least 3 feet deep.

040 separately governs how a retaining wall interacts with a fence built on top of it: when a fence sits atop a retaining wall, the fence's height is measured independently of the retaining wall, treating the top of the retaining wall as the finished grade for that measurement, so a 7-foot rear yard fence limit does not get consumed by the height of the retaining wall beneath it. Because retaining walls are excluded from the chapter's general height table, height review instead happens through the grading permit and, where the wall assists the primary structure's foundation, coordination with the City Engineer on drainage and structural stability rather than through a design review aesthetic standard.