Franklin County, FL Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Fill placed for wall/sidewalk/driveway in regulated floodway
- Required proof
- Engineered no-rise floodway encroachment analysis
- Standard
- No increase at all in base flood elevation
- Cross-referenced section
- § 6.5-264 limitations on floodway sites
- Governing ordinance
- Ord. No. 2021-12, § 6.5-363 (7-6-21)
Summary
A retaining wall, sidewalk or driveway that involves placing fill inside a regulated floodway in unincorporated Franklin County may not be built unless a floodway encroachment analysis, sealed by a Florida-licensed engineer, proves the work will not raise the base flood elevation at that location at all.
No development, including, but not limited to, site improvements, and land-disturbing activity involving fill or regrading, shall be authorized in the regulatory floodway unless the floodway encroachment analysis required in subsection 6.5-103(1) of this chapter demonstrates that the proposed development or land-disturbing activity will not result in any increase in the base flood elevation. ... Retaining walls and sidewalks and driveways that involve the placement of fill in regulated floodways shall meet the limitations of section 6.5-264 of this chapter.
Full Breakdown
5, Article III, Division 7 ('Other Development') addresses site features the Florida Building Code does not directly reach. 5-264. 5-103(1) demonstrates the work will cause no increase at all in the base flood elevation, not just a small or de minimis rise. 5-87). The rule reaches ordinary homeowner retaining-wall projects, brick, timber, or engineered block walls used to hold back fill for a driveway approach or yard grading, whenever the parcel sits inside a mapped regulatory floodway, which the county's Flood Insurance Rate Maps identify separately from the broader special flood hazard area.
Outside a regulated floodway, retaining walls are not covered by this section and instead fall under the county's general floodplain development permit and building code review.
Violations & Fines
Building a retaining wall, driveway or sidewalk with fill in a regulated floodway without the required no-rise encroachment analysis, or in conflict with the terms of an issued permit, is a violation of Chapter 6.5 under § 6.5-171. The Floodplain Administrator can issue a stop-work order under § 6.5-172, and continued work afterward is punishable under the county's general penalty, § 1-7, by up to a $500 fine or 60 days in jail, or both, per day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to build a retaining wall in Franklin County?
What counts as a 'regulated floodway' for the retaining wall rule?
Does this retaining-wall rule apply outside a mapped floodway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Franklin County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Franklin County to another location·View the Florida fence regulations overview
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