Fresno, CA Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

Section 15-2006 of the Citywide Development Code, the same general-site-regulations article that governs all fences and walls, addresses retaining walls directly in two subsections. Subsection J, "Fence and Retaining Wall Combinations," states that where a fence sits on top of a retaining wall and a six-foot maximum fence height would normally apply, "the Director may allow a combined height of fence and retaining wall up to a maximum of seven feet." Subsection K, "Natural Grade Differences," lets the Director adjust the measurement where two adjacent parcels (or a parcel and a street) sit at different natural grades, measuring the combined height from the higher parcel, but caps the combination at seven feet from the lower side "unless a deviation is granted." Height itself traces back to Section 15-305(B)(1): a fence on top of a retaining wall is measured "from the ground level on the highest side of the fence and wall," which prevents an owner from understating height by measuring only from the low side.

On design, front-yard retaining walls under Section 15-2006(D)(2)(d)(ii) must be "designed consistent with the architectural style of the main building" and built only of "decorative concrete, masonry, stone, or brick," with timber allowed only where the Building Code and Public Works standards permit it. Elsewhere on a raised front yard, the Code separately requires that a retaining wall created by raising the yard above sidewalk grade be "decorative and clad in brick or stone." These are zoning/design standards layered on top of, not a substitute for, California Building Code structural requirements, retaining walls that hold back significant soil loads still need engineered plans and a building permit reviewed by the Development and Resource Management Department before construction.