Frisco, TX Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

The city's fence and retaining wall standards live in chapter 18, article XIII of the Frisco Code of Ordinances. Section 18-490(d) sets the permit and engineering thresholds: a masonry fence or masonry retaining wall under twenty-four inches in height needs no permit at all, but once a retaining wall exceeds thirty-six inches, it must be built to a design submitted by a registered engineer. Anything in between, twenty-four to thirty-six inches, still needs a standard building permit even though it falls below the engineering trigger.

The code defines a retaining wall as 'a wall not laterally supported at the top that resists lateral soil loads and other imposed loads,' distinguishing it from a screening wall or ordinary fence. Section 18-490(d) also bars any portion of a retaining wall from interfering with or altering a drainage swale between lots, a common problem where a wall traps or redirects stormwater onto a neighbor's property. 8(b) measures the combined fence height from the ground level at the highest point the retaining wall creates, and specifically disallows building a berm or similar grading just to gain fence height.

Fence posts anchored into or supported by a retaining wall must have foundation and anchorage sufficient to prevent movement of either structure under § 18-491(e).