Huntington, NY Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

Town Code § 87-52(B), part of the same fence and wall article amended in 2007 and 2013, requires a building permit from the Department of Engineering Services for any retaining wall, or tiered retaining walls with a combined height, of more than four feet. Height is measured vertically from grade to the wall's highest component under § 87-52(B)(2), the same grade-based method the code uses for fences. Crib walls, retaining structures built from interlocking modular units rather than a solid poured or block face, get a specific cap under § 87-52(B)(3): no single exposed vertical face may exceed four feet, and the cumulative height of a tiered crib wall system may not exceed eight feet.

Where the Town determines a retaining wall's height creates a hazardous condition, § 87-52(B)(4) requires the property owner to install a guard at the top of the wall for public safety, at least thirty-six inches high, with intermediate rails or ornamental closures spaced so a four-inch sphere cannot pass through, the same anti-fall-through standard used for guardrails generally. Because a fence is frequently installed on top of a retaining wall, § 87-52(A)(2) and (A)(3) matter here too: if a fence sits on the wall, the fence's own height is measured from the base of the wall rather than the top, so a four-foot wall topped by a six-foot fence reads as a combined ten feet from ground level for fence-height purposes, potentially requiring both a wall permit and a fence permit for one project.