Kirkwood, MO Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

Kirkwood's Architectural Review Board (ARB) reviews exterior changes to buildings and structures under § 25-21, and no building permit for construction, reconstruction, expansion, or other exterior changes may issue without an ARB decision unless the work falls on the code's exemption list. " That means a stone, split-face block, timber, or shorter poured-concrete wall skips ARB review entirely, while a poured-concrete wall over 2 feet tall needs a public ARB meeting before the Director of Public Services can issue the building permit. The review runs through the same three-step process as any other ARB matter: an application under § 25-16, staff review and transmittal by the Director of Public Services, then a public ARB meeting and decision.

Single-family retaining-wall projects get an advisory ARB review; walls tied to multifamily or nonresidential development get a binding one. Grading permits are handled separately under Chapter 20, Article VIII: § 20-210 requires a grading permit for most earth-moving work, but § 20-212(b) exempts a retaining wall from that separate grading permit once a valid building permit has already been obtained under the City's codes for the wall itself, so a homeowner is not paying for two permits for the same wall. Kirkwood's commercial design guidelines separately discourage retaining walls over five feet as a massing element in nonresidential architectural review (§ 25-57), but that is guidance for the ARB's discretionary review of commercial buildings, not a citywide height cap.