Lincoln County, SD Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

Lincoln County's adopted 2018 International Residential Code amendments at § 151.33 place retaining walls third on the R105.2 list of work exempt from a building permit, right after the exemption for fences. The exemption text measures height 'from the bottom of the grade elevation to the top of the wall,' so the county looks at the exposed retained side, not just the finished-grade side, when deciding whether a wall clears the 4-foot (1,219 mm) threshold. A wall that supports a surcharge, meaning it carries an additional load such as a driveway, parking area, structure, or sloped fill above the retained soil, loses the exemption regardless of its height and needs a permit application to the building official under R105.1, along with construction documents and a site plan under R106.1 and R106.2 showing the wall's location and distance from lot lines.

Because R105.2's opening sentence makes clear that any exemption 'shall not be deemed to grant authorization for any work to be done in any manner in violation of the provisions of this code or any other laws or ordinances,' an exempt retaining wall must still meet any separately enforced zoning setback the Planning and Zoning Department applies, and the building official retains authority to require a permit for retaining walls it determines pose an engineering concern.