Louisburg, KS Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

Louisburg's retaining wall rule lives inside § 4-102, the section that amends Section 105.2 of the 2018 International Building Code as adopted for the City by § 4-101. The amendment lists specific categories of minor work that do not need a City permit, and retaining walls are the first item under the Building heading: any wall four feet (1219 mm) or less, measured from the bottom of its footing to the top of the wall, is permit-exempt. That exemption disappears the moment the wall is supporting a surcharge or impounding Class I, II or IIIA liquids, fuels and other flammable or combustible liquids, regardless of height, because the added load or liquid changes the engineering risk the City wants a permit application, plans, and inspection to catch.

Section 105.2 is explicit that being exempt from the permit process is not the same as being exempt from the substantive rules: exempted walls still must comply with the Building Code and every other applicable City ordinance, including any grading, drainage, or property-line standard that would otherwise apply. A wall over four feet, or a shorter wall carrying a surcharge, needs a permit application under § 105.3, construction documents, and payment of the fee set in the Table 1-A schedule at § 4-103 before work starts.