Lynchburg, VA Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

City Code Sec. " That single sentence puts the engineering burden on the property owner or contractor: the wall has to be built to hold back the soil behind it, and it has to include drainage so hydrostatic pressure from trapped water does not add to the load the structure must resist. Chapter 17 defines "fence" broadly enough in Sec. 17-1 to include masonry walls built to enclose or separate a lot, and Sec. 2) rather than to Chapter 17 itself, but retaining walls keep their own dedicated section because they carry a structural load fences do not.

Because Sec. 17-23 does not spell out its own fine, Sec. 1-13 (General penalty; continuing violations) fills the gap: any Code violation without a specific penalty is punished as a class 1 misdemeanor, and Sec. 00, either or both. Sec. 1-13 also makes each day a wall remains out of compliance a separate offense, which can compound exposure quickly on a wall that is failing to drain properly. 2) to apply where a wall is visible from a public or private street, since those provisions dictate acceptable materials such as segmental block, brick, treated wood, stone, or stamped concrete, and bar creosote-treated materials outright.