Vanderburgh County, IN Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

070 treats fences built as retaining walls as a distinct structural category: they must be designed as retaining walls, and once a retaining wall reaches six feet or more in height, an Indiana-licensed engineer or Indiana-registered architect must design it. The section then sets material-specific minimums. Design stresses cannot exceed those stated elsewhere in the fences chapter for the material used. Timber walls must have main structural members securely joined with bolts sized and lengthed to meet the design requirements. Posts cannot have a cross-sectional area under nine and one-fourth square inches, must extend at least four feet below grade or more as structural safety requires, and must be preservative-treated to the Indiana Building Code's standard for structures.

Planks covering the inside fence face above grade must be at least one and three-fourths inches thick, placed together and securely spiked or bolted to the posts. Masonry retaining walls need foundations extending at least two feet below grade and must meet the Indiana Building Code's foundation and bearing-wall requirements. 090, separately requires prior written approval from the Vanderburgh County Drainage Board before any retaining wall is built in a drainage easement or combined public utility/drainage easement.