Jefferson County, AL Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

S. Highway 280 Corridor Overlay in unincorporated Jefferson County. Subsection (b) requires that 'the exterior surface of retaining walls shall be compatible with the architecture and site design of the property,' meaning a wall's finish cannot simply be bare poured concrete or block if the surrounding development uses brick, stone, or another approved material. ' A retaining wall under eight feet, or one built where it cannot be seen from public property, is not reached by the screening requirement, though it still must meet the architectural-compatibility rule in subsection (b).

Subsection (a) treats retaining walls as the county's accepted alternative to a graded slope, exempting them from the section's general ban on slopes steeper than a 1:3 rise-to-run ratio. These standards are reviewed with the grading plan required under Sec. 03(i)(1) as part of site plan approval, and the Department of Development Services will not approve a plan, nor will the county issue a building permit, until the retaining wall design documents compliance. As with the rest of Sec. 1502, the standard is limited to the mapped corridor and does not govern retaining walls built elsewhere in unincorporated Jefferson County or inside its cities.