New Britain, CT Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

The City's fence and wall rules live in Section 230-100 of the Zoning Ordinance. Section 230-100.10 sets a schedule of maximum fence and wall heights by district, measured separately inside and outside the required front yard; for example, the S-1, S-2 and S-3 single-family districts allow zero feet in the front yard itself but six feet elsewhere on the lot, while the B-2 and B-3 business districts allow up to eight feet outside the front yard. Section 230-100.20 then addresses the special measurement problem a retaining wall creates: because the ground level differs on each side, the height is measured from the average of the two ground levels, and the ordinance explicitly allows any fence or wall built on the uphill side of a retaining wall to reach at least four feet regardless of what the Section 230-100.10 schedule would otherwise permit.

Retaining walls are also affirmatively allowed to project into an otherwise unobstructed required yard under Section 230-40-30, which exempts them from the rule that yards must stay open to the sky. For larger grading projects, Section 230-220-110.40 lets the City Plan Commission or Zoning Enforcement Officer require landscaping along the base of a tall ledge wall or retaining wall to reduce its visual impact. The Zoning Ordinance does not set a separate maximum retaining wall height or a stand-alone engineering-certification requirement in this chapter; taller walls fall instead under the City's Building Code review administered by the Director of Licenses, Permits and Inspections.