Oakland, CA Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

140(B)(1) excludes retaining walls from its own height limits, so retaining walls get their own dedicated standard instead of the 42-inch to 8-foot tiers that apply to fences and hedges. Two narrow exceptions let a wall exceed 8 feet. 260(A) allow, and the wall's top rises no higher than needed to retain the existing grade. 136, and only if the wall's top is no higher than necessary and the wall is sited behind buildings, other structures, or existing grade so it is screened from adjacent lots and the street; where screening is only partial, dense landscaping must be installed and maintained to cover the remaining visible portion.

Subsection B requires at least 4 feet of separation between the exposed faces of multiple retaining walls on a site. Subsection C requires any retaining wall visible from the street or an adjacent lot to be finished in a decorative material, treatment or finish, such as stained or stuccoed concrete, decorative concrete block, wood, stone or masonry, or another finish the Director of City Planning approves; a wall counts as not visible only if buildings, structures or existing grade fully screen it from the street, alley, private way or adjacent lots.