Parker, CO Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

Section 13.08.090(n)(6) of the Parker Municipal Code governs retaining walls as part of the Land Development Ordinance's fence and wall standards. Height is capped at six feet for a Residential, Public, Institutional, Civic or Commercial use, and at eight feet for an Industrial use, though the Planning Director may approve an increase to eight or twelve feet, respectively, if the wall uses high-quality materials, is screened by a building or landscaping, and sits at least twenty-five feet from any public or private right-of-way or open space; the Director of Engineering/Public Works can separately approve taller walls for public or private right-of-way projects.

Any retaining wall over four feet requires a Building Permit under Section 13.08.090(n)(2), and every wall must be reviewed and approved by the Town for engineering adequacy before construction. Design is constrained too: terracing is limited to two tiers, the terrace between any two vertical walls must be at least five horizontal feet wide and permanently landscaped, and the wall face must use stone or masonry block in earth-colored materials that match the surrounding natural landscape. All retaining walls must also comply with the adopted Building Code.

Because retaining walls are used specifically to reduce the steepness of man-made slopes and create planting pockets for revegetation, Community Development ties the height and terracing limits to the site's grading plan reviewed during the Site Plan process.