Passaic County does not regulate residential retaining walls. Your municipality's zoning code sets height and placement, and the NJ Uniform Construction Code (N.J.A.C. 5:23) can require an engineered design and construction permit for taller walls. Where a wall affects county-road drainage, the County Planning Board may review it as part
For homeowners, retaining walls are a municipal matter under the Municipal Land Use Law; each town sets any height, setback and permit requirements. Separately, the NJ Uniform Construction Code (N.J.A.C. 5:23) commonly requires a construction permit and often a licensed engineer's design for retaining walls over a threshold height (frequently around 4 feet, per your town's construction official). The one genuine county touchpoint: under N.J.S.A. 40:27-6.2 and 40:27-6.6, if a project drains to a county road or county drainage facility, the Passaic County Planning Board's subdivision/site-plan review applies — but single-family residential site plans are excluded from that county review. For a typical backyard wall, work with your municipal construction and zoning offices.
Municipal construction/zoning enforcement handles unpermitted or failing walls (stop-work, fines, correction orders). The county has no penalty for residential retaining walls.
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