Piscataway, NJ Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

Piscataway Township Code § 21-3 defines RETAINING WALL as a structure constructed and erected between lands of different elevations to protect structures and/or to prevent erosion, a definition that applies throughout the Township's zoning ordinance. The Building Division's construction permit fee schedule at § 14-1.3 sets the actual permit trigger: a retaining wall over four feet, and where required by the Uniform Construction Code, is charged at $27 per $1,000 of construction cost with a $75 minimum fee, the same rate applied to fences over six feet, decks, and general renovations and alterations.

That fee is due before the Construction Official's Building Division issues the permit, and it is added to whatever other subcode fees apply if the wall is part of a larger project, such as a pool enclosure or site grading. Because the fee schedule ties the requirement to the UCC's own threshold rather than setting an independent Township height limit, a wall four feet or under, or one the UCC classifies as exempt, does not trigger this particular fee line, though it may still require review under the Township's separate stormwater, floodway, or zoning provisions for walls near a water control structure or floodway.