Plantation, FL Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

Under Section 15-52's adopted 1961 minimum specifications, no seawall, bulkhead, retaining wall or other structure that produces a vertical drop in elevation at the edge of a navigable waterway may be built in the city without a permit first being obtained, and that permit requirement reaches private, government and publicly dedicated waterways alike. 00 minimum, due before the permit issues; if the Building Department refers the project to the City's engineering department for review, for example when an isolated seawall or retaining wall is proposed, the applicant also pays a separate review fee and escrows the estimated inspection cost, refundable if the actual inspection costs less.

Section 15-54 requires five sets of engineer-stamped plans showing the location, an up-to-date property survey and ties to the property lines, the total length and dimensions of the wall, and the mean high and low water elevations referenced to the 1929 National Geodetic Vertical Datum. Section 15-51(b)(1)(d) specifically requires an isolated retaining wall along a nontidal canal to carry plans sealed by a Florida-registered professional engineer who certifies the wall will tie into neighboring walls without causing erosion to adjacent property. Design standards under Section 15-57 require the wall to be stable against overturning and sliding, with resistance to sliding of at least twice the computed horizontal thrust and a righting moment at least 50 percent greater than the overturning moment; minimum specifications for concrete panel walls set a 7-inch slab and a 24-inch by 12-inch cap. 5 feet NGVD.