Pocatello, ID Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

This standard is part of the Site And Building Development Guidelines in section 17.05.140, which apply whenever a lot's natural slope exceeds 15 percent under the applicability trigger in section 17.05.120(A) and which follow the preapplication conference and geotechnical review process set out in sections 17.05.130 and 17.05.140(A)(5). Subsection (A)(8) requires that where a retaining wall or other structure stabilizes a cut or fill, its design should follow the slope's natural contours rather than create an abrupt, unnatural edge. Any proposed retaining wall or structure greater than four feet in height must be submitted with engineered drawings meeting the adopted building codes before it can be built, and where a slope needs more than one wall, the multiple wall groupings must keep at least equal lateral run to vertical rise so a single tall wall is not disguised as a series of short ones stacked close together.

The rule sits alongside the chapter's broader slope-disturbance limits, including the density and site-disturbance table at section 17.05.140(B), which together aim to keep grading and retaining structures from overwhelming the visual character of Pocatello's hillsides.