Puyallup, WA Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

005(2)(a), Retaining Walls and Required Perimeter Landscaping, caps retaining wall height and sets minimum setbacks specifically to limit the bulk and visual impact of walls near property lines. The standards apply within 30 feet of any property line, except for retaining walls on preexisting single-family lots, which are exempted from this subsection. Along a front or street side yard property line, a retaining wall must sit back at least eight feet from the line, and no single retaining wall within that 30-foot band may exceed three and one-half feet above finished grade.

If a project terraces its walls, at least six feet of stepback is required between terraced walls, and no more than three stepped walls, each capped at three and one-half feet, may be placed within 30 feet of a front or street side line. Along rear or side property lines the numbers loosen: the setback drops to six feet, the per-wall height cap rises to six feet above finished grade, the same six-foot stepback between terraces applies, and again a maximum of three stepped walls is allowed within the 30-foot band.

Every retaining wall subject to this subsection, front or rear, must also be fronted by a Type I visual barrier landscape buffer under the city's vegetation management standards (VMS) manual. 58's landscaping requirements, tracing to Ordinance 2147 (1987) and amended through Ordinance 3130 (2016).