Richland, WA Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

Richland Municipal Code § 12.12.010 makes it unlawful to construct a retaining wall in any city street right-of-way without a permit from the public works director, and the fee for each permit is $40.00. This chapter governs walls built in the right-of-way itself, not general residential landscaping walls set entirely on private property. Under § 12.12.020, the application must go on city forms and show the wall's type and location, the start and completion dates, and an undertaking to hold the city harmless from liability tied to the wall's construction, maintenance, or failure.

Section 12.12.030 lists three mandatory refusal grounds: the fronting street isn't yet fully improved (unless the director finds the wall won't interfere with a future street improvement); the wall would create a traffic hazard by obstructing visibility; or, where the street is improved but no sidewalk fronts the property, the wall would sit closer than four feet from the curb. Under § 12.12.040, the city can require the property owner to remove a right-of-way retaining wall at any time it's needed to improve the street or reach a public utility system; if the owner doesn't act within 30 days of notice, the city may remove it and bill the owner.

Per § 12.12.050, the city owes no reimbursement for loss or damage from that removal. Development Services and the public works director administer these permits, and enforcement runs alongside the city's broader right-of-way rules under Chapter 12.08 for any work that also disturbs city infrastructure.