Sampson County, NC Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

Sec. 2-3-05.B(10)(b) pulls any retaining wall, sidewalk, or driveway that places fill inside a regulated floodway or non-encroachment area (NEA) into the stricter standards of Sec. 2-3-05.F. Under that section, no fill, new construction, or substantial improvement is allowed in a floodway or NEA unless the applicant either (a) submits a hydrologic and hydraulic engineering analysis to the Floodplain Administrator, before permit issuance, demonstrating the wall will cause no increase in base-flood flood levels, or (b) obtains a FEMA-approved Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR) and then a final Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) within six months of finishing the work.

Once either path is satisfied, the wall must still meet every other flood-hazard-reduction standard in the ordinance, including anchoring against flotation and collapse under Sec. 2-3-05.A(1) and flood-resistant materials. The same 2-3-05.F limitation also reaches fences that could block floodwater flow, such as stockade or wire-mesh fencing under Sec. 2-3-05.B(10)(a), and roads, bridges, culverts, and low-water crossings under Sec. 2-3-05.B(10)(c), so a retaining wall project along a driveway or road approach in the floodway can trigger more than one of these encroachment reviews at once.