Severna Park, MD Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

Anne Arundel County Inspections & Permits enforces the 2018 IBC (as amended by Maryland) for retaining walls. Walls 4 feet or less from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, without a surcharge, are exempt from building permit. Walls over 4 feet or any wall supporting a surcharge (driveway, pool, structure, or slope above) require a permit with plans sealed by a Maryland-licensed professional engineer. Drainage (weep holes, geotextile, clean gravel backfill) is required for all walls. Walls in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area 1,000-foot buffer (tidal waters of the Severn, Magothy, South, West, Rhode, and Patuxent Rivers, Chesapeake Bay, Stony Creek, Bodkin Creek) must meet RCA/LDA impervious-cover caps and disturbance limits, and often require Critical Area Commission or county Office of Planning and Zoning review. Walls within a FEMA floodplain must comply with Article 16 floodplain standards and not displace flood storage. Setback: a minimum 2 feet from any side/rear property line is typical; front-yard walls over 30 inches may be limited by sight-triangle rules.