Sherman, TX Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)
Key Facts
- Engineering threshold
- Four feet or greater from base of structure
- Design filing
- To engineering department before construction begins
- Final step
- Engineer of record inspects and sends stamped letter
- Letter recipients
- Building official and engineering department
- Maintenance rule
- Retaining walls kept in good repair, § 3.11.003
- Overlay materials
- Brick, stone, marble or built-up panels in 75 & 82 overlay
Summary
In the City of Sherman, Texas, any structure built to hold dirt or earth is a retaining wall, and a wall four feet or greater measured from the base of the designed structure must be engineered. The engineered design goes to the city's engineering department before construction starts, and the engineer of record inspects and sends a stamped letter.
The following additions, amendments and/or deletions to the International Building Code, 2021 edition, are hereby adopted: ... (6) Retaining Walls. Any structure that is constructed to hold dirt or earth is considered a retaining wall. Such retaining walls must be engineered if the height of the structure is four (4) feet or greater measured from the base of the designed structure. The engineer of record must inspect the retaining wall, ensuring it is to their design and send a letter bearing his or her stamp to the building official and the engineering department. The engineered design must be submitted to the city's engineering department before construction of said wall begins.
Full Breakdown
The rule sits in § 3.03.002(6), the Sherman amendment to the 2021 International Building Code. The definition is functional: any structure constructed to hold dirt or earth is considered a retaining wall, whatever it is built from. At four feet or greater, measured from the base of the designed structure, the wall must be engineered. Three steps follow. The engineered design is submitted to the city's engineering department before construction of the wall begins. The engineer of record inspects the wall and confirms it is built to the design. That engineer then sends a letter bearing his or her stamp to both the building official and the engineering department.
The general permit rule in § 3.01.002 applies to any person who intends to construct a structure, and permit submittals go through the development services department's online portal. Related amendments in the same section add a vehicle barrier of no less than two feet, nine inches in height, designed to resist a concentrated load of 6,000 pounds, wherever a parking area has ground or surface directly below and adjacent that is greater than one foot lower.
Appearance and upkeep are regulated elsewhere. Property maintenance standards in § 3.11.003 state that all fences, gates and retaining walls must be maintained in good repair. In the zoning ordinance, the 75 & 82 overlay district (§ 14.03.001) requires visible portions of retaining walls to be built of brick, stone, marble or built-up panels of those materials designed for exterior use, requires retaining walls to appear on the site plan with elevations, and bars exposed basket type retaining walls. The Blalock Commercial Overlay District (§ 14.03.007) allows brick, stone, concrete or segmental block for the visible portions.
Violations & Fines
Building chapter violations are punishable under § 1.01.009, through § 3.01.008: a fine up to $500.00, or up to $2,000.00 where the rule governs fire safety or zoning, with each day a separate offense. Starting a wall before filing the engineered design, or skipping the engineer's stamped letter, breaches § 3.03.002(6). Work without a required permit also draws an Appendix C administration fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can a retaining wall be in Sherman before it needs an engineer?
When do I submit the engineered design?
Do I have to keep an existing retaining wall repaired?
Are there material rules for visible retaining walls?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sherman
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Sherman to another location·View the Texas fence regulations overview
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