Stonecrest, GA Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

Section 5.4.7(B)(4) of the Stonecrest Zoning Ordinance sets the baseline: a newly constructed retaining wall on a single-family lot cannot rise above four feet from finished grade, and an existing wall being repaired or replaced can be rebuilt no taller than its original height. The same subsection requires the entire wall structure, footer included, to stay off the adjoining lot, drainage to be properly conveyed on both sides of the wall under state and city codes, and a construction and maintenance easement from the neighboring owner where the wall needs one.

Two variance paths exist. If exceptional topography not created by the owner makes a four-foot wall impractical, the director of planning can grant an administrative variance adding up to two feet, for a maximum of six feet, on a certified field-run site plan or topographic map from an engineer or landscape architect. Beyond six feet, only the Zoning Board of Appeals can approve a variance, following the same site-plan requirement, and the ordinance is explicit that no variance of any kind may push a retaining wall past eight feet.

Table 5.3, Fence and Wall Standards, restates these numbers alongside the parallel rule for freestanding fences. Section 5.4.7(D) also bars retaining walls built of exposed common concrete block, tires, junk, pallets, railroad ties, loose stone, or vinyl, materials commonly used for cheap backyard grading fixes.