Story County, IA Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

Story County Code of Ordinances § 88.07(1) folds retaining walls directly into its fence-height standard rather than setting a separate rule: in the case of retaining walls or supporting embankments, the height requirements apply to the ground surface of the retained embankment. That means a retaining wall in the A-1, A-2, A-R, R-1, R-2 or RMH districts follows the same limits as a fence on a residential lot, up to eight feet in side and rear yards, and up to four and a half feet within the required front-yard setback. As with fences, that front-yard limit can be raised to six feet if the wall is built non-view-obscuring, no more than 50 percent opacity, once it exceeds four and a half feet. In every other zoning district, the flat eight-foot yard limit that applies to fences applies to retaining walls as well.

The ordinance measures the height from the ground surface of the retained embankment, so a wall holding back a slope is measured from the lower, downhill grade rather than the top of the fill. This chapter doesn't set out a separate structural-engineering or building-permit standard for retaining walls; walls are regulated through the same zoning permit process, § 92.11, that applies to other yard structures, and taller or structurally significant walls remain subject to whatever building-code requirements apply outside the Land Development Regulations.