Texas City, TX Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

Section 161.006 is two sentences long. The city requires a permit for any retaining wall, regardless of height, so there is no height below which a wall is exempt. Retaining walls more than two feet in height require engineered plans. The section does not say who must stamp the plans, so the Building Official's application forms and procedures under Section 161.004 are the place where those details are set.

Section 161.002 defines a retaining wall as a wall designed or constructed to resist the lateral pressure of soil in an area where there is a desired change in ground elevation. That definition turns on function, so a wall built to hold back soil is a retaining wall whether it is a raised garden bed edge, a terrace or a wall along a lot line.

The general permit rule in Section 161.003(A) also names any type of retaining wall as a structure that cannot be erected, constructed, reconstructed, altered or repaired without first obtaining a permit. Section 161.003(B) lists the triggers: new installation, addition to an existing installation, relocation in whole or part, changes in materials, changes in height and repairs which are not exempt. The exempt repair definition in Section 161.002 is written for maintenance to an existing fence, so a retaining wall repair should be treated as a permit matter.

The application steps in Section 161.004 apply. The Building Official issues the forms and procedures, the application must show authorization by the current property owner, proof of ownership and proof of identification are required, contractors doing the work must be registered with the city, and the permit fee is collected with the application under the building inspections fee schedule. Section 161.011 provides that specific requirements in Chapter 159 (subdivisions) or Chapter 160 (zoning) prevail over the fence chapter in a conflict.