Woodland, CA Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

Woodland Municipal Code § 17.64.030(C)(1) sets the Building Permit trigger for retaining walls at 36 inches, or three feet, in height, the same section that requires a permit for any fence or wall over six feet; a retaining wall reaching that height must go through § 17.100.130's Building Permit process, which brings City review of the wall's engineering, footing and drainage before construction. Subsection D.1, Fence and Retaining Wall Combinations, addresses the common case where a retaining wall built to correct a grade difference carries a fence on top: normally a six-foot maximum height fence applies, but where the fence sits directly atop the retaining wall, the Director may approve a combined fence-and-wall height of up to eight feet, measured from the midpoint of the retaining wall to the top of the fence.

If the fence is instead offset from the retaining wall by at least three feet, the code measures the fence's height independently from finished grade rather than combining it with the wall, letting a property owner keep the full separate fence allowance on top of the wall's own height. Because the combined-height provision is Director-approved rather than automatic, applicants document the grade differential and wall design as part of the Building Permit submittal, and the retaining wall itself must still meet the § 17.64.030(D) setback and, where applicable, the encroachment-permit requirement of § 17.64.030(C)(2) if it sits in the public right-of-way.