Wyoming, MI Fence Regulations: Retaining Walls (2026)

Wyoming, Michigan's Zoning Ordinance folds retaining walls into the general site-improvement permit table rather than giving them a stand-alone chapter. Sec. " Sec. 90-502(2) defines that abbreviation: approvals come from the planning commission (PC), city council (CC), city planner (CP) or building official (BO) depending on the activity, and specifies that reviews handled by the city planner or building official are administrative rather than a Planning Commission hearing. That means a homeowner or contractor building a retaining wall does not need a full site plan submission or public hearing, but does need the building official to review and sign off on a sketch plan before construction.

Where a retaining wall doubles as a parking-lot screen under the city's form-based code standards, Sec. 90-1913 (Division 9, Off-Street Parking Standards) adds that if the wall is exposed to view from the public realm it must meet the same wall-screen rules as any other screening wall: permanent, low-maintenance material such as concrete, brick or architectural block, minimum 80 percent opacity, no unpainted concrete block, and a height of not less than 36 inches nor more than 48 inches, with decorative elements such as piers or pilasters to avoid a blank appearance.

Retaining walls tied to new construction, additions or grading changes are also reviewed as part of any required full site plan under Article 5, where the city engineer checks drainage and grading.