PlainPermit

Do I need a permit for a retaining wall in Washington, DC?

Short answer: It depends on the details for a retaining wall in Washington, DC (for example: Over 4 ft: permit).

Last verified: · Confidence: high · Status: Verified from official source

Not legal advice. Always confirm with your local building department. Rules change, and your parcel's zoning, HOA, historic district, floodplain or utility work can change the answer. We show the official source and the date we last checked it so you can verify for yourself.
Depends on your project Confidence: high

At a one- or two-family home, retaining walls up to 4 ft (bottom of footing to top) with under 50 sq ft of land disturbance need no permit. Taller walls need one.

What changes the answer

Cost

Fee not extracted; see DC DOB fees. Unverified, confirm locally

Fee source: https://dob.dc.gov/page/get-permit

Where to apply

DC Department of Buildings (DOB) online permits

Permitting authority: District of Columbia Department of Buildings (DOB). Covers the District of Columbia. Historic districts remove most exemptions. Work in public space (including many front yards and alleys) needs a separate DDOT public space permit. See also: how to apply for a building permit.

Official sources

“Retaining walls that are not over 4 feet (1219 mm) in height, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, for one- and two-family dwellings only where the area of land disturbance is less than 50 square feet”

Source: https://dob.dc.gov/page/get-permit

Verified: · Status: verified · Confidence: high

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Other projects in Washington

Retaining wall permits in other cities

Compare retaining wall permit rules in all 25 cities · All District of Columbia cities