Do I need a Permit for retaining wall construction?

The reason of every retaining wall permit should be to safeguard what you appreciate most – your family and your home. Defective retaining wall installations may cause property damage, flood damage and structural instability. But permits and inspections help safeguard your loved ones from these potentially deadly mistakes. Permits also help you stay away from costly repairs later on and preserve your biggest financial investment – the house. When selling the house, you might be required to fully disclose all remodeling work and whether or not permits were obtained. With permits and inspections, you will probably have a smoother closing process, free of last- minute problems, inspections and repair work if the house isn’t up to code. So insist on permits.

Retaining walls ought to be avoided if possible. If a retaining wall is needed, please note that in most cities:

When the retaining wall construction is above. 6m(24”) need a Building Permit.

If the retaining wall exceeds 1. 22m(4’) tall, then the drawings submitted with the Building Permit application must be prepared and sealed by a Professional Engineer.

Most Building Code requires a protective barrier for instance a railing or fence if there is a difference in elevation to the adjacent surfaces over. 6m(24”) . The railing needs to be a minimum of. 9m(36”) in height to prevent accidental falls from one level to the other. If the difference in elevation between the two surfaces exceeds 1. 8m(5. 9’) , the protective barrier needs to be at least 1. 07m(42”) in height.

Retaining wall construction is not permitted on city property or utility rights- of- way. City property includes road rights- of- way and also the adjoining boulevard in addition to municipal and environmental reserves.

A retaining wall and its foundation must not encroach onto City property, your neighbor’s property or onto a utility right- of- way.

Retaining wall construction can change established lot grades which can hinder established lot drainage. The Land Use Bylaw forbids directing surface drainage onto you neighbor’s property. Corrective measures could be necessary at your expense.

While a properly constructed retaining walls is more unlikely to fail(for example collapse, crack, or topple) there is still a possibility that failure may happen. The failure will affect your investment and may cause costly repairs which you the owner are responsible to pay for.