Official Georgia City & County Engineering Regulations for Retaining Walls

Municipal employees: please submit changes here to city or county retaining wall engineering regulations. Thank you!

Locate your city or county in the index table below to find the applicable retaining wall engineering regulation and building permit requirements. This Georgia retaining wall engineering regulation index table includes the telephone numbers for every city hall and county courthouse in the state of Georgia. Retaining wall engineering regulations and building permit requirements are updated frequently, so contact your city or county. Request to be transefered to the building department, planning and zoning, and your city or county engineer. Ask if additional paperwork such as topographical surveys and site maps are required to permit retaining wall replacement or construction projects.

N/A = Not Applicable
M = Mandatory

Frequently Asked Questions:

Do retaining wall regulations in Georgia require an engineering plan and/or building permit?

Yes. New residential and commercial retaining walls and replacement retaining walls must be engineered and receive a valid building permit by the appropriate governing municipality, as seen above.

Do retaining walls built within Georgia require site inspections?

Yes. New and replacement retaining walls require in-person site inspections by the appropriate city or county inspector during the retaining wall construction process. Upon approval of each stage of retaining wall construction, the inspector will stamp the building permit paperwork. As a property owner, you should check the inspections are being performed and the approval stamps are being applied to your paperwork which should always be present in the permit box. Expect stamps for the retaining wall footing inspection, the rebar and concrete form inspection, and a final stamp once the retaining wall forms are removed and the backfill is completed per the retaining wall engineer’s plan.

As your project progresses, check your retaining wall site inspection paperwork for inspection stamps. If the retaining wall footing was completed without a site inspection, your contractor may be avoiding the site inspections. This may lead to a fine and/or a cease and desist notice. Ultimately, all work being performed is the responsibility of the property owner.

If you discover a “failure” inspection stamp on the paperwork, contact your corresponding city or county engineer’s or inspector’s office at the number above to learn why the inspection failed.

Do retaining walls built within Georgia require certification?

Sometimes. Retaining wall certification is a guarantee that provides legal recourse should the retaining wall prematurely fail due to the engineer’s planning. Certain municipalities within the state of Georgia require that new and replacement retaining walls be certified by the engineer as part of the building permit application process.

Do I need certification for my retaining wall project?

Yes. It is advisable to obtain retaining wall certification for new and replacement retaining walls over two feet in height. Esteemed retaining wall companies who have distinguished themselves as highly-reputable industry leaders include engineering certification with every new and replacement retaining wall.