Concrete Retaining Walls in Buckley, WA

Retaining walls in Buckley: what to know

Our wall measurement starts at the footing and runs to the top of the wall. We check every load behind the wall, including a slope, a driveway, a structure, or stored material, and we note each one on the plan. Where a wall reaches the street edge, the right-of-way rule in BMC 13.35.060(1) applies to any trench, dig, or penetration of a sidewalk, curb, or gutter at that edge.

Drainage behind the wall is kept on the lot. The stormwater facility chapter, BMC 14.40, sets how a facility is inspected and maintained, and we ask the city whether a wall drain tied into a city facility falls under that chapter. We have not confirmed the answer, so that question stays open until city staff reply in writing.

Permits and rules in Buckley

Before the design is released, we check the height from the footing to the top of the wall, we note every load that bears on it, and we confirm whether the wall’s edge touches the right-of-way. A wall that needs a permit waits for the city’s written answer, and no footing is staked until that reply is on file.

Rules change and vary by parcel, so we confirm the current requirements with the city before we start.

How we approach it

Record wall height from the footing line up to the top course
List every load behind the wall, including slopes, driveways, and structures
Confirm whether the wall edge reaches a sidewalk, curb, or gutter
Ask the city in writing whether a wall drain can tie into a city facility

For the full process, see our Retaining Walls page.

Building in the cold months? See our guide to winter concrete pours.

Our retaining walls work, serving Buckley

Examples of our work. We build retaining walls in Buckley and the cities around it. See all of our work

Questions from Buckley homeowners

What wall height avoids a Buckley permit?

We have not confirmed a Buckley height exemption in the code text we read, so we do not quote one. We measure the wall from the footing to the top and confirm the answer with city staff in writing before the footing is staked.

Will the street side of a Buckley wall need a right-of-way permit?

It can. If the wall work trenches, digs, excavates, or penetrates the sidewalk, curb, or gutter, BMC 13.35.060(1) requires a right-of-way use permit first, and no work in the right-of-way starts until the traffic plan is approved under BMC 13.35.190(2).

Where should the drain behind a Buckley wall discharge?

We keep the outlet on the lot and mark it on the site plan before excavation for the footing begins. Whether an outlet can tie into a city stormwater facility is a question for city staff under BMC 14.40, so we ask before any connection is made.