Concrete Retaining Walls in Burien, WA

Retaining walls in Burien: what to know

The building code exempts a retaining wall four feet or less, measured from the top of the wall to finish grade, as long as it carries no surcharge. A driveway or building above it counts as one. The same section removes every exemption in critical areas, steep slopes, landslide hazard areas, flood hazard areas, and shoreline, which takes in the bluffs and ravines the county’s hazard plan flags.

On those slopes, water matters as much as height. The geotechnical report on the December 2015 slide north of Seahurst Park looked at slope pitch, soil permeability, and how water moves through the soil, and found the slope likely to stay unstable for months because of precipitation. Where Burien requires a study, a qualified engineer or geologist prepares it.

Permits and rules in Burien

The Permit Center takes wall applications, and Community Development reviews critical areas. The building code’s scope also leaves out retaining walls and similar structures that Public Works regulates, approves, and inspects, which can matter for a wall at the street edge. Before we quote, we confirm with the Permit Center how the city measures your wall’s height and whether your parcel’s mapping removes the four-foot exemption.

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

How we approach it

Measure exposed height and load above the wall before relying on four feet
Pull the critical areas map and the 50-foot hazard distance first
Route wall drains to a legal outlet, never over the slope face
Ask whether Public Works regulates any wall at the street edge

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 Burien

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

Questions from Burien homeowners

How tall can a retaining wall be in Burien without a permit?

Under the building code’s wording, four feet measured from the top of the wall to finish grade, if nothing above it adds load. That exemption does not apply in critical areas, steep slopes, landslide hazard areas, flood hazard areas, or shoreline. Taller walls, and walls carrying a driveway or building, need permits and engineered plans.

Do I need a geotechnical report for a wall on a sloped Burien lot?

If the lot touches a mapped landslide or erosion hazard, probably. The county’s hazard plan says new construction in landslide areas requires certified geotechnical analysis, and the city’s code has a qualified engineer or geologist prepare required studies. Your parcel’s mapping decides.

Can I build a retaining wall at the front edge of my Burien lot?

That edge may be public right-of-way, and work there falls under the city’s right-of-way use code. The building code also leaves out walls that Public Works regulates. We confirm where your property line sits and which department reviews the wall before drawing it.