Concrete Retaining Walls in Lacey, WA

Retaining walls in Lacey: what to know

Lacey’s amendment exempts a wall no taller than 4 feet, measured from its footing to its top, as long as no surcharge presses on it and it does not hold back a Class I, II, or IIIA liquid. The residential amendments in section 14.04.016 sit in a part we have not reached, so we ask the city about a single-family wall before we price one.

Behind the wall, water is collected in a clean rock layer and piped to an outlet that stays clear of the neighbor’s lot. The outlet is checked against the 2022 stormwater manual under Chapter 14.27, and its route is recorded on the section with its distance to the nearest lot line.

Permits and rules in Lacey

We measure the wall from the footing to its top and list every surcharge by kind and distance from the face. We confirm the exempt-list answer with the city in writing before pricing, and we verify the outlet route against the stormwater manual before the section is finalized.

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

How we approach it

Note the footing elevation at each end of the wall
Tally every surcharge and its distance from the face
Route the drain outlet clear of the road and lot lines
Write the backfill grade and pipe size on the section

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 Lacey

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

Questions from Lacey homeowners

How tall can a Lacey retaining wall be before the exemption stops?

Our reading of the amended list stops at 4 feet. A surcharge on any wall, or a Class I, II, or IIIA liquid behind it, removes the exemption at any height, and taller walls fall outside it. The residential treatment of a single-family wall is a question we put to the city in writing.

Do parked cars near a Lacey wall change its review?

We record any parked vehicle or stall within a wall’s reach as a load, measure its distance from the face, and show that offset on the site plan. The city’s answer on whether it counts as a surcharge is requested in writing.

Which outlets are acceptable for a Lacey wall drain?

An outlet on the parcel that can handle the flow, chosen while the design is still open. We check its clearance from property lines and storm inlets, and the chosen spot appears on the drawing before submittal.