Marysville wall, exemption, and grading rules
A retaining wall taller than four feet needs a permit in Marysville, and so does a wall holding back a surcharge. The city’s wall handout measures height from the underside of the footing to the top edge. Stamped calculations from a structural or geotechnical engineer are required for either trigger, and a wall above the height trigger needs a design by a professional engineer holding a Washington license. The exempted-work handout lists sidewalks, driveways, and decks 30 inches or less above ground, with no basement or lower level below, as exempt, and it exempts walls up to four feet unless they carry a surcharge or hazardous liquids. The city’s documents do not fully agree on walls: the permit table lists no retaining-wall permit, and the fences handout does not state that exemption, so the department confirms the wall answer for each address. Grading and excavation are not listed as exempt. The permit table sets a grading permit for land disturbance of 50 yards or more, with the unit confirmed with city staff. Stormwater follows MMC 14.15, which adopts Ecology’s 2019 Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington with local changes.
Nearby, we also build in Arlington, Everett, Lake Stevens, and Snohomish, and we serve the rest of western Washington.