Concrete Retaining Walls in Silverdale, WA

Retaining walls in Silverdale: what to know

The county’s building permit brochure, revised 12/11/2025, exempts an upland, non-shoreline wall of 4 feet or less, taken from the footing’s underside up to the wall’s top edge, when it does not support a surcharge such as a road, building, or tank, or any combustible or flammable liquid. A wall over 4 feet needs a permit, and so does a wall carrying a surcharge. The exemption does not reach shoreline parcels.

Drainage behind a Silverdale wall is designed on the same drawing. Water is collected at the heel and carried through a drain layer to an outlet. A site work connection to a public storm drainage system needs its own permit under KCC 12.10.030(2), so the outlet is confirmed with county staff before the drawing is filed.

Permits and rules in Silverdale

Before quoting, we check each wall’s height from its footing, then note every surcharge and how far it sits back from the face. A wall over 4 feet, any wall carrying a surcharge, and any wall on a shoreline parcel fall outside the exemption and go forward with the permit package. We confirm the drainage outlet with county staff in writing before the drawings are filed.

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

How we approach it

Take each wall’s height from its footing’s underside
Measure each surcharge’s distance back from the wall face
Check the parcel for shoreline status before the quote
Confirm any public storm connection with county staff

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 Silverdale

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

Questions from Silverdale homeowners

Which Silverdale walls stay outside the county permit line?

On an upland, non-shoreline parcel, a wall of 4 feet or less stays outside the permit line when no surcharge such as a road, building, or tank, or any combustible or flammable liquid, bears on it. Walls on shoreline parcels fall outside that exemption, so they go forward for review.

What if a road or building sits behind a Silverdale wall?

A surcharge can change the result. The brochure names a road, a building, or a tank as one, so we measure any structure or load behind the wall before stating an answer. The exemption is lost whenever a surcharge bears on the wall, even at 4 feet or less.

How is the drain outlet for a Silverdale retaining wall checked?

We confirm it with county staff in writing. A connection to a public storm drainage system needs a permit under KCC 12.10.030(2), and the outlet is drawn on the wall section before the plans are filed. The outlet stays pending until the reply arrives.