Concrete Retaining Walls in Snoqualmie, WA

Retaining walls in Snoqualmie: what to know

SMC 15.04B.090(C)(4) exempts retaining walls up to four feet tall, measured from the footing’s underside to the wall’s top edge, unless the wall carries a surcharge or holds back one of the three liquid classes named in that subsection. The permit page gives the same four-foot line. A wall outside that line goes to the Building Department before design is locked.

A wall in the public right-of-way is a different track, because SMC 12.19.030(A) names retaining walls among its examples of work that needs a Type A right-of-way construction permit. A wall that reshapes ground near a stream, a wetland, or a flood-hazard area also runs through Chapter 19.12 and the clearing and grading limits in SMC 15.20.030, and we check those before the footing is staked.

Permits and rules in Snoqualmie

We confirm the height from the footing bottom to the wall top, and we ask the Building Department how any driveway, structure, or stored load behind the wall is counted. Walls over the four-foot line go to the Building Department, and any wall in the right-of-way goes to the Type A permit track. The permit route is settled before a price is given.

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

How we approach it

Take height from the footing bottom, not the visible face
Ask how driveways, structures, and stored loads behind the wall are counted
Send any wall in the right-of-way to the Type A permit track
Check Chapter 19.12 limits before a footing is staked on sloped ground

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 Snoqualmie

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

Questions from Snoqualmie homeowners

What is the tallest wall Snoqualmie allows without a permit?

Four feet, measured from the footing’s underside to the wall’s top edge, as long as the wall carries no surcharge and holds back none of the three liquid classes in that exemption. Anything taller falls outside the exemption and goes to the Building Department.

Will a slope on my Snoqualmie lot trigger critical area review?

It can. Critical areas are defined in Chapter 19.12, and the clearing and grading exemption in SMC 15.20.030 does not reach activity in a critical area or its buffer. The parcel’s critical area status is mapped before any grade change is planned.

Where does a Snoqualmie retaining wall drain belong?

Into a drain outlet kept on your own parcel. Water should move away from the ground above the wall, not onto a slope or a neighbor’s yard. The outlet is fixed on the site plan ahead of footing work.