Concrete Retaining Walls in Tumwater, WA

Retaining walls in Tumwater: what to know

Tumwater adopts the 2021 International Building Code and International Residential Code with Washington amendments. The exempt excerpts we read name sheds and fences and say nothing about retaining walls, so a wall’s status depends on the city’s answer for that height and load, which we request in writing along with any surcharge rule the city applies.

Water behind a wall is gathered at the heel, carried through clean drain rock to a pipe, and discharged to an outlet that stays off the neighbor’s lot and the street. We check that outlet against the stormwater standards TMC 17.16.010(D) points to, and we record its route and its distance to the nearest property line on the section.

Permits and rules in Tumwater

Height is taken at the footing and carried up to the crest, and every load is listed by type and by its distance from the face. Before pricing, we confirm the wall’s status with the city in writing, and we verify the outlet against the stormwater standards 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

Take the height at the tallest run, footing to crest
List every load behind the wall by distance from the face
Confirm the wall’s status with the city in writing
Route the drain outlet off neighbor lots and the street

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 Tumwater

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

Questions from Tumwater homeowners

At what height does a Tumwater wall draw city review?

The city’s answer governs, and the excerpts we read do not state a wall height. We request the height and surcharge rule in writing, and we take the measurement from the footing up so the answer applies to the right dimension.

Does a Tumwater wall next to a driveway need its own review?

The city’s answer decides it. We measure the offset from the wall face to the nearest tire path, show that distance on the site plan, and ask the city how a vehicle load on the top of the wall is treated.

Where does the water collected behind a Tumwater wall end up?

On your own parcel, at an outlet well clear of the street and the neighbor’s yard. We set the outlet route on the section before the packet goes in, with its distance from the property line noted.