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Retaining Walls · San Francisco, CA
Garcia's Landscape & Hardscape builds poured concrete and block retaining walls in San Francisco, with drain rock and pipe behind every wall. On the city's steep lots, many walls hold back a driveway or the house above, which means a DBI permit and engineered plans at any height.
Retaining Walls in San Francisco
A San Francisco wall up to 4 feet tall, measured from the bottom of the footing, with nothing above it but soil, generally needs no building permit. Add a driveway, building or slope above it, or go taller, and DBI requires a permit and a licensed engineer's design.
Many backyards can only be reached through a garage or side passage. Poured concrete walls formed on site work well when large block deliveries can't reach the back of the lot.
San Francisco's winter storms saturate the soil behind old walls. We place drain rock, filter fabric and perforated pipe behind the wall so water drains instead of building pressure.
Block, poured concrete and wood retaining walls that hold back soil on sloped lots, with gravel backfill and drain pipe behind the wall so water can't build up pressure.
Public Works handles anything in the sidewalk or street; DBI handles retaining walls and structures. Work fully on private property, such as a backyard paver patio, usually needs no permit.
| Location / item | Limit |
|---|---|
| Sidewalk, curb or driveway apron repair | Owner's duty; Sidewalk Repair Permit (Public Works Code §706) |
| Pavers or permeable paving in the sidewalk | Special Sidewalk Surface Permit |
| Retaining wall over 4 ft (bottom of footing to top) | DBI permit + engineered design |
| Retaining wall holding back a driveway, building or slope | DBI permit + engineered design at any height |
| New landscape 500 sq ft+ / modified 2,500 sq ft+ | SFPUC Water Efficient Irrigation Ordinance |
| WaterSense irrigation controller (SFPUC customers) | Rebate up to $250 each, max. 2 |
| Concrete block (segmental) | Poured concrete | |
|---|---|---|
| Look | Textured block faces and caps | Smooth or formed face; can be clad in stone |
| Typical use | Garden terraces and lower walls | Taller walls, tight lots and walls next to driveways |
| Build | Stacked units, no curing time | Forms, rebar and curing time |
| Drainage | Gravel and drain pipe behind the wall | Gravel, drain pipe and weep openings or a drain |
We look at the height, what the wall will hold back and where the water goes.
Walls over 4 ft from the bottom of the footing, or holding back a driveway, building or slope, need a permit and engineered plans.
We dig the trench and build the footing or leveling pad the wall sits on.
We set the block or pour the wall, and add drain rock and pipe behind it as it goes up.
We backfill in lifts, cap the wall and restore the planting area.
Up to 4 feet measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, as long as it doesn't support a surcharge such as a driveway, building or slope. Anything taller, or with a surcharge, needs a DBI permit and engineered design.
Most often because water builds up behind them. Old walls without drain rock or a drain pipe take on heavy pressure in wet winters, then lean or crack.
Usually yes. On tight San Francisco lots we can form and pour concrete in place or move block by hand through a side passage or garage.
Garcia's Landscape & Hardscape builds retaining walls projects across San Francisco and nearby cities. Estimates are free.
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