Residential Retaining Wall Permit

The purpose of all retaining walls is to hold soil behind them. However, the specific needs will vary depending on the project. An approved residential permit by the Building Division might be required for a retaining wall depending on the scope and scale of the wall.

General Guidelines for a Residential Retaining Walls:

Retaining walls that are not laterally supported at the top and that retain in excess of 48 inches (1219 mm) of unbalanced fill, or retaining walls exceeding 24 inches (610 mm) in height that resist lateral loads in addition to soil, shall be designed in accordance with accepted engineering practice to ensure stability against overturning, sliding, excessive foundation pressure and water uplift. Retaining walls shall be designed for a safety factor of 1.5 against lateral sliding and overturning. This section shall not apply to foundation walls supporting buildings.

Note: All work shall comply with the 2021 International Residential Code.

Apply Online

Review Requirements

Review Submittal Requirements  

The following is required for permit submittal via the Customer Self-Service (CSS) portal.

  1. Location –
    a. Address – address must be listed in system, if not available please contact Building Inspections.
  2. Type –
    a. Provide brief description of work, square feet, valuation (as applicable)
  3. Contacts –
    a. Provide contacts such as applicant, contractor, owner, architect, etc.
        i. Applicants must be registered to use CSS portal
        ii. Contractor must be registered as “General Contractor” to work in the city

4. More Info –
    a. Describe work in more detail: (Example: 5’ high landscape block retaining wall 12’ in length along rear of property)

5. Attachments – *Plans Required for Submittal

    a. *Site Plan – Typically a survey provided at time of sale of property or site plan drawn to scale, must be dimensioned indicating property lines, easements, roadway(s) drives, existing and proposed structures

    i. Proposed retaining wall structure must be shown on plan in relation to property lines and existing structures
    b. *Architectural/Structural Plan – Design shall be in compliance with the latest adopted IRC and shall be signed and stamped by a Texas licensed Engineer.
    c. Drainage Plan – Depending on scope of project, a drainage plan may be requested to show compliance of the cities Unified Development Code, Article 14.
    d. Miscellaneous Plan/Documents – Other related documents as may be needed. (Examples may include Load calculations or GEOtech report)

Apply Online

You can apply online for a building permit through the City of Grand Prairie's Customer Self-Service portal. First time users will need a valid email address to set up an account. It takes about 5 minutes to create a new account.

Apply Online

What next?

After completing the online application, permits are processed in approximately 5-10 business days. Depending on updates needed from the applicant, as this can result in longer approval times.

Phone / In Person

You are welcome to call or visit in person for help submitting your online application.

Phone: 972-237-8230

Email: information@gptx.org

Location:
City Hall - Building Inspections Division
300 W. Main Street
Grand Prairie, Texas 75050

Business Hours:
8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday

Fees

Inspections

Residential – Retaining Wall

  • All inspections shall comply with the 2021 International Residential Code.
  • Work shall not be done beyond the point indicated in each successive inspection without first obtaining approval. (Ref. 2021 IRC, 109.4)
  • Inspection requests shall be the responsibility of the permit holder or their agent to notify the Building Inspections Division using the customer self-service portal when work is ready for inspection and shall provide access to and means for inspection of work.
  • In addition to inspections in Sections R109.1.1 through R109.1.4, Building Inspections shall have the authority to make or require any other inspections to ascertain compliance with the adopted code and other laws enforced by the jurisdiction.
  • Additional forms and reports may be required as part of the inspection process. For convenience, an inspection attachment guide is available.
  • For reference and efficiency, an inspection process guide(PDF, 532KB) is available with the typical inspections associated with this permit type.
  • Please see the typical inspections(PDF, 75KB) link for a Residential Retaining Wall.

 

Contact Info

Physical Address:
Building Inspections Division
300 West Main St.
Grand Prairie, TX 75050

Mailing Address:
Building Inspections Division
P.O. Box 534045
Grand Prairie, TX 75053

Schedule inspection for current project

Phone: 972-237-8230
E-mail: information@gptx.org
Fax: 972-237-8234

Hours:
Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

 

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