Georgia Retaining Wall Engineering and Permit Requirements

DIY Retaining Wall offers engineering services in Georgia.

Note, many municipalities refer to retaining wall designs to be sealed by a “Georgia Registered Structural Engineer”, however, what they mean is a licensed professional engineer (PE) with a structural focus. In Georgia, only structures defined as “designated structures” by the Georgia PELS Board require a Structural Engineer (PE), and this excludes retaining walls.

The Georgia State Minimum Standard states:

Retaining walls that are not laterally supported at the top and that retain in excess of 24 inches of unbalanced fill shall be designed 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.

The IRC 2018 R404.4 states:

Retaining walls that are not laterally supported at the top and that retain in excess of 48 inches of unbalanced fill, or retaining walls exceeding 24 inches in height that resist lateral loads in addition to soil , shall be designed by accepted engineering practice to ensure stability against overturning.

Below is a table showing additional permitting and engineering requirements for some counties and cities in Georgia. Note, just because the city or county does not require engineering does not mean you should forgo consulting with an engineer. Any wall greater than 4-ft (or 2-ft with a surcharge) requires a design by an engineer or prescribed engineering publication. Check out this post for all the other scenarios where an engineer is recommended. In addition, most Georgia municipalities have banned the use of timber and railroad ties for all engineered retaining walls.

County or CityRequires PermittingRequires EngineeringOther Notes
Acworth4 Ft. or supporting surcharge4 Ft. or supporting surchargeNo slopes greater than 3:1; no wood
Alpharetta4 Ft. or supporting surcharge4 Ft. or supporting surchargeWood allowed
AtlantaMandatory for all heights4 Ft.Must use engineering publications for heights less than 4 ft.
Baldwin4 Ft.4 Ft. or slopes >3:1 or surcharge
Bartow County3 Ft. or 2 Ft. w/ surcharge3 Ft. or 2 Ft. w/ surchargeRequires a Structural Retaining Wall Certificate.
Butts County4 Ft.4 Ft.
Canton4 Ft.4 Ft.
Cherokee County3 Ft.4 Ft.
Cobb County2.5 Ft.2.5 Ft.A Photo ID of business owner and copy of Business License required for contractors.
Columbia County4 Ft.4 Ft.
Dawson County4 Ft.6 Ft.Has adopted the IBC.
Dawsonville6 Ft.6 Ft.
Decatur4 Ft.4 Ft.
DeKalb CountyMandatory for all heights4 Ft. & tiered wallsWood walls only allowed for heights <4 ft. Review checklist.
Duluth4 Ft.4 Ft.
Dunwoody4 Ft.4 Ft.
Effingham CountyMandatory for all heightsMandatory for all heightsRequires zoning approval for all heights
Floyd County4 Ft.4 Ft.
Forsyth County6 Ft.6 Ft.
Fulton County4 Ft.6 Ft.For 4′-6′, an Owner Certification/Indemnification is required
Greene County4 Ft.4 Ft.
Gwinnett County 4 Ft.Requires a Structural Retaining Wall Certificate.
Habersham CountyN/A4 Ft.
Hall County4 Ft.4 Ft.
Haralson CountyN/A4 Ft.
Heard County4 Ft.4 Ft.
Jackson County4 Ft.4 Ft.
Johns Creek4 Ft.4 Ft.
Lumpkin County5 Ft.6 Ft.Other Requirements: maximum slope of 3:1 before a retaining wall is required; no smooth faced block or concrete
Marietta4 Ft.4 Ft.Requires Contractor form.
Milton4 Ft.4 Ft.**Walls between 4-6 ft. can have a Wall Indemnification Agreement with published engineering literature in lieu of engineering. See additional info
Norcross4 Ft.4 Ft.
Roswell6 Ft.6 Ft.Unified Development Code: Walls required where slopes would otherwise exceed 2:1; Property Owner Indemnification ; permit
Sandy Springs4 Ft.6 Ft.Permit
Smyrna4 Ft.4 Ft.
South Fulton4 Ft.6 Ft.
Sugar HillMandatory for all heights4 Ft.Other requirements
Suwanee4 Ft.4 Ft.
Woodstock4 Ft.4 Ft.
The table above was adopted from Retaining Wall Companies. You can find phone numbers for all the above mentioned city/county permitting departments on their website.