Retaining wall permit checklist — San Bernardino, California
Assembled from San Bernardino’s own published permit rules. Every line below is quoted from a city document and linked to it. Nothing here is generated, estimated, or inferred from another jurisdiction.
Do you need a permit?
San Bernardino requires a permit for a retaining wall.
San Bernardino publishes no local amendment, so the state threshold in CBC/CRC 105.2 as adopted applies: a retaining wall is exempt only where it is not over 4 feet in height measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, does not support a surcharge and does not impound Class I, II or III-A liquids. Freestanding masonry walls follow the same 4-foot rule for non-retaining conditions.
Loading the full checklist…
Sources
- retaining wall — permit rules ↗verified August 2026
Other permits San Bernardino publishes rules for
Listed because the city publishes a separate rule for each type — not because this project necessarily triggers one. Whether it does depends on your scope of work.
- Deck permit checklist
- Shed permit checklist
- Water heater permit checklist
- Re-roof permit checklist
- Electrical work permit checklist
- General building work permit checklist
BuildSpec is a reference, not the authority having jurisdiction. Confirm requirements with San Bernardino before you build.