Retaining wall permit checklist — St. Louis, Missouri
Assembled from St. Louis’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?
St. Louis requires a permit for a retaining wall.
The Building Division's Guidelines for Drawing Residential Retaining Wall Plans states that a permit is not required for small residential retaining walls eighteen inches or less in height and complying with the attached design criteria, and notes that the retaining walls shall not be subject to any surcharge loading from steep slopes, driveways, swimming pools or other structures.
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Sources
- retaining wall — permit rules ↗verified August 2026
Other permits St. Louis 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
- Fence 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 St. Louis before you build.