Retaining wall permit checklist — Memphis, Tennessee
Assembled from Memphis’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?
Memphis requires a permit for a retaining wall.
The Section R105.2 list as amended by Joint Ordinance No. 569 waives the permit for an earth-retaining wall of 3 feet (914 mm) or under, measured upward from finished grade at the base, unless something adjacent loads it from behind; the ordinance names permanent buildings and public roadways as examples and does not close the list. A free-standing wall carrying no such load gets a higher ceiling: 4 feet (1220 mm) by the same measurement. Skipping a permit does not license work that violates the code or any other law or ordinance of the jurisdiction.
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Sources
- retaining wall — fee schedule ↗verified August 2026
Other permits Memphis 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 Memphis before you build.