Building a retaining wall along the property line requires research and planning. Follow all state and city or municipal building codes and regulations to ensure your project adheres to safe construction guidelines. If you are considering putting up a retaining wall, follow several steps that will help make the project go right and will not cause issues with your neighbors or the county, get the building permits and it will be ok.
The regulations regarding what is allowed and what is not in structural constructions in Tampa are relatively clear compared to other legal regulations.
Before you start any design or construction of the project, hire professionals who can assess the project site correctly, along with building permit experts to ensure everything goes smoothly.
Building permits for retaining walls
Retaining walls may require a building permit from your local city or building department, if you need to know about Florida or Tampa, just contact Suncoast, building permit experts to help you.
State municipal codes require specific measurements for walls that exceed a certain height, do your homework and find these specifications. It is important to read the guidelines carefully, since this height can refer to the height of the wall from the foot to the top, not only the height above the surface of the ground. Make sure you are aware of the building code requirements for enclosures and walls before drafting up plans for your retaining wall.
Checking your local municipal building codes will give you information on the type of retaining wall components allowed. For example, codes and standards may differ between the use of stone or concrete or brick masonry when building a wall in your area. Allowable footing size and reinforcement spacing, or reinforcement used for the wall may also be specified by your city building code office.
In many cases, and depending on the region, you need to submit certain requirements that a specialized building permit company can take care of.
Among the documents and requirements you need to provide your local building department with detailed plans for your retaining wall to be granted permission. These documents include the blueprint and show the height and location of your intended retaining wall.
You must also show a detailed construction plan for the wall and approval by a Certified Structural Integrity Engineer of your apartment building’s wall calculations or code inspectors.
Why is a retaining wall necessary?
A retaining wall is necessary to prevent the land of houses located on the slopes from sliding, thus preventing accidents that may cause the loss not only of buildings but also of human lives. It is important that you do not neglect any aspect of the retaining wall.
A retaining wall can be made of different materials, for example, reinforced concrete, cyclopean, or stone. The type of material chosen will depend on the area where the house will be. In that sense, the material will be approved by the structural engineer.
Retaining walls in the garden or patio enhance the landscaping beauty of your outdoor spaces while providing functionality. Retaining walls can also work as flower walls, a cover for foundations or prevention to keep the steeply sloping land from slipping and eroding during the period of excessive rainfall. How you build a retaining wall depends on the use of your wall.
Construction of retaining wall without authorization
Making extra construction work in homes or commercial premises requires compliance with safety regulations by local authorities, and not following these requirements can carry serious penalties that would affect the pocket and the well-being of the property.
In fact, Florida law requires obtaining a municipal or county permit, depending on the jurisdiction where the property is located.
If you do not get the corresponding building permit, you will face sanctions. They are usually quite expensive mistakes since Florida requires special permits to make this type of change, so to avoid these inconveniences it is best to have experts in building permits like we are at Suncoast Permits.
