Retaining Wall Engineering Requirements

For taller walls it will also be necessary to utilize a soil engineer or geologist to ensure the surcharge of the soil is retained by the proper type of retaining.

Retaining wall engineering requirements. Design and build your retaining wall to slope at a minimum rate of. A registered engineer should be engaged to design retaining walls of any height that are part of a terraced slope or that include sloping grades either behind the wall or in front of it or walls that are adjacent to other building structures. To determine if an engineering plan is needed for your retaining wall project take the time to evaluate the following. 1 10 retaining wall design calculations should follow good engineering judgment and or standard design methodologies such as allan block ncma aashto or fhwa.

Retaining walls definitions a retaining wall is a wall designed to resist lateral earth and or fluid pressures including any surcharge in accordance with accepted engineering practice. Preparing a troublesome site one that includes clay soil or a natural spring for example can raise costs substantially. Of a retaining wall is measured from grade on the lower side of the retaining wall to the top of the retaining wall exposed height e sdmc 113 0270 b 2. A variety of wall types such as poured concrete walls concrete or masonry block walls sheet pile walls and others can then be designed and built to achieve the desired outcome.

This definition also applies to freestanding pool walls. If you have your retaining wall built figure about 15 per square face foot for a timber wall 20 for an interlocking block system or poured concrete and 25 for a natural stone wall. San diego municipal code chapter 14 article 2 division 3 regulates the location and the height of the retaining walls in the required setbacks and in the visibility area as follows. The folsom municipal code adopts by reference the 1997 uniform building code ubc.

A wall that leans into the soil it retains is less likely to be pushed outward by soil pressure than a plain old vertical wall. All methodologies should follow standard minimum design safety factors. How tall is your wall. During my many years of providing technical support for retain pro software it became increasingly apparent that many engineers infrequently design retaining walls and need some brushing up particularly on code requirements.

The design of retaining walls is not an every day design task. Engineering department requirements for retaining wall building permit applications in accordance with 112 26 of the code of the town of smithtown retaining walls of any character shall not be built within the town unless a permit is obtained for its construction. Most municipalities require a building permit and a design from a licensed engineer if your wall is taller than 4 feet high measured from the bottom of the first block to the top of the last block.