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Montgomery County Retaining Wall Permit Cost (2026)

Building a retaining wall in Montgomery County, Maryland, can require a building permit, and the fee is pulled directly from the official Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services (DPS) residential construction fee schedule. Montgomery County prices a residential retaining wall as a flat $194.67, regardless of the wall length or height. Maryland has no statewide percentage levy, so there is no Virginia-style 2% add-on. The published schedule carries a printed effective period of FY2022 (July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022), so confirm current rates with DPS before budgeting.

Retaining Wall Permit (any size)
$194.67 flat
State / Local Percentage Levy
None (Maryland has no statewide levy)
Length / Height Dependence
None - flat regardless of size
When a Permit Is Required
Height/structural thresholds - confirm with DPS
Sediment Control / Engineering
May apply separately (not priced here)
Fee Status
Official schedule - FY2022 printed date, verify current rates
What This Guide Covers - and What It Does Not

This guide covers: Montgomery County, Maryland residential retaining wall building permit fees as published in the DPS residential construction fee schedule. A retaining wall is a flat $194.67 regardless of length or height. This building permit covers the structural side of the wall.

This guide does NOT cover: Sediment-control permits, stormwater management review, and structural engineering review that DPS may require for taller or load-bearing walls are not priced here. Whether your wall meets the height or structural threshold that triggers a permit - that determination is made by DPS and is not a dollar figure. Zoning and setback approvals. HOA approvals. Contractor labor and material costs.

Important note on fee schedule age: The DPS AllFees.pdf currently published carries a printed effective period of July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022 (FY2022) - more than 24 months old. Confirm the current retaining-wall fee with DPS at 240-777-0311 before relying on any figure for a load-bearing budget.

When a Montgomery County retaining wall permit is required: Montgomery County lists a retaining wall as a permitted item with a set fee, but whether a specific wall requires a permit depends on height and structural thresholds set in county code. Confirm whether your wall requires a permit, and whether sediment control or engineering review applies, with DPS before assuming an exemption. This guide does not state a height threshold because that determination is made by DPS, not by the fee schedule.

Key Takeaways
  • Montgomery County bills a residential retaining wall at a flat $194.67 - the wall length and height do not change the building permit fee.
  • By coincidence, $194.67 is the same flat fee Montgomery charges for a deck of 500 sq ft or less - both are set residential-construction line items on the DPS schedule.
  • Maryland has no statewide percentage building-permit levy, so there is no 2% add-on like Virginia's USBC levy. The $194.67 is the building permit charge for the wall structure.
  • Taller or load-bearing walls may trigger separate sediment-control, stormwater, or structural-engineering review through DPS. Those are not priced here and are not part of the $194.67.
  • At $194.67, Montgomery's retaining-wall permit is well above Carroll County's $60 retaining-wall fee (category E, walls over 48 inches).
  • The DPS schedule carries a FY2022 printed effective period. Montgomery County may have adjusted rates since then. Always confirm the current retaining-wall fee with DPS at 240-777-0311 before filing.
Open the Permit Fee Calculator All Montgomery County Permit Fees

Montgomery County Retaining Wall Permit Fee Structure

Montgomery County uses a flat-fee line item for residential retaining walls. There is no per-linear-foot rate and no percentage levy - the single $194.67 fee is the building permit charge for the structural side. Sediment control, stormwater, and structural-engineering review, where DPS requires them for taller walls, are billed separately.

Item Building Permit Fee How It Is Calculated
Retaining wall (any size) $194.67 Flat fee. Applies regardless of wall length or height.
Sediment control / stormwater review Separate (if required) May apply to taller or load-bearing walls - confirm with DPS.
Structural engineering review Separate (if required) May apply to engineered walls - not priced here.
State / local percentage levy None Maryland has no statewide USBC-style percentage levy. No 2% add-on.

Source: Montgomery County DPS residential construction fee schedule (AllFees.pdf), retaining walls line ($194.67). Printed effective period FY2022 (July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022). Sediment control, stormwater, and engineering review, where required, are billed separately. Confirm current rates with DPS before filing.

Worked Examples - Real Retaining Wall Projects in Montgomery County

Each example uses the same flat $194.67 fee for the building permit. Because Montgomery prices a retaining wall as a flat fee, the building permit cost does not change with the wall length or height - it is $194.67 either way. Sediment-control or engineering review, where DPS requires it, is separate and not priced here.

Example 1: 40-foot block wall, 3 feet tall

A homeowner builds a 40-foot segmental block retaining wall, 3 feet tall, to level a sloped back yard in Silver Spring.

  • Retaining wall flat building permit fee = $194.67
  • Maryland percentage levy: $0.00 (none)
  • Building permit subtotal: $194.67

Confirm with DPS whether a 3-foot wall meets the threshold that requires a permit - the fee is set, but the requirement depends on county code.

Example 2: 80-foot wall, 5 feet tall (engineered)

A homeowner builds a longer 80-foot wall, 5 feet tall, that requires engineering. The building permit uses the flat fee, and any engineering or sediment-control review is separate.

Building permit (structural):

  • Retaining wall flat fee = $194.67
  • Maryland percentage levy: $0.00 (none)
  • Building permit subtotal: $194.67

May apply separately:

  • Structural-engineering and/or sediment-control review - determined by DPS, not priced here

PermitPrice does not estimate the engineering or sediment-control amounts because they are determined case-by-case by DPS and are not part of the building permit fee data verified for this page.

Example 3: 120-foot terraced wall, no per-foot escalation

A homeowner builds a long 120-foot terraced wall. Because Montgomery has no per-linear-foot tier for retaining walls, the longer wall does not change the building permit fee.

  • Retaining wall flat fee = $194.67
  • Maryland percentage levy: $0.00 (none)
  • Total all-in building permit: $194.67

Unlike per-linear-foot jurisdictions, Montgomery has no length-based escalation for retaining walls - a 40-foot and a 120-foot wall are both $194.67 for the building permit.

Montgomery County Retaining Wall Cost vs Other Verified Jurisdictions

Montgomery's $194.67 flat retaining-wall permit is on the higher end of the verified Maryland cluster. The comparison below mixes fee bases, and engineering or sediment-control review is excluded everywhere because it varies by wall design.

Jurisdiction Retaining Wall Fee Basis Typical Building Permit
Montgomery County, MD $194.67 flat $194.67
Carroll County, MD $60 flat (category E, over 48 in) $60.00
Baltimore County, MD structure-category fee - confirm with PAI verify

Montgomery prices a retaining wall at a set $194.67; Carroll charges a flat $60 for retaining walls over 48 inches (category E). Baltimore County does not publish a single residential retaining-wall line on the building permit schedule - confirm the applicable structure-category fee with PAI. Neither Maryland county adds a state levy. Engineering and sediment-control review are excluded everywhere. Montgomery figures carry a FY2022 printed effective period. For the Virginia picture, see the Virginia retaining wall permit guide.

Side-by-Side Math

See how Montgomery compares head-to-head against its Maryland neighbors.

Frequently Asked Questions

A Montgomery County residential retaining wall building permit costs a flat $194.67, regardless of the wall length or height, because the county prices a retaining wall as a single set fee. Maryland adds no statewide percentage levy. Sediment-control or structural-engineering review may apply separately for taller walls. These figures come from the DPS schedule carrying a FY2022 printed effective period; confirm current rates with DPS at 240-777-0311.
Whether a specific wall requires a permit depends on height and structural thresholds set in county code, and that determination is made by DPS. This guide does not state a height threshold because the fee schedule sets only the dollar amount, not the trigger. Confirm whether your wall requires a permit with DPS at 240-777-0311 before assuming an exemption.
No. Montgomery County has no per-linear-foot or per-height tier for retaining walls. A 40-foot and a 120-foot wall both pay the same flat $194.67 building permit fee. Taller engineered walls may, however, trigger separate engineering or sediment-control review.
No. Maryland has no statewide percentage building-permit levy. In Virginia, every permit carries a mandatory 2% USBC state levy on top of the local fee. In Montgomery County, the $194.67 flat fee is the building permit charge for the retaining-wall structure - there is no percentage add-on.
By coincidence, Montgomery County's $194.67 retaining-wall fee matches its $194.67 fee for a deck of 500 sq ft or less - both are set residential-construction line items on the DPS schedule. They are separate permits for separate work; the matching dollar amount is just how the schedule is structured. See the Montgomery County deck guide for the deck side.
The figure comes from the Montgomery County DPS residential construction fee schedule (AllFees.pdf) that carries a printed effective period of FY2022 (July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022). Because that printed date is more than 24 months old, we flag a source-age caveat and recommend confirming the current retaining-wall fee with DPS at 240-777-0311 before relying on the figure for a budget.
No. The $194.67 Montgomery retaining-wall permit fee is the county building permit cost only. It does not include any contractor work. A residential retaining wall in the Maryland market typically runs $4,000-$15,000 for the contractor scope depending on length, height, material, and whether engineering is required. The permit fee is a small line item in your overall project budget.

Sources

Official Sources - Recorded June 2026
Next Step

Confirm your specific Montgomery retaining wall permit cost or compare against neighbors.

Always verify with the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services (DPS) before budgeting or filing. The DPS residential construction fee schedule on file carries a printed effective period of FY2022 (July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022). Montgomery County may have adjusted rates since then. Call 240-777-0311 or check the DPS department page to confirm current building permit, engineering, and sediment-control rates before submitting a retaining-wall application.
Disclaimer: All fee information on PermitPrice is for informational purposes only and is not an official permit quotation. Actual permit fees are determined by Montgomery County DPS at the time of application. Fee schedules and permit requirements can change without notice. The published fee schedule carries a FY2022 printed effective period; confirm current rates before relying on any figure. Sediment-control, stormwater, and structural-engineering review are billed separately and are excluded from the figures on this page.

Written by: Munib Ur Rehman

Data verified against official fee schedule documents.