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Council approves notice of pending ordinance on retaining walls and building height
Summary
Herriman staff presented a notice of pending ordinance aimed at regulating retaining walls and how grading affects building height; council approved Resolution R04-2025 to notify applicants while staff drafts specific code language.
City planning staff and building officials presented a notice of pending ordinance on Jan. 22 to address large retaining walls and the calculation of building height where grade changes have been used to alter apparent elevations.
Todd (planning staff) described an example submitted by a neighbor that included a substantial retaining wall between two homes (staff estimated the wall to be roughly 20 feet tall and later participants referenced a figure near 26 feet); the neighbor’s concern centered on safety, aesthetics and the way grading can be used to increase a home’s measured height. Planning staff said current city code measures building height by averaging a low and high point and that the city does not have detailed standards limiting how retaining walls may be used to change grade and thereby affect height.
Staff outlined goals for draft code language: require stepped or terraced retaining walls rather than single, large lifts; clarify limits for residential zones; require engineered, stamped plans for walls of a certain height; and improve inspection and special‑inspection signoffs to reduce the risk of as‑built conditions diverging from engineered plans. Staff also noted that large, engineered walls already require structural review and stamped plans but that additional code clarity and inspection guidance would help prevent safety and neighborhood‑integrity issues.
Councilmember Sherry moved to approve Resolution R04-2025 providing notice of the pending ordinance; the motion was seconded and passed on recorded votes. Staff emphasized the resolution is notice only — applicants may still submit permits but do so knowing code changes are under consideration and under the risk that new rules could apply if the council adopts them later.
Next steps: Staff will prepare draft ordinance language and bring it to the Planning Commission and council for public hearings and adoption. The resolution does not change current permitting rules; it notifies applicants that code changes are in process.
