Skip to main content
PermitBase

Fence and Retaining Wall Permit in Boulder City, Nevada

Required for fences and retaining walls in Boulder City above the exempt thresholds, reviewed against zoning height/setback standards (Section 11-20-4 of the Boulder City Code) and, for engineered walls, structural requirements per the adopted 2018 IBC/IRC.

Verified 2026-07-03 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Fences without permanent foundations (wood, vinyl, chain-link) under 4 feet in height, and retaining walls not more than 24 inches (2 feet) in height (measured from top of footing to top of wall), are exempt from a building permit — though a courtesy Planning site-plan review is recommended
  • All other fences and walls require a building permit
  • A completed Property Line Agreement for Fences/Walls with the affected neighbor is required if the fence/wall is on the property line; alternatively, a Nevada-registered-surveyor-sealed document confirming the footing is entirely on the applicant's property is acceptable
  • Fence/wall height limited per zone within the required front yard (4' in R1-7/8/10/15 and Mobile Home zones; 6' in R1-20/40/80 'B' Hill subdivision); 6' beyond the required front yard in R and MH zones; 3' maximum within a corner lot's Sight Visibility Zone
  • Walls/fences facing public streets may not exceed 6' on the public-street side; taller retaining/fence combinations must be staggered into segments each ≤6'
  • Rockery walls require structural analysis and a geotechnical report by Nevada-registered engineers plus special inspections; CMU walls require footing, pre-grout, and final inspections (damp-proofing inspection also required for retaining walls)

Required documents

Check off what you have — your progress is saved on this device.

Not ready yet — 0 of 1 required documents checked.

This checker covers one permit. A full project usually triggers several — our checklist will assemble all of them, free →

Fee schedule

Building Permit Fee — Table A, valuation-based2026 Administrative Code, Table A
$27.00 minimum ($1-$500), scaling per Table A of the 2026 Administrative Code
CMU Block Wall / Fence valuation (for owner-declared valuation)2020 Fee Schedule, 'Common Unit Costs'; 2026 Administrative Code Table H
$6.50 per square foot
Retaining Wall (CMU or Concrete) valuation2020 Fee Schedule, 'Common Unit Costs'; 2026 Administrative Code Table H
$15.00 per square foot
Ornamental Iron / Chain-Link Fence valuation2020 Fee Schedule, 'Common Unit Costs'; 2026 Administrative Code Table H
$5.00 per square foot
Wood / Vinyl Fence valuation2020 Fee Schedule, 'Common Unit Costs'; 2026 Administrative Code Table H
$4.00 per square foot

Review timeline

Plan reviewBoulder City’s published plan-review target
14–21 business days

How long did your Fence and Retaining Wall Permit permit actually take in Boulder City?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Footing

    Required before backfill for wood/vinyl, chain-link, wrought iron, and engineered walls

  2. 2

    Pre-Grout (CMU only)

    Required for CMU block walls before grouting

  3. 3

    Final

    Completed fence/wall verified against approved plans

See the full Boulder City inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • The plan review timeframe for a first review of a Fence and Retaining Wall permit is 2-3 weeks. Source: City of Boulder City Fence and Retaining Wall Permit Submittal Checklist (02/16/2021 V1).
  • Exempt-from-permit thresholds: fences under 4' (no permanent foundation) and retaining walls under 24" — but a courtesy Planning review is still recommended.
  • Retaining walls are not counted toward fence/wall height limits except where the wall faces a public street.
  • Your front property line along a street is often NOT at the back of the sidewalk — city right-of-way can extend 4'6" to 9'6" further back; verify with Community Development or Engineering before finalizing plans.

Frequently asked questions

Fences constructed of vinyl, chain link, or wood, and less than 4 feet in height, do not require a permit. Retaining walls less than 2 feet in height are also exempt. All other fences and walls require a building permit. Source: City of Boulder City Frequently Asked Questions and Fence and Wall Guide (updated 10/07/2021).

In Boulder City, the published Building Permit Fee — Table A, valuation-based is: $27.00 minimum ($1-$500), scaling per Table A of the 2026 Administrative Code. Additional published fees: CMU Block Wall / Fence valuation (for owner-declared valuation) — $6.50 per square foot; Retaining Wall (CMU or Concrete) valuation — $15.00 per square foot; Ornamental Iron / Chain-Link Fence valuation — $5.00 per square foot; Wood / Vinyl Fence valuation — $4.00 per square foot. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Boulder City's published plan-review target for a fence and retaining wall permit is 14–21 business days.

You'll need: Fence and Retaining Wall Permit Submittal Checklist. Depending on your project, Boulder City may also ask for: Property Line Agreement for Fences / Walls; SNBO Regional Standard Details / Structural Calculations / Geotechnical Investigation Report. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Boulder City requires 3 inspection(s) for a fence and retaining wall permit, in order: Footing, Pre-Grout (CMU only), Final. Schedule each through City of Boulder City Community Development Department, Building and Safety Division ((702) 293-9282).

Apply through City of Boulder City Community Development Department, Building and Safety Division at 401 California Avenue, Boulder City, NV 89005. Phone: (702) 293-9282, email: buildingpermits@bcnv.org. Office hours: Monday through Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (excluding holidays); applications submitted after office hours are processed the next available work day. Inspection scheduling hotline: (702) 293-9327 or buildinginspections@bcnv.org; inspection requests must be received by 3:30 p.m. for next-business-day scheduling (no Friday/weekend/holiday inspections).. Official information: https://www.bcnv.org/163/Building-Permits.

Boulder City, Nevada has adopted: Nevada has no mandatory statewide building code; NRS 701.220 requires the Nevada Governor's Office of Energy (GOE) to adopt, on a triennial basis, the most recently published International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) as a statewide ENERGY floor only — local governments may not adopt an energy code less stringent than the GOE-adopted IECC edition, but building-code editions for structural/life-safety codes vary city-by-city under home rule. The 2024 IECC was adopted by the GOE effective August 18, 2024, as the current statewide energy floor. Source: NRS 701.220 (Nevada Revised Statutes, Chapter 701 — Energy Policy), https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-701.html; Nevada Governor's Office of Energy, Building Energy Codes / State Adoption Status, https://www.energy.nv.gov/programs/building-energy-codes/state-adoption-status/. Confirm your city's specific adopted energy-code edition — Boulder City's own adopted edition is documented separately below and is older than the current statewide floor edition (a home-rule city choice, not a floor violation, since IECC 2018 was the floor at the time of Boulder City's last code-cycle adoption).; Boulder City runs its own independent building-permit program (Community Development Department, Building and Safety Division) — it is NOT administered by Clark County. Verified via the City's official Building and Safety Division page and the City's own Administrative Code, fee schedule, and permit-submittal-checklist library, all published on bcnv.org. Source: City of Boulder City Building and Safety Division, https://www.bcnv.org/163/Building-Permits; 2018 International Building Code (IBC), with Southern Nevada Building Code Amendments — applies to buildings other than single-family residential homes and townhomes (2026 Administrative Code Section 101.5.1). Source: City of Boulder City Permit Fee Schedule and Valuation Table (eff. 8/3/2020) 'Currently Adopted Codes/Standards' list, and Residential New Construction (Custom) Permit Submittal Checklist (02/16/2021 V1) 'Applicable Codes' section; 2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — governs additions/modifications to existing buildings (2026 Administrative Code Section 101.5.2); 2018 International Residential Code (IRC), with Southern Nevada Building Code Amendments — applies to single-family homes and townhomes (2026 Administrative Code Section 101.5.3); 2018 Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC), with Southern Nevada Building Code Amendments — Nevada's Southern Nevada jurisdictions use the Uniform Mechanical Code, not the International Mechanical Code; 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), with Southern Nevada Building Code Amendments — not the International Plumbing Code; 2017 National Electrical Code (NEC), with Southern Nevada Building Code Amendments; 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC), with Southern Nevada Building Code Amendments; 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), with Southern Nevada Building Code Amendments — this is Boulder City's own locally adopted energy-code edition (older than the current 2024 IECC statewide floor under NRS 701.220; confirm current status with Building and Safety before relying on this edition for new submittals); 2012 International Fire Code (IFC) per the 2020 Fee Schedule flyer; the 2026 Administrative Code Section 101.5.9 separately lists 'the currently adopted International Fire Code' generically without repeating the edition year — the 2012 edition is the last edition year found published by the City; Southern Nevada Amendments apply to all the above codes per 2026 Administrative Code Section 101.5.10 ('the provisions of the currently adopted Southern Nevada Amendments shall apply to all matters of all of the above mentioned codes'); City of Boulder City Building and Safety Division Administrative Code, 2026 edition — the local administrative/procedural code (permit application, fees, inspections, exemptions); contains substantial copyrighted material from the 2012 IBC per its title page. Source: https://www.bcnv.org/DocumentCenter/View/16731/2026-Building-and-Safety-Division-Administrative-Codepdf; All of the above code editions and amendment references are confirmed current via the City's Permit Submittal Checklists (each dated 02/16/2021 V1, and independently re-served live from bcnv.org as of this review) for Residential New Construction (Custom), Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical, Demolition, Fence and Retaining Wall, Renewable Energy System Residential PV, and Residential Accessory Building — all list the identical 2018/2018/2018/2017/2018 code-edition set with Southern Nevada Amendments, corroborating the 2020 Fee Schedule flyer. Local amendments apply — see the Boulder City overview page for the full list.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-03.

Fees, timelines, and adopted codes are researched from each jurisdiction's published records — see how we verify. Requirements change and vary by project, so always confirm the current details with the Boulder City building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

Other permits in Boulder City

Residential Building Permit (New Construction — Custom)Residential Addition / Remodel PermitElectrical PermitEV Charger / EVSE Installation PermitPlumbing PermitMechanical / HVAC PermitRe-Roofing PermitRenewable Energy System — Residential Photovoltaic (PV) PermitDemolition PermitSign PermitFire Sprinkler / Fire Alarm System Installation PermitCertificate of Business Occupancy (Change of Use / Business License)Commercial Building Permit (New Construction)Commercial Tenant Improvement (Commercial – Remodel Permit)

Fence and Retaining Wall Permit in other cities

Elko, NevadaFernley, NevadaLyon County, NevadaNye County (Unincorporated, incl. Pahrump), NevadaAlamosa, ColoradoApache Junction, ArizonaAspen, ColoradoBasalt, Colorado

Compare fence and retaining wall permit fees across Nevada →

Look up this fee in a different city →

Embed this data card →

Now live

Build your Boulder City project checklist

Describe your project once and get every permit, document, and fee it triggers in Boulder City — in one checklist. Free, for any city and any number of projects.

Get started →