Del Mar LandscapingLong Beach, CA · Since 1993 (310) 427-9089

Retaining walls and yard drainage in Palos Verdes and the South Bay

Retaining walls, brick, stone and block walls, and yard drainage that moves water away from the house. Hillside lots on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and along Torrance's western and southern edges need walls and drainage planned together, and at Torrance Airport about 96% of the year's rain falls from October through April, so the time to deal with pooling water or a slipping slope is before the storms. Del Mar Landscaping (license #904584) has built walls and drainage since 1993.

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What we do

Retaining walls and yard drainage by Del Mar Landscaping

  • Block retaining walls
  • Brick and stone walls
  • Planter walls and raised beds
  • Yard drainage that carries water away from the house
Block retaining wall along a front yard
Block retaining wall along a front yard
Block planter wall
Block planter wall
Low garden wall with climbing plants
Low garden wall with climbing plants
Retaining wall under construction
Retaining wall under construction

Photos of our own work. More on our project gallery.

Good to know

Retaining wall rules by city

Each city sets its own rules. Checked against city codes and official sources in October 2026. Rules change, so we confirm the details for your lot on the free estimate.

Rancho Palos Verdes. The grading rules allow one upslope wall up to 8 feet, one downslope wall up to 3½ feet, walls in the front or street-side setback up to 3½ feet, and walls beside a driveway up to 5 feet. Moving more than 20 cubic yards in two years, or cuts or fills of 3 feet or more, needs a grading permit, and new slopes can't be steeper than 35%.

Source: RPV Municipal Code 17.76.040

Portuguese Bend landslide area. Inside Rancho Palos Verdes' Greater Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex, the exception for fences, walls and hedges only covers work with no grading and no retaining walls. Roof runoff has to go to the street or an approved drainage course, and lot drainage problems have to be fixed.

Source: RPV Municipal Code 15.20 (2025)

Rolling Hills Estates. Retaining walls can be up to 60 inches, with a 42-inch open safety fence allowed on top. Terraced walls have to be set apart by at least the height of the tallest wall.

Source: RHE Municipal Code 17.06

Palos Verdes Estates. Fences and walls in a setback next to a street can be up to 3 feet 6 inches, and 6 feet 6 inches elsewhere; the Art Jury reviews fences and walls too. Grading, stairways or solid fences on or within 50 feet of a bluff edge need a geologic report.

Source: PVE Municipal Code 18.32 · PVHA applications · PVE Municipal Code 18.04

Torrance. In rear and interior side setbacks no single retaining wall can be over 5 feet; a bigger grade change is terraced, with a landscaped planter at least 2 feet wide between walls. A retaining wall over 3 feet needs a wall or fence at least 3 feet high on top.

Source: Torrance Municipal Code 92.13.1

San Pedro (City of Los Angeles). Only LADBS's small standard wall design can be built without a permit, and not below a slope steeper than 1 in 5. Water has to drain to the street, not across a neighbor's lot. In Hillside Areas, more than two walls, or walls over the code's height limit, need Zoning Administrator approval.

Source: LADBS retaining wall bulletin · LA City Planning: hillside retaining walls

Long Beach. A retaining wall up to 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, needs no building permit unless it holds back sloping soil or extra load. Any retaining wall on a slope steeper than 1:5 (20%) needs a permit.

Source: City of Long Beach permit FAQ

“The backyard looks and functions much better than before and, most importantly, the drainage system works well to channel rain and run off away from our home.”Melissa S. · Backyard redesign · HomeAdvisor
Questions

Retaining walls & drainage questions

Can you fix the drainage and build the wall in one project?

Yes. Retaining walls and yard drainage are one service for us, and we also do the concrete, pavers and planting around them.

When should I fix yard drainage?

Before the rainy season if you can. At Torrance Airport, about 96% of the year's rain falls from October through April, so problems with pooling water show up then.

Source: NOAA 1991-2020 normals, Torrance Airport

Other services

ConcretePavers & patiosLandscape design & installationAll services

Where we work

Palos Verdes EstatesRancho Palos VerdesRolling Hills EstatesTorranceSan Pedro

Free on-site estimate in Palos Verdes and the South Bay

Del Mar Landscaping, family-owned since 1993. California license #904584 (C-27 Landscaping, C-8 Concrete). Se habla español.

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