# About NYC Retaining Walls | Licensed Retaining Wall Contractor

> About NYC Retaining Walls: the walls we build and repair, the codes and methods we work to, how a job runs and how we price it. Free site visit. Call today.

URL: https://nycretainingwalls.com/about/

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# About NYC Retaining Walls

Retaining walls are the whole job here: repair, stabilization, rebuilds and new walls, built to the code and to engineer-stamped plans where the wall needs them.

![Gloved hands setting a gray stone into a dry-laid natural stone retaining wall](https://nycretainingwalls.com/images/hands-placing-stone-in-dry-laid-retaining-wall-riverdale-800.webp)

[NYC Retaining Walls](https://nycretainingwalls.com/) is a licensed and insured retaining wall contractor that repairs, stabilizes, rebuilds and builds retaining walls in all five boroughs of New York City. That's the entire focus — not decks, roofs or kitchens. A retaining wall holds back soil and water that want to move downhill, and in NYC it often does that on a 1920s lot, next to a sidewalk, above a driveway or along a lot line shared with a neighbor. This page covers the work itself: what we do, the standards behind it, how a job runs and how the price is built.

## What we do

Four kinds of work, all on upland retaining walls (not seawalls or bulkheads):

-   **Repair** — cracks, repointing, loose stone and block, caps, and [drainage retrofits](https://nycretainingwalls.com/retaining-wall-drainage/) that take the water pressure off a wall. See [retaining wall repair](https://nycretainingwalls.com/retaining-wall-repair/).
-   **Stabilization** — helical, tieback and deadman anchors for walls that lean or bulge but can be held in place. See [leaning retaining wall repair](https://nycretainingwalls.com/leaning-retaining-wall-repair/).
-   **Replacement** — demolition and rebuild of walls past repair, including rotted [railroad tie walls](https://nycretainingwalls.com/railroad-tie-retaining-wall-replacement/).
-   **New walls** — [segmental block](https://nycretainingwalls.com/block-retaining-walls/), [poured concrete](https://nycretainingwalls.com/concrete-retaining-walls/) and [natural stone](https://nycretainingwalls.com/stone-retaining-walls/), on hillsides, along driveways and between terraces.

We also do the repairs a Local Law 37 report calls for. We don't sign those reports — that's a Qualified Retaining Wall Inspector's job — but we can connect you with an independent one.

## The standards and methods we work to

The code sets the floor. Walls **4 feet or taller measured from the top of the footing**, or any wall carrying a surcharge such as a driveway, building or sloped backfill, need a DOB permit with plans by a licensed engineer or architect (1 RCNY §101-14). Those walls are built to the stamped plans, and we coordinate the filing.

Walls 10 feet or taller at any point that front a public right-of-way fall under Local Law 37 (Admin Code §28-305.4 and 1 RCNY §103-09); see [retaining wall inspection](https://nycretainingwalls.com/retaining-wall-inspection/). Lot-line walls follow Admin Code §28-305.1. Segmental walls follow the block manufacturer's and the engineer's geogrid and drainage details, concrete follows ACI 318, and every new or rebuilt wall gets a drained backfill zone: ¾-inch clean crushed stone, filter fabric where specified, and a perforated pipe that daylights.

## How a job runs

1.  **You call or send photos.** A live person answers, Mon–Sat, 7am–7pm, and we aim to call back within 1 business hour.
2.  **Free site visit**, usually within 3 business days. We measure length, height and lean, map cracks, check drainage and look up the property's DOB records.
3.  **Written, line-item price**, usually within 2 business days of the visit, with any engineering and permit steps spelled out. Over $500, NY General Business Law §771 requires a written contract, and you get one.
4.  **The work, then closeout photos** of the footing, drainage and reinforcement before they're buried.

Our [illustrative replacement walkthrough](https://nycretainingwalls.com/blog/block-retaining-wall-replacement-start-to-finish/) shows each step on a typical block wall.

## How we price

Retaining walls are priced by the square foot of wall face — length times exposed height — with demolition, disposal, access and engineering as separate lines. Published 2026 cost guides adjusted by the RSMeans NYC index (129.1) put segmental block at about **$20–$45 per square foot of face**, poured concrete at about **$26–$65**, and minor repairs at about **$325–$1,600**. Those are estimates, not quotes. The [cost guide](https://nycretainingwalls.com/guide/retaining-wall-cost-nyc/) shows the sources and the [cost estimator](https://nycretainingwalls.com/tools/retaining-wall-cost-estimator/) gives a starting range in about a minute.

## Service area and how to reach a person

We work in all five boroughs — Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan — with neighborhood pages where the ground or the permit data gives a reason for one. See [service areas](https://nycretainingwalls.com/service-areas/). To talk to someone, call us or use the [contact form](https://nycretainingwalls.com/contact/); either way a person, not a phone tree, picks it up.

How we work

1.  01
    
    Measure before we price
    
    Height, length and lean get measured with a level and tape on the first visit, so the scope rests on numbers, not impressions.
    
2.  02
    
    Fix the cause
    
    Most walls fail from trapped water. A repair that doesn't deal with drainage is a patch, and the price should say which one you're buying.
    
3.  03
    
    Price in writing, line by line
    
    Demolition, disposal, access, engineering and the wall itself appear as separate lines, so you can compare bids on the same terms.
    
4.  04
    
    Build to the plans and the code
    
    Walls 4 ft and up, or carrying a surcharge, are built to engineer-stamped plans under a DOB permit. No shortcuts around the filing.
    

## About us, _briefly._

**### Does NYC Retaining Walls do Local Law 37 inspections?**

No. A Local Law 37 report has to be signed by a Qualified Retaining Wall Inspector — a NYS-licensed professional engineer with three years of retaining wall experience, approved by DOB. A contractor can't sign it, and neither can an architect. We do the repairs the report calls for, and we can connect you with an independent QRWI if you don't have one.

**### Do you design retaining walls in-house?**

Walls under 4 feet with nothing loading them can be built without engineered plans, and we size those to the block manufacturer's guidance. Walls 4 feet or taller from the top of the footing, or carrying a driveway, building or sloped ground, need plans from a licensed engineer or architect and a DOB permit. We build to those stamped plans and coordinate the filing.

**### What does the free site visit include?**

About 45 minutes on site: we measure the wall's length, exposed height and lean at several points, map and photograph cracks, check weep holes and drain outlets, and look at what sits above the wall. We also check DOB records for open violations and the Local Law 37 flag. A written, line-item price usually follows within 2 business days.

Start with _the wall._

Free site visit and a written, line-item price.

[Book a free site visit](https://nycretainingwalls.com/contact/) [Call (718) 555-0100](tel:+17185550100)

Callback within 1 business hour · Mon–Sat, 7am–7pm