# Retaining Wall Failure Assessment: Is It Failing? | NYC Retaining Walls

> Nine plain-language questions rate your retaining wall from Monitor to Unsafe and flag NYC permit and Local Law 37 rules. Free, no sign-up. Call today.

URL: https://nycretainingwalls.com/tools/retaining-wall-assessment/

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# Retaining wall failure assessment: _is your wall failing?_

[NYC Retaining Walls](https://nycretainingwalls.com/) built this retaining wall failure assessment to sort a wall into one of four levels — Monitor, Repair soon, Urgent, or Unsafe — from nine questions you can answer standing in front of it with a level. It also tells you when NYC's permit rule or Local Law 37 applies.

Question 1 of 9

How tall is the wall at its highest point (ground in front to the top)?

Under 4 ft4 to 10 ft10 ft or taller

## What the levels mean

-   **Monitor:** Nothing you described points to active movement. Photograph the wall twice a year from the same spots, keep weep holes clear, and re-check with a level after big storms and each spring thaw.
-   **Repair soon:** Cracking, seepage or a timber wall nearing the end of its life are cheapest to fix now — usually a repair or a drainage retrofit, not a rebuild.
-   **Urgent:** Growing lean, offset cracks or a reported SREM condition mean the wall is working against its load. Stabilizing with anchors or rebuilding the failed run is likely, and the price of waiting goes up each freeze-thaw season.
-   **Unsafe — act today:** Falling material, an Unsafe rating or a DOB violation is an emergency. Keep the area clear, call 311 if material threatens a sidewalk or public way, and get repairs scheduled — an Unsafe condition must be corrected within 90 days, and every month uncorrected carries a $1,000 penalty.

Signs that move a wall up a level — growing lean, offset cracks, water pushing through the face, material falling — are explained in [is a leaning retaining wall dangerous](https://nycretainingwalls.com/guide/is-a-leaning-retaining-wall-dangerous/) and [retaining wall weep holes](https://nycretainingwalls.com/guide/retaining-wall-weep-holes/). If a wall has already come down, follow [what to do after a collapse](https://nycretainingwalls.com/guide/retaining-wall-collapse-what-to-do/).

### Related guides

-   [Learn Is a Leaning Retaining Wall Dangerous?](https://nycretainingwalls.com/guide/is-a-leaning-retaining-wall-dangerous/)
-   [Decision Guide Retaining Wall Repair vs Replacement: Which Do You Need?](https://nycretainingwalls.com/guide/retaining-wall-repair-vs-replacement/)
-   [Code Guide What Does an SREM Retaining Wall Rating Mean?](https://nycretainingwalls.com/guide/srem-retaining-wall-rating/)
-   [Learn Retaining Wall Collapsed: What to Do in the First 24 Hours](https://nycretainingwalls.com/guide/retaining-wall-collapse-what-to-do/)

## Get your wall looked at

Tell us your result — we'll prioritize Urgent and Unsafe walls.

Callback within 1 business hour · [(718) 555-0100](tel:+17185550100)

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Callback within 1 business hour. If it's urgent, call [(718) 555-0100](tel:+17185550100).