Retaining Wall Cost in Burbank CA

Retaining wall cost in Burbank, CA is priced by the square foot of wall face: $28 to $84 for interlocking concrete block and $33.60 to $101 for poured concrete in houseprojectcalc's 2026 Los Angeles figures, with a typical wall landing between $2,800 and $8,400. Where a wall falls in that range depends on its height against Burbank's 4 foot permit line, the footing, the drain, and how hard the site is to reach.

Retaining wall cost per square foot in Burbank

Wall face is the length of the wall times the height you can see. A wall 50 feet long showing 3 feet has 150 square feet of face. Some quotes also count the part below grade, so ask how a number was measured before comparing two of them.

Installed price per square foot of wall face, Los Angeles, 2026

Material	Per sq ft of face	Fits
Timber	$16.80 to $50.40	Low garden edging; shortest service life
Interlocking concrete block	$28 to $84	Garden and terrace walls, stepped courses
Boulder or rock	$30.80 to $92.40	Informal slopes with room for a wide base
Poured concrete	$33.60 to $101	Tall, loaded or engineered walls
Brick	$36.40 to $109	Matching older brick houses and planters
Natural stone	$44.80 to $134	Stone-faced walls and veneer looks

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Source: houseprojectcalc, Retaining Wall Cost in Los Angeles (updated 2026). Ranges include materials and installation; engineering, permits and removal of an old wall are extra. Quotes vary by site.

Every wall figure on this page comes from houseprojectcalc's Los Angeles retaining wall cost page, read in October 2026.

Three Burbank wall sizes, priced

Planning ranges for common Burbank walls

Wall	Face area	Block	Poured concrete
Front yard planter wall, 40 ft x 2.5 ft (the 30 in front-yard cap)	100 sq ft	$2,800 to $8,400	$3,360 to $10,100
Side yard wall along a lowered driveway, 60 ft x 3 ft	180 sq ft	$5,040 to $15,120	$6,048 to $18,180
Rear yard wall at the 4 ft exposed limit, 50 ft x 4 ft	200 sq ft	$5,600 to $16,800	$6,720 to $20,200

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Face area times houseprojectcalc's 2026 Los Angeles rates. The 4 ft rear wall is past Burbank's permit line once its footing is counted, so engineering and plan check are added on top.

Tall poured concrete retaining wall holding back a slope, with ivy growing on it — A poured concrete wall holding back a slope.

What moves a retaining wall quote

Height against the permit line

Burbank exempts retaining walls up to 4 feet measured from the bottom of the footing, unless they hold a surcharge. Past that line the wall needs a building permit and, in practice, an engineer's design, which adds fees, a bigger footing and more steel. The Burbank concrete permits guide sets the line out.

Footing, steel and drainage

A wall's footing and its drain are hidden, and they're where a low quote usually saves money. Gravel backfill, a perforated pipe at the footing and an outlet for the water belong in every quote, priced as line items.

Site and access

Concrete pump when the truck can't reach the forms: $500 to $900 (constructlytools, 2026)
Soils report on a hillside lot: $600 to $1,500
Extra grading on a slope: $2 to $5 per square foot
Old concrete removal: $1.40 to $2.30 per square foot, or $2.50 to $4.00 wheeled out by hand on a hillside
A 15 percent contingency on hillside work, as constructlytools suggests

Where the wall stands

In the front yard setback a wall stops at 30 inches, so big grade changes there mean two walls with planting between them. In the hillside area walls sit 8 feet apart. Both rules can turn one tall wall into two shorter ones, more face area but often less engineering. The retaining wall contractor in Burbank page explains each limit.

Worked example

Terracing a hillside back yard with two block walls

A house above Bel Aire Drive has a back yard that falls about 6 feet to the rear lot line. One 6 foot wall would be past the 4 foot exposed limit outside the front yard, so the plan uses two 3 foot walls instead. Inside Burbank's hillside area they have to stand at least 8 feet apart, which leaves a usable terrace between them.

The bank above the upper wall continues uphill, a surcharge, so that wall needs a building permit despite its height, and the soils report comes first. Burbank's permit fees are set by the City's fee resolution and are added once the plans are drawn.

Two reinforced block walls, each 30 ft x 3 ft (180 sq ft of face) at $28 to $84	$5,040 to $15,120
Soils report for a hillside lot	$600 to $1,500
Planning total before engineering, permit fees and tear-out	$5,640 to $16,620

Worked example with houseprojectcalc (walls) and constructlytools (soils report) 2026 Los Angeles figures. Quotes vary by site.

Related costs in Burbank

Walls often go in with other concrete. The concrete cost calculator works out yards and a range for slabs, and a concrete foundation on a hillside lot is priced per square foot of slab instead of wall face. Hillside access, soils and grading are covered in concrete on Burbank hillside lots. For the rest of the work, see the concrete contractor in Burbank page.

Ready-mix concrete truck parked at a building site while a worker stands at its chute — A ready-mix truck at the site, its chute at the back.

Retaining Wall Cost in Burbank: Questions

Burbank and the San Fernando Valley seen from the Verdugo hills

Burbank from the Verdugo hills.

What does a retaining wall cost per square foot in Burbank?

Priced by the square foot of wall face (length times exposed height), houseprojectcalc's 2026 Los Angeles figures are $28 to $84 for interlocking concrete block, $33.60 to $101 for poured concrete, $36.40 to $109 for brick and $44.80 to $134 for natural stone. Timber is the cheapest at $16.80 to $50.40 but the shortest-lived.

How much is a typical retaining wall in the Los Angeles area?

houseprojectcalc puts a typical Los Angeles retaining wall at $2,800 to $8,400, about 40 percent above the national average. That range fits roughly 100 square feet of block wall face, for example 40 feet of wall showing 2.5 feet.

Why does a 4 foot wall cost so much more than a 3 foot wall?

Partly area, mostly design. In Burbank a wall over 4 feet from the bottom of its footing, or one holding back a surcharge, needs a building permit, and walls in that range are usually engineered: a wider footing, more steel, plan review and inspections. A 3 foot wall with a small footing can stay under that line.

Does a hillside lot raise retaining wall cost?

Yes. Hillside walls tend to be taller and closer to loads above, footings may be cut into weathered rock, and access is harder. constructlytools' 2026 Los Angeles guide budgets $600 to $1,500 for a soils report on a hillside lot and $500 to $900 for a concrete pump when a truck can't reach the forms, and suggests a 15 percent contingency on hillside work.

What does it cost to remove an old retaining wall?

Tear-out is priced on site because walls vary so much in size and steel. As a reference point, constructlytools prices concrete demolition at $1.40 to $2.30 per square foot on standard lots and $2.50 to $4.00 when debris has to be wheeled out by hand on hillside lots.

Is a block wall cheaper than poured concrete?

Usually somewhat. Per square foot of face, interlocking block runs $28 to $84 against $33.60 to $101 for poured concrete in houseprojectcalc's Los Angeles figures, because block needs no wall forms. Tall or heavily loaded walls narrow the gap once engineering calls for more steel and grout.