11.12 Cuts, Fills, and Retaining Walls
Unofficial copy. It may be out of date. Not legal or zoning advice. Zoning rules change, and only the city or county can say for sure what is allowed on a property. Confirm with the city or county planning department before you buy, sign or build.
The official Emery code is at https://emerytownutah.gov/ordinance-%26-resolutions.
Text pulled 2026-10-19 from this source.
Tables (like use tables) may not copy cleanly, so check any table against the official code.
Confirm anything here with Emery planning before you rely on it.
A. Because of the dramatic visual impact of cuts, fills and retaining walls in a desert environment such as Emery, and the public safety factors that may arise with significant cuts and fills in unsuitable soils, design plans for cuts, fills and retaining walls shall conform to the following criteria and other applicable Sections of this Chapter.
B. No cuts or fills will be allowed on slopes with grades exceeding 40%. C. Unretained cuts that exceed 2; 1 slope shall not exceed 3 feet in height. D. Unretained fills may not exceed 12 feet in height pursuant to Section 13. E. No single retaining wall or retaining system may exceed 12 feet in height and/or 40 feet in length;
retaining systems less than 12 feet may exceed 40 feet. F. Up to three terraced cuts may be created under a terraced cut retaining system, so long as each
wall is separated by a minimum of 6-foot setback (measured from face to face) for visual relief and re-vegetation. The total maximum height for cuts retained under a terraced retaining system shall not exceed 18 feet.