Whenever I visit a community with retaining walls, inevitably I make a note in the reserve study about fall protection. Retaining walls create abrupt changes in elevation, and even a small fall can cause serious injury.
While many retaining walls lack rails or fencing, frequently a fence has been installed, but simply forgotten over the years. I’ve seen many fences with missing sections or have clearly rotted to the point of uselessness. In my opinion an old, rotten or damaged rail is the most dangerous since it gives a false sense of security. Sometimes shrubs conceal the potential danger.
What to do? Hopefully, your association’s HOA board walks the community at least a couple times a year to review the general condition, and checking the rails, especially wooden ones, can be just another item to check.
