All 50 states and DC
Pool fence requirements by state
Pool barrier rules are the most misquoted thing in fence law. A state will set a height, a summary site will repeat it, and the rule turns out to apply only to public and semipublic pools rather than to a pool in a back yard. Massachusetts is the clearest case. Its well known six foot figure is for public and semipublic outdoor inground pools and does not reach a private home at all.
Pool fence requirements by state, state by state
35 stated, 1 conditional, 12 silent, 3 delegated. Every row links the state page and the document behind it.
| State | What the record says | Barrier height | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | SilentAlabama states no swimming pool barrier height in statute or in a statewide health rule. | none stated | Ala. Code 34-14A-82 |
| Alaska | StatedAlaska has no pool barrier statute of its own. | none stated | AS 18.60.705(a)(2) |
| Arizona | StatedArizona writes its pool barrier rule straight into statute rather than leaving it to a code. | 5 ft | A.R.S. § 36-1681 |
| Arkansas | StatedThe Arkansas Department of Health reviews plans for public and commercial pools and sets the barrier rule f... | 4 ft | Arkansas Department of Health, Swimming Pool FAQs |
| California | StatedAn enclosure used as a drowning prevention safety feature is at least sixty inches high, leaves no more tha... | 60 in | Health & Saf. Code 115923 |
| Colorado | StatedColorado has a statewide barrier rule for pools open to the public. | 60 in | 5 CCR 1003-5, sec. 3.24 |
| Connecticut | SilentConnecticut puts its public pool barrier rule in the Public Health Code at Section 19-13-B33b. | none stated | Conn. Agencies Regs. 19-13-B33b |
| Delaware | Statedpublic and semipublic pools | 48 in | 16 Del. Admin. C. 4464, 9.12.2 |
| District of Columbia | StatedThe District does not write its own pool barrier rule. | none stated | D.C. Code 6-1401(2) |
| Florida | StatedThe Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act sets a barrier of at least four feet, measured on the outside. | 4 ft | Fla. Stat. 515.29(1)(a) |
| Georgia | StatedGeorgia's public pool rules set barrier requirements but draw a wide line around home pools. | none stated | Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-5-.02(3) |
| Hawaii | DelegatedA pool barrier rule does exist in Hawaii, and no Hawaii statute states it. | none stated | Section 3109.3, public swimming pools, as amended |
| Idaho | Conditionalpublic pools, not a pool serving a single home | none stated | IDAPA 16.02.14.300 |
| Illinois | SilentIllinois writes no barrier rule for a pool at a private home. | none stated | 210 ILCS 130/1 |
| Indiana | Statedthe retailer selling an above ground pool for a home, not the owner of a pool already installed | 48 in | IC 22-12-10-5 |
| Iowa | StatedIowa Code chapter 135I sets the rules for swimming pools, spas, and spray pads. | none stated | Iowa Code 135I.2 |
| Kansas | StatedKansas sets a pool fence height through its child care licensing rules rather than a general building code. | 5 ft | K.A.R. 28-4-129(b)(1) |
| Kentucky | StatedKentucky regulates public swimming and bathing facilities through the health cabinet, and that rule does no... | none stated | 902 KAR 10:120 Section 9(7)(a) |
| Louisiana | StatedLouisiana does not fix one statewide pool fence height by statute. | none stated | La. R.S. 33:4875.1 |
| Maine | StatedMaine does not impose a statewide pool fence. | none stated | 10 M.R.S. 9724(5) |
| Maryland | StatedMaryland adopted statewide swimming pool and spa standards that incorporate the 2024 International Swimming... | none stated | COMAR 09.12.56.03 |
| Massachusetts | Statedpublic and semipublic outdoor inground swimming pools, not private home pools | 6 ft | M.G.L. c. 140, § 206 |
| Michigan | StatedMichigan writes no pool barrier height of its own into statute. | none stated | MCL 125.1504(2) |
| Minnesota | StatedMinnesota rules require a public pool to be closed off so children cannot get in. | 5 ft | Minn. R. 4717.1550 |
| Mississippi | SilentThe Mississippi State Department of Health publishes pool guidance on water chemistry and disinfectant leve... | none stated | Environmental Health, Pool and Swimming Guidelines |
| Missouri | SilentMissouri sets no statewide barrier requirement for a private home swimming pool. | none stated | RSMo ch. 701 |
| Montana | StatedThe barrier rule stops at the property line. | none stated | MCA 50-53-102(7)(b)(i) |
| Nebraska | SilentNebraska sets pool barrier rules through the Department of Health and Human Services in Title 178 of the st... | none stated | 178 NAC |
| Nevada | StatedNevada pool law reaches a public swimming pool, meaning any structure holding an artificial body of water m... | none stated | NRS 444.065 |
| New Hampshire | StatedNew Hampshire names the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code inside the definition of the state buildin... | none stated | RSA 155-A:1, IV |
| New Jersey | SilentNew Jersey puts its pool barrier rule in the Uniform Construction Code at N.J.A.C. | none stated | N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.21 |
| New Mexico | StatedNew Mexico puts a pool barrier rule in its statewide residential building code. | 48 in | 14.7.3 NMAC |
| New York | StatedNew York has required a pool barrier since the 1984 Uniform Code, and the current figure is four feet. | 4 ft | TB-1014-UC |
| North Carolina | StatedNorth Carolina's pool safety statute is written for public pools and says in its scope section that it does... | none stated | N.C.G.S. 130A-280 |
| North Dakota | SilentNorth Dakota states no pool barrier requirement. | none stated | N.D. Admin. Code ch. 33-29-01 |
| Ohio | StatedOhio's written barrier height of 48 inches sits in the health department rule for public swimming pools, an... | 48 in | OAC 3701-31-05.1 |
| Oklahoma | StatedThe Oklahoma State Department of Health sets barrier rules for public bathing places. | 6 ft | OAC 310:315-7-2(c)(1)(A) |
| Oregon | StatedThe Oregon Health Authority sets barrier rules for public aquatic facilities. | 6 ft | OAR 333-060-1000, Section 4.8.6.2.4A |
| Pennsylvania | StatedPennsylvania does not write its own pool barrier rule. | none stated | 34 Pa. Code 403.21(a)(14) |
| Rhode Island | DelegatedRhode Island has a swimming pool and spa code, and its content is the International Swimming Pool and Spa C... | none stated | 510-RICR-00-00-14, 14.2(A) |
| South Carolina | StatedSouth Carolina regulation R.61-51 requires a fence around every outdoor public swimming pool. | 4 ft | S.C. Code Regs. 61-51.C.8(b) |
| South Dakota | SilentSouth Dakota states no pool barrier or fence height anywhere in its own law. | none stated | ARSD 44:02:14:11 |
| Tennessee | SilentTennessee sets no statewide residential pool barrier requirement. | none stated | Code Adoption History |
| Texas | StatedThe Texas pool yard enclosure law sets a 48 inch minimum height, measured from the ground on the side away... | 48 in | Health & Safety Code 757.003(b) |
| Utah | StatedUtah requires a barrier around the whole edge of a public pool, the pool deck, and any extra deck area. | 6 ft | Utah Admin. Code R392-302-17 |
| Vermont | StatedThe reason Vermont has no general pool enclosure rule is a deliberate deletion. | none stated | Section 5, amendments to the 2021 International Building Code |
| Virginia | StatedVirginia handles pool barriers through its statewide building code. | none stated | 13VAC5-63-336 |
| Washington | StatedWashington sends residential pools to the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, 2021 edition, through i... | none stated | WAC 51-51-0327 |
| West Virginia | DelegatedA pool barrier requirement does exist in West Virginia, and no West Virginia statute states it. | none stated | 87 CSR 4 |
| Wisconsin | SilentWisconsin sets no statewide barrier requirement for a private home pool. | none stated | Wis. Admin. Code § SPS 390.02 |
| Wyoming | Silenta pool at a private home | none stated | Ch. 1, applicability |
The other nine questions
A fence rule usually turns on more than one of these, and the answer to one does not settle another.
What this page does not cover
Everything above is state law. Fence height, setback, corner visibility and materials are set by city and county ordinance in almost every state, and a local rule can be far stricter than the statewide default. A parcel can also carry an easement, an overlay district, a fire hazard zone or a recorded HOA restriction, none of which appear in a statute.
This is general information drawn from published government documents. It is not legal advice, statutes are amended, and each state page carries the date its documents were read. How findings are made · What the terms mean · Browse by state