Skip to content
Code Violation Solverby 360 Home Improvements · CBC1267336 · CCC1335340Call

Does my pool barrier meet Florida's rules?

Got a pool barrier citation? Answer yes, no or not sure about the fence, the gate, the house doors to the pool and the other safety options in Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act. See which items look met, not met or need checking, and what to do next. It runs in your browser, and nothing you answer is sent anywhere.

Florida · Chapter 515 F.S. self-check

1. About the pool

What kind of pool is it?
Can it hold water more than 24 inches deep?

Chapter 515 covers pools, hot tubs and spas deeper than that.

Is it at a detached one- or two-family home, or a one-family townhouse no more than three stories high?

2. Option (a): the barrier

The barrier items from s. 515.29. If your pool has no barrier, answer No to the height question and go on to the other options.

Does the barrier have a gate?
Is the barrier at least 4 feet high, measured on the outside?

Measure on the side away from the pool, at the lowest point, gates included.

Does the barrier completely surround the pool?

Chapter 515 defines a barrier as a fence, a house wall, another wall, or a mix of them that completely surrounds the pool and blocks access to it.

Is it free of gaps, openings, indentations, protrusions or structural parts a young child could crawl under, squeeze through or climb over?

The statute means a child under 6. The statute gives no measurement for this; your building department sets the exact requirement.

Is the barrier clear of any permanent structure, equipment or similar object that could be used to climb it?

For example an AC unit, pool equipment, or a built-in planter or bench next to it.

Is the barrier far enough from the water's edge that a young child or a medically frail elderly person who got through couldn't fall straight into the water?

The statute means a child under 6, or someone 65 or older with a medical problem that affects balance, vision or judgment. The statute gives no measurement for this; your building department sets the exact requirement.

If part of your yard fence or wall also serves as the pool barrier, does that part sit on the pool's perimeter and meet every barrier item here?

Chapter 515 keeps the pool barrier separate from the fence or wall around the yard, unless that part sits on the pool's perimeter, is used as the barrier and meets the barrier rules.

If a wall of the house is part of the barrier, is it free of any door or window that opens onto the pool area?

Sliding glass doors and windows that open count.

Does every gate open outward, away from the pool?
Does every gate close by itself when you let go of it?
Does it latch by itself when it shuts, with a locking device?
Is the latch release on the pool side of the gate?
Is the release placed so a young child can't reach it over the top of the gate or through any opening or gap?

The statute gives no gate latch height. The 54-inch figure in s. 515.27 is for devices on house doors. Your building department sets the exact height for a gate latch.

3. Options (b) to (e)

Chapter 515 lists four other safety features. Answer the ones your pool has; No is fine for the rest.

(b) An approved safety pool cover

A manual or power safety cover that meets ASTM F1346-91.

Does the pool have a safety cover that meets ASTM F1346-91?

Chapter 515 calls this an approved safety pool cover. It can be manual or powered.

(c) Exit alarms on doors and windows

Every door and window giving direct access from the house to the pool has an exit alarm rated at least 85 dB A at 10 feet.

Does every door and window giving direct access from the house to the pool have an exit alarm?

An exit alarm sounds continuously when the door or window is opened or left ajar.

Is each alarm rated at least 85 dB A at 10 feet?

(d) Self-closing, self-latching doors

Every door giving direct access from the house to the pool has a self-closing, self-latching device with its release no lower than 54 inches above the floor.

Does every door giving direct access from the house to the pool have a self-closing, self-latching device?

This option is written for doors. Ask your building department how it treats windows that open to the pool.

Is each device's release no lower than 54 inches above the floor?

(e) A certified pool alarm

An alarm in the pool that sounds when someone enters the water, independently certified to ASTM F2208.

Is there a pool alarm in the water that sounds when someone enters it, independently certified to ASTM F2208?

Surface motion, pressure, sonar, laser and infrared alarms can qualify. An alarm worn by a child doesn't count.

Answer the questions above, and which items look met, not met or not sure, and your next steps, appear here.

How this works

Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act, Chapter 515 of the Florida Statutes, says a new residential pool must have at least one of five safety features to pass final inspection: a barrier that meets s. 515.29, an approved safety pool cover, exit alarms on the doors and windows to the pool, self-closing and self-latching devices on the doors to the pool, or a certified pool alarm. The checker asks about each one and marks it looks met, not met or not sure.

The only measurements used are the ones written in the statute: water more than 24 inches deep, a barrier at least 4 feet high on the outside, exit alarms rated at least 85 dB A at 10 feet, and a door release no lower than 54 inches above the floor. The statute gives no gap size, no distance from the water and no gate latch height, so the checker doesn't either: your building department sets those. A city or county can adopt an ordinance that is equal to or stricter than Chapter 515, and the code your notice cites is the one that counts.

It runs in your browser and nothing you enter is sent anywhere. It is general information about how code enforcement usually works in Florida, not legal advice. Your notice, your city or county’s code and the code office named on the notice are what count. For legal questions, talk to a Florida attorney.

Questions people ask

What does Florida law require for a residential pool barrier?
Section 515.29 of the Florida Statutes says the barrier must be at least 4 feet high on the outside, have no gaps, openings or footholds a young child could crawl under, squeeze through or climb over, go around the pool, and sit far enough from the water's edge. Gates must open outward, away from the pool, and be self-closing and self-latching, with the release on the pool side out of a young child's reach. Your city or county may add requirements.
Do I need a pool fence if I have door alarms?
Under s. 515.27, a new residential pool needs at least one of five safety features to pass final inspection: a barrier, an approved safety pool cover, exit alarms on every door and window giving direct access to the pool, self-closing and self-latching devices on every door giving direct access to the pool, or a pool alarm certified to ASTM F2208. Your city's code may ask for more, so check with the building department or the code office named on your notice.
How high does a pool gate latch have to be?
Chapter 515 gives no number for a gate latch. It says the release must be on the pool side of the gate and placed so a young child can't reach it over the top or through any opening or gap. The 54-inch figure in s. 515.27 applies to self-closing, self-latching devices on house doors that open to the pool. Your building department sets the exact height for a gate latch.
Can a wall of my house be part of the pool barrier?
Under s. 515.29(4), a wall of the house can be part of the barrier only if it has no door or window that opens to give access to the pool. Many Florida homes have sliding doors onto the pool area; in that case one of the other safety options, such as exit alarms or self-closing, self-latching doors, comes into play.
Does Chapter 515 apply to my hot tub or aboveground pool?
Chapter 515 covers pools, hot tubs and spas that hold water more than 24 inches deep at a detached one- or two-family home or a one-family townhouse no more than three stories high, including in-ground, aboveground and on-ground pools and nonportable spas. A portable spa with a safety cover that complies with ASTM F1346-91 and small temporary pools without motors are exempt. An aboveground pool's own wall can be the barrier, or a barrier can sit on top of it, as long as it meets the barrier requirements; its ladder or steps must be able to be secured, locked or removed, or be surrounded by a barrier.
Is anything I enter saved or sent anywhere?
No. The checker runs in your browser and nothing you answer leaves your device.

Other free tools

Have 360 Home Improvements look at it

360 Home Improvements is a licensed Florida contractor: Florida Certified Building Contractor CBC1267336 · Certified Roofing Contractor CCC1335340. Tell us what the notice says and request a free estimate for the work it calls for.

Request a free estimateCall now · (954) 906-7864
Call (954) 906-7864

Call us or send your notice details