Pool Fences in Florida

Florida pool barrier rules, in plain English

Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act, Chapter 515 of the Florida Statutes, requires new residential pools to have at least one approved safety feature, and a pool barrier is the most common. The detailed construction rules are in the Florida Building Code, Residential, Chapter 45 (Section R4501.17). Your local building department enforces them and inspects the fence.

This is a summary, not legal advice. The building official for your city or county has the final say, so confirm the details with them when you pull the permit.

• The barrier must be at least 4 feet high, measured on the outside.
• No gaps or openings a young child could crawl under, squeeze through or climb over.
• Gates open outward, away from the pool, and are self-closing and self-latching, with the latch release out of a child's reach.
• A wall of the house only counts as part of the barrier if it has no door or window opening onto the pool (or those doors and windows have the required alarms or self-closing devices).
• Nothing should sit next to the barrier that a child could use to climb it.

Pool gates

Gates are the part of a pool barrier that needs the most attention. Every gate in the barrier, including side-yard walk gates that open into the pool area, needs to swing away from the pool and close and latch on its own. We build gates to match the fence and to work the way the rules require.