Pool barrier: which s. 515.27 option satisfies the requirement?
Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act (F.S. ch. 515) requires at least one of five safety features before a new residential pool passes final inspection. Four questions, then the options with the statute text they rest on.
Not yet satisfied
Nothing chosen yet. A residential pool needs at least one of the five options before final inspection.
Options that would satisfy it
- (a)A barrier (fence or wall) isolating the pool from the house, meeting s. 515.29
- (b)An approved safety pool cover (ASTM F1346-91)
- (c)Exit alarms on every door and window with direct access to the pool (85 dB A at 10 feet)
- (d)Self-closing, self-latching devices on every door with direct access, release no lower than 54 inches
- (e)A swimming pool alarm certified to ASTM F2208
Also in the statute
The pool must meet at least one of the five options to pass final inspection.
“In order to pass final inspection and receive a certificate of completion, a residential swimming pool must meet at least one of the following requirements relating to pool safety features:”
Water over 24 inches deep is what makes it a swimming pool under the chapter, whatever it is called.
““Swimming pool” means any structure, located in a residential area, that is intended for swimming or recreational bathing and contains water over 24 inches deep, including, but not limited to, in-ground, aboveground, and on-ground swimming pools; hot tubs; and nonportable spas.”
Failing to equip a new residential pool with at least one feature is a second-degree misdemeanor; the penalty is waived if fixed within 45 days plus a drowning-prevention course.
“A person who fails to equip a new residential swimming pool with at least one pool safety feature as required in subsection (1) commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083, except that no penalty shall be imposed if the person, within 45 days after arrest or issuance of a summons or a notice to appear, has equipped the pool with at least one safety feature as required in subsection (1) and has attended a drowning prevention education program established by s. 515.31.”
A county or city with a residential pool safety ordinance that is equal to or stricter than ch. 515 applies its own ordinance instead, so the local building department decides.
“This chapter does not apply to: … (4) Any political subdivision that has adopted or adopts a residential pool safety ordinance, provided the ordinance is equal to or more stringent than the provisions of this chapter.”
Questions
- Does every new residential pool in Florida need a fence?
- No. Section 515.27(1) requires at least one of five safety features before final inspection: (a) an enclosure meeting the barrier requirements of s. 515.29, (b) an approved safety pool cover, (c) exit alarms on all doors and windows with direct access to the pool, (d) self-closing, self-latching devices on all doors with direct access, or (e) a pool alarm certified to ASTM F2208. A fence is option (a). A local ordinance that is equal or stricter replaces the chapter (s. 515.37(4)), so the building department decides.
- How tall must a Florida pool barrier be?
- At least 4 feet high on the outside (s. 515.29(1)(a)), with no gaps, openings, indentations, protrusions or structural components a young child could crawl under, squeeze through or climb over; gates open outward away from the pool, self-close and self-latch with the release on the pool side out of a young child's reach (s. 515.29(3)).
- Can the house wall be part of the barrier?
- Only if that wall has no door or window that opens to provide access to the pool (s. 515.29(4)). With a door or window opening to the pool, the barrier has to isolate the pool from the house on its own, or one of the other options is used.
- Do hot tubs and above-ground pools count?
- Yes. The chapter's swimming pool definition (s. 515.25(11)) covers any structure in a residential area intended for swimming or recreational bathing with water over 24 inches deep, including in-ground, above-ground and on-ground pools, hot tubs and nonportable spas. An above-ground pool's own structure can serve as the barrier if it meets s. 515.29, and its ladder or steps must be securable, lockable or removable (s. 515.29(2)). A portable spa with an ASTM F1346-91 safety cover is exempt (s. 515.37(5)).
- What happens if a new pool has none of the features?
- Section 515.27(2) makes it a misdemeanor of the second degree, with no penalty if within 45 days of arrest or a summons the pool is equipped with a feature and the person attends a drowning prevention education program under s. 515.31.
- Why does a permit-alert service have this page?
- Because this statute is why a new pool permit is a barrier, fence or screen-enclosure job. The site tags every residential pool permit in its six Florida feeds for the pool barrier / fence trade, and the territory pages list them.
Permits where this applies
- Pool barrier / fence leads in Miami-Dade County, last 14 days
- Pool barrier / fence leads in City of Miami, last 14 days
- Pool barrier / fence leads in Cape Coral, last 14 days
- Pool barrier / fence leads in Port St. Lucie, last 14 days
- Pool barrier / fence leads in Manatee County, last 14 days
- Pool barrier / fence leads in Orlando, last 14 days
- Get pool barrier / fence permits by email, one territory at a time
This is not legal advice; your local building department decides. The quotes are the 2025 Florida Statutes as published by the Florida Senate, fetched 2026-10-26; follow the section links for the current text and read the whole section before relying on it.