5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Bell County, Texas.
Verified from official government sources
Bell County has no zoning and issues no residential pool permit in unincorporated areas. Inside Killeen, Temple, Belton or Harker Heights a city building permit and inspections are required before construction. Public and commercial pools are permitted statewide by TDLR.
Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 757 requires pool yards at apartment complexes and property-owners-association pools to be enclosed by a barrier at least 48 inches high. Single-family home pool barriers are enforced through each city's adopted residential building code.
Tex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 757.003
The owner of a multiunit rental complex with a pool or a property owners association that owns, controls, or maintains a pool shall completely enclose the pool yard with a pool yard enclosure. The height of the pool yard enclosure must be at least 48 inches as measured from the ground on the side away from the pool.
For pools covered by state law, a gate in the pool-yard fence must be self-closing and self-latching, open outward away from the pool, and the latch must sit at least 60 inches above the ground. Public pools also follow TDLR safety standards.
Tex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 757.004
A gate in a fence or wall enclosing a pool yard as required by Section 757.003 must: (1) have a self-closing and self-latching device; (2) have hardware enabling it to be locked; and (3) open outward away from the pool yard. A gate latch must be installed so that it is at least 60 inches above the ground.
Bell County sets no rules for above-ground pools because it cannot zone. Inside a city, the adopted residential building code applies: a pool holding water more than a set depth generally needs a permit and a compliant barrier, though the pool wall itself may serve as part of the barrier.
Bell County has no hot tub ordinance. A residential spa is regulated by your city's adopted building code, which typically exempts a hot tub from the pool-barrier rule when it has an approved lockable safety cover. Apartment and POA spas fall under state Chapter 757.
1 cities in Bell County have their own swimming pools & spas rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
See every category we cover for Bell County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Bell County Ordinance Hub →