5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Washoe County, Nevada.
Verified from official government sources
Unincorporated Washoe County requires an electronic building permit for residential in-ground, above-ground, spa and hot tub construction, submitted online through OneNV.us with stamped plan sets. A permanent barrier must be installed, inspected and approved before the pool is gunited or filled.
NRS 444.070(1)
The health authority shall supervise the sanitation, healthfulness, cleanliness and safety of public swimming pools and bathhouses and the State Board of Health or local board of health may adopt and enforce such rules and regulations pertaining thereto as it deems necessary.
An outdoor pool, spa or hot tub in unincorporated Washoe County must be fully enclosed by a barrier at least 48 inches high, complying with the 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code Section 305. The barrier must be installed and approved before the pool is gunited or filled.
2018 ISPSC §305 (Washoe Co. Residential Pool handout)
The top of the barrier shall be at least 48" above grade measured on the side of the barrier, which faces away from the swimming pool. The maximum vertical clearance between grade and the bottom of the barrier shall be 2" measured on the side of the barrier, which faces away from the swimming pool.
Washoe County requires self-closing, self-latching pedestrian gates that open away from the pool, entrapment protection at suction outlets, and either a safety cover or door alarms where a house wall forms the barrier. Public spas may not exclude supervised children under 12.
2018 ISPSC §305 (Washoe Co. Residential Pool handout)
Pedestrian access gates shall open outward away from the pool and shall be self-closing and have a self-latching device. Gates other than pedestrian access gates shall have a self-latching device.
Above-ground pools, spas and hot tubs need the same building permit and barrier as in-ground pools. The pool wall itself may serve as the barrier if it is at least 48 inches high; any ladder or steps must be lockable, removable, or separately fenced to block access.
2018 ISPSC §305 (Washoe Co. Residential Pool handout)
Where an aboveground pool structure is used as a barrier or where the barrier is mounted on top of the pool structure, and the means of access is a ladder or steps, then: 1. The ladder or steps shall be capable of being secured, locked, or removed to prevent access, or 2. The ladder or steps shall be surrounded by a barrier which meets the requirements of items i through ix.
Hot tubs and spas require a building permit and are subject to the same barrier rules as pools, but a spa or hot tub fitted with an ASTM F1346 safety cover is exempt from the ISPSC 305.2–305.7 barrier provisions. Public spas cannot bar supervised children under 12.
2018 ISPSC §305 (Washoe Co. Residential Pool handout)
Barrier exceptions. Spas or hot tubs with a safety cover, which complies with ASTM F 1346, shall be exempt from the barrier provisions of ISPSC 305.2 through 305.7.
1 cities in Washoe County have their own swimming pools & spas rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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