Residential swimming pools in Dorchester County must be enclosed by a code-compliant safety barrier, enforced through the county building-permit process under South Carolina's adopted pool and residential codes, generally a 48-inch barrier with self-closing, self-latching gates.
Dorchester County Building Services enforces the South Carolina building code, which adopts the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code and the International Residential Code for residential pools, spas, and hot tubs. A county permit is required to build a pool, and inspection confirms a barrier at least 48 inches high surrounds the water, with gates that are self-closing and self-latching and openings too small to pass a four-inch sphere. A house wall may form part of the barrier only where doors to the pool area have alarms or self-closing devices. Above-ground pools with 48-inch sides may themselves satisfy the barrier. Beyond code, an unfenced pool is a serious attractive-nuisance liability.
A residential pool without the required barrier fails county building inspection and cannot lawfully be used until corrected. An unfenced pool is also a powerful negligence and attractive-nuisance exposure in a civil suit if a child is injured.
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See how Dorchester County's pool barriers rules stack up against other locations.
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