Minnehaha County, SD Fence Regulations: Pool Barriers (2026)

Section 1 of the 2021 IRC Adoption Ordinance expressly adopts IRC Appendix G (pool barriers) as part of the Minnehaha County residential code, effective for any permit issued after May 27, 2022. The text of R327 (Appendix G) requires: (1) the barrier must be at least 42 inches above grade on the side facing away from the pool; (2) the maximum vertical clearance between grade and the bottom of the barrier is 2 inches; (3) for aboveground pools where the wall serves as the barrier, the clearance between the top of the pool structure and the bottom of any added barrier is 4 inches; (4) openings in the barrier may not allow a 4-inch-diameter sphere to pass; (5) all gates and door openings must be self-closing and self-latching; (6) when a ladder/steps provide access to an aboveground pool, they must either be surrounded by a complying barrier or be lockable/removable so the opening, once secured, will not pass a 4-inch sphere. R327.3 explicitly applies these standards to all new pools and to existing pools 18 inches or more deep; no person 'in possession of land within the county, either as owner, purchaser, lessee, tenant, or a licensee' may fail to provide and maintain the barrier. R327.4.1 exempts spas/hot tubs covered by an ASTM F1346 safety cover and allows the building official to approve equivalent protective devices on a case-by-case basis. Existing pools have 90 days to comply after notification by the building official. A property exemption applies where the pool is more than 500 feet from any dwelling on a different parcel. Prefabricated pools less than 18 inches deep are excluded from these requirements. South Dakota has no statewide residential pool-barrier statute, so the locally adopted IRC Appendix G is the operative legal authority. Within Sioux Falls and other municipalities, the city code controls instead.