Ontario, CA Fence Regulations: Pool Barriers (2026)

Ontario Development Code Section 6.02.020.A.3 requires any swimming pool, hot tub, spa, pond, or decorative body of water more than 1.5 feet deep -- above or below ground -- to be fully enclosed by a minimum 5-foot-high decorative nonclimbable fence or wall with decorative entrance and exit gates, built to building-code requirements. This is layered on top of California's statewide Swimming Pool Safety Act (Health and Safety Code Sections 115922-115923). Under HSC 115922, when a building permit is issued to construct or remodel a residential pool or spa, the pool must be equipped with at least two of seven approved drowning-prevention safety features. Where the feature is an enclosure, HSC 115923 requires a minimum 60-inch height, self-closing self-latching gates that open away from the pool with the latch at least 60 inches above the ground, a maximum 2-inch ground clearance, gaps that will not pass a 4-inch sphere, and a surface free of handholds or footholds a child under five could climb. Because the state 60-inch (5-foot) standard and the local 5-foot standard both apply, pool fences in Ontario should meet the stricter of the two for any given dimension.