Minnehaha County, SD Swimming Pools & Spas: Above-Ground Pools (2026)

Under the 2021 IRC AG105.2 as adopted by the Minnehaha County Commission, where an aboveground pool structure is used as a barrier, the top of the pool structure may serve as the 48-inch barrier height required by Appendix G — but the means of access (ladder, steps, or platform) must be either: (a) capable of being secured, locked, or removed to prevent access, OR (b) surrounded by an Appendix G-compliant barrier. The pool's structural wall, when serving as the barrier, must still meet the openings test (no 4-inch sphere passable) and clearance test on the outside face. Above-ground pools count as accessory structures under the 1990 Revised Zoning Ordinance for Minnehaha County (and the joint Sioux Falls and Dell Rapids ordinances) and must observe the accessory-use setback requirements of the underlying zoning district (typically rear/side yard with stated minimum setbacks from property lines). The county Residential Building Handbook expressly exempts prefabricated swimming pools less than 18 inches deep from the building-permit requirement, but they remain subject to zoning setbacks. Pools inside city limits are governed by the applicable city code, not the county ordinance.