Tarrant County, TX Swimming Pools & Spas: Above-Ground Pools (2026)

Tarrant County issues no residential building permits and has no county zoning, so above-ground pools at single-family homes in unincorporated areas need no county approval for installation, depth, or barrier height. Texas H&S Code §757.002 limits the statewide Pool Yard Enclosure Act to pools owned, controlled, or maintained by the owner of a multi-unit rental complex or by a property owners' association — not single-family backyards. Where Ch. 757 does apply, §757.003 requires a 48-inch enclosure with no gap larger than 4 inches, no chain-link enclosures built after January 1, 1994, and gates that are self-closing and self-latching with the latch at least 60 inches above ground. For above-ground pools with sidewalls 48 inches or higher, the pool wall itself can satisfy the barrier where a removable or lockable ladder is used. The federal Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act anti-entrapment drain-cover rules apply to public pools only. If the property sits in or is annexed by Fort Worth, Arlington, Mansfield, Grapevine, or another Tarrant city, that city's adopted swimming-pool code (typically based on the International Swimming Pool & Spa Code) governs barriers, electrical, and permitting.