Barrow County, GA Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

Barrow County Code § 89-218 lists a private swimming pool, along with a bathhouse, cabana, jacuzzi, tennis court, deck or patio, as a customary accessory use permitted alongside a dwelling in every residential zoning district. Subsection (a)(7)a sets the safety standard directly: the pool must be enclosed by a fence or wall at least four feet in height, fitted with a self-locking gate, so a child or unsupervised visitor cannot wander in from the yard. Subsection (a)(7)b then folds the pool into the property's normal zoning setbacks, requiring it to sit within the principal building setback established under section 89-407, but measures that setback from the outer face of the surrounding wall or fence rather than from the water's edge or pool deck.

A pool built on a corner lot or an irregular lot that lacks a conventional rear yard must additionally meet the corner-lot accessory structure standards in section 89-217(d), which govern how close a side-yard structure may sit to the street. Because the pool is classified as an accessory structure, it also inherits the general accessory-use limits in section 89-217: it cannot be built before the principal house, and it cannot sit closer than five feet to a side or rear lot line. Planning and Community Development enforces these standards through the same building permit process used for other accessory structures, so a homeowner installing an in-ground or fixed above-ground pool needs a permit application showing the fence height, gate type and setback distance before construction begins.