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

Bartow County Code § 18-125 requires any swimming pool, public or private, to be enclosed with a fence that complies with the standard building code the county has adopted, the International Residential Code, including but not limited to Appendix G, the IRC's barrier requirements for private swimming pools, spas and hot tubs (self-latching gates, minimum barrier height, and limits on gaps and climbable features). The county adopts the IRC as one of its standard building codes under § 18-31, and Bartow County Building Inspections enforces the barrier requirement as part of the permitting and inspection process for pool construction under § 18-117, which requires a permit before any structure, including a pool, is built.

Public swimming pools carry an additional layer of regulation: § 18-125 requires them to also comply with applicable regulations of the Bartow County Board of Health, which covers water quality, sanitation, and operational standards for pools open to the public, separate from the fencing standard. Work performed out of compliance with these requirements, whether or not a permit was pulled, can draw a citation, stop-work order, or other civil remedy from the building official under § 18-116, and starting pool construction before a permit is issued adds a penalty of 100 percent of the usual permit fee under § 18-253.