Beaverton, OR Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing Requirements (2026)

Beaverton enforces the statewide Oregon Residential Specialty Code (ORSC) for residential swimming pools through Beaverton Code Chapter 8.02 (Building Code). The ORSC pool-barrier appendix (Appendix V, formerly Appendix G of the International Residential Code) defines a regulated swimming pool as any structure intended for swimming or recreational bathing that contains water more than 24 inches deep, including in-ground, above-ground, on-ground pools, hot tubs, and spas. The barrier (fence, wall, building wall, or combination) must be at least 48 inches high measured on the exterior side of the barrier and have no more than 2 inches of clearance to grade. Openings in the barrier may not allow passage of a 4-inch sphere, and decorative cutouts or solid-barrier indentations may not allow handholds or footholds for climbing. Gates must open outward away from the pool, must be self-closing and self-latching, and the gate release must be at least 54 inches above the ground (or, if lower, located on the pool side with a 3-inch shielded zone). Where a wall of the dwelling serves as part of the barrier, all doors with direct access to the pool must have an audible alarm or a self-closing/self-latching device with the release at least 54 inches above the floor, or the pool itself must have an approved safety cover meeting ASTM F1346. Anti-entrapment drain covers meeting the federal Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act apply nationwide. The Beaverton Building Division issues residential pool and pool-barrier permits and conducts required inspections.