Bellaire, TX Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing Requirements (2026)

Bellaire is a Texas home-rule municipality that has adopted the 2024 International Residential Code (IRC) and 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) by reference in Chapter 9 of the City Code (per City of Bellaire FAQ on adopted building and trade codes; current edition adoption confirmed at City Hall). Under IRC Appendix AG (and ISPSC for one- and two-family dwellings), a residential swimming pool, spa, or hot tub with water depth greater than 24 inches must be surrounded by a barrier at least 48 inches in height, measured on the side of the barrier facing away from the pool. Openings in the barrier must not allow passage of a 4-inch sphere. Where the barrier is composed of horizontal and vertical members and the distance between the tops of the horizontal members is less than 45 inches, the spacing between vertical members shall not exceed 1.75 inches. Pedestrian access gates must open outward away from the pool and be self-closing and self-latching; where the release mechanism of the latch is less than 54 inches from the bottom of the gate, the release mechanism must be located on the pool side of the gate at least 3 inches below the top of the gate, and the gate and barrier must have no opening greater than 0.5 inch within 18 inches of the latch release mechanism. Where a wall of a dwelling serves as part of the barrier, openings must be equipped with alarms or self-closing/self-latching devices, or the pool must have an approved safety cover meeting ASTM F1346. Bellaire's residential building permits and inspections are issued through Development Services and verified during the final inspection. The Texas Pool Yard Enclosure Act (Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 757) imposes a separate 48-inch enclosure standard, but Section 757.002 limits its scope to owners of multiunit rental complexes with a pool, condominium/townhome rental dwellings with a pool, and property-owners associations that own, control, or maintain a pool — single-family detached homes are outside the Act, and those owners follow Bellaire's adopted IRC/ISPSC rules. Bellaire's city pools and the Town Square Family Aquatic Center fall under separate state Department of State Health Services pool regulations (25 TAC Chapter 265).