Bexar County, TX Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- County Authority
- Limited to commercial/multi-family per LGC Ch. 233
- Single-Family Rule
- No county pool-fence ordinance in unincorporated areas
- State Multiunit/HOA
- 48-inch enclosure required (HSC §757.003)
- Opening Limit
- 4-inch sphere cannot pass under/through
- Chain Link
- Prohibited for new HOA/multiunit enclosures after 1/1/1994
- Inside City Limits
- San Antonio building code applies (IRC pool barrier)
Summary
Bexar County does NOT regulate fencing for single-family residential pools in unincorporated areas. Texas Local Government Code Chapter 233 limits county building permit authority to commercial, public-accessible, and multi-family (4+ unit) structures. Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 757 (Pool Yard Enclosure Act) imposes 48-inch fencing rules but applies only to multiunit rental complexes and HOA-owned/maintained pools, not detached single-family homes.
Sec. 757.003. ENCLOSURE FOR POOL YARD. (a) Except as otherwise provided by Section 757.005, the owner of a multiunit rental complex with a pool or a property owners association that owns, controls, or maintains a pool shall completely enclose the pool yard with a pool yard enclosure.(b) The height of the pool yard enclosure must be at least 48 inches as measured from the ground on the side away from the pool.(c) Openings under the pool yard enclosure may not allow a sphere four inches in diameter to pass under the pool yard enclosure.(d) If the pool yard enclosure is constructed with horizontal and vertical members and the distance between the tops of the horizontal members is at least 45 inches, the openings may not allow a sphere fo
Full Breakdown
067). Single-family pool fencing is therefore not enforced at the county level outside city limits. 002 expressly limits these requirements to multiunit rental complex pools and property-owners-association pools. Inside the City of San Antonio, municipal building code (adopted IRC/IBC) imposes the standard 48-inch barrier with self-closing/self-latching gates on residential pools deeper than 24 inches. Homeowners with HOA pools should confirm their HOA's compliance with Chapter 757.
Violations & Fines
Single-family violations: no county-level penalty in unincorporated Bexar County. HOA / multiunit complex violations of Chapter 757: civil enforcement under §757.012, including injunctive relief and tenant repair-request remedies; non-compliance can be raised as a basis for negligence in drowning litigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Bexar County require me to fence my backyard pool?
Does the Texas Pool Yard Enclosure Act (Chapter 757) apply to my single-family home?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bexar County
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