Cass County, ND Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing Requirements (2026)

Most building regulation in North Dakota is municipal. The state has adopted the International Residential Code, which governs residential pool barriers when a city or county chooses to permit pools under that framework. Under IRC pool barrier provisions, residential swimming pools, hot tubs, and spas with water deeper than 24 inches must be surrounded by a barrier with specific height, opening, and gate requirements designed to prevent unsupervised child access. Gates serving the pool barrier must be self-closing and self-latching, with the latch release mechanism on the pool side at the height required by the adopted code edition. Because Cass County's largest population lives inside Fargo and West Fargo, residential pool permits in those cities are issued by city building inspections (Fargo Inspections Department; West Fargo Title V Buildings code). For unincorporated parcels, contact the Cass County Planning Office at casscountynd.gov/our-county/planning before installing a pool, since the county and applicable township may impose setback and permit requirements.