Broomfield, CO Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Barrier requirement
- Required for any pool or spa area, §305.1
- Cover exception
- Lockable safety cover meeting ASTM F1346 exempts spas/hot tubs
- Mesh rule
- Mesh must be on exterior/pool side of barrier
- Permit cross-reference
- Reviewed under § 15-03-070 permit process
- Adopting code
- 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code
- Max penalty
- $2,650 fine or 364 days jail
Summary
Broomfield's amended International Swimming Pool and Spa Code requires a barrier around every area with a pool or spa, enforced under Municipal Code § 15-11-010(B). Spas and hot tubs are excused from that barrier if they carry a lockable safety cover meeting ASTM F1346, and any barrier that uses mesh must have the mesh installed on the pool side, per § 15-11-010(D).
(B)Section 305.1 is amended to read as follows: 305.1 General. The provisions of this section shall apply to the design of barriers restricting entry into areas having pools and spas. Spas and hot tubs equipped with a lockable safety cover complying with ASTM F1346, shall not be required to comply with Sections 305.2 and through 305.7. ... (D)Section 305.2.4 is amended to add the language below: 8. Mesh is required to be installed on the exterior side of barrier from the pool side.
Full Breakdown
Section 305.1 of the 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, rewritten by § 15-11-010(B), applies its barrier-design provisions to any area containing a pool or spa, but carves out an exception for spas and hot tubs fitted with a lockable safety cover that complies with ASTM F1346; those units do not have to meet Sections 305.2 through 305.7's barrier specifications at all. Subsection (C) deletes Section 305.1.1 outright, removing a definitional cross-reference from the base code. Subsection (D) adds a Broomfield-specific requirement to Section 305.2.4's list of acceptable barrier materials: where mesh is used, it must be installed on the exterior side of the barrier, facing away from the pool.
The chapter's own administrative deletion of Chapter 1 means all pool and spa permitting, fee and inspection procedures follow chapter 15-03 rather than a separate process, so a homeowner adding an in-ground or above-ground pool follows the same permit application at § 15-03-070 and fee schedule at § 15-03-100 as any other construction project, and the building official inspects the installed barrier before final approval under § 15-03-110.
Violations & Fines
Installing a pool or spa without the barrier required by Section 305.1, or without qualifying for the locking-cover exception for spas and hot tubs, keeps the building official from approving final inspection under § 15-03-110 and issuing final permit sign-off. Because pool code compliance runs through the same administrative chapter, a violation is punished under § 1-12-020's general penalty: up to $2,650.00 in fines, up to 364 days imprisonment, or both, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every backyard pool in Broomfield need a fence or barrier?
Can a hot tub skip the fence requirement?
Is there a rule about mesh pool fencing in Broomfield?
Who reviews a new pool's fence design before it is built?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Broomfield
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