Canton, OH Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

Canton Codified Ordinances Section 1337.04 requires that every outdoor swimming pool be completely surrounded by a fence not less than five feet in height for public swimming pools and not less than four feet in height for family swimming pools. The fence must be built so horizontal members sit on the pool side of the enclosure, and vertical members cannot be spaced more than two inches apart, a design meant to stop children from climbing the barrier. An existing building or wall may serve as part of the enclosure instead of a standalone fence.

Every gate or door through the enclosure must be designed to permit locking and must actually be kept locked whenever the pool is not in active use or is left unattended, not just at night. The fencing and gate rules apply to both new pools and existing outdoor pools with a maximum depth over eighteen inches below ground level; owners of pools that already existed when the rule took effect on June 16, 1969 were given up to one year to come into compliance, but that grace period has long since expired for every pool now standing.

No owner, purchaser, lessee, tenant or licensee in possession of land in the City on which such a pool sits may fail to provide and maintain the required fence or wall. The Chief Building Official can approve modifications to the height, materials or placement of the fence, gates or latches for good cause, or approve substitute protective devices, but only if the substitute provides no less protection than the standard wall, fence, gate and latch described in the section. Section 1337.05 separately requires a three-foot walkway draining away from the pool around its perimeter.