Clark County, IN Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

Clark County's zoning chapter treats an above-ground pool as a structure requiring both a permit and a physical barrier. 03(C)(4) sets the barrier at a minimum height of 60 inches and requires it to be adequate to prevent persons, children or domestic animals from danger or harm. The gate serving that barrier must be self-closing and self-latching, closing on its own after use. Acceptable barrier types include chain-link, ornamental fencing, a solid fence, or another solid vertical barrier, and the code allows a building wall to count as part of the barrier.

Where the pool wall itself forms part of the enclosure, or where the barrier sits on top of the pool structure, any ladder or steps providing access must either be capable of being locked or removed to block entry, or must be surrounded by their own protective barrier. The barrier's construction has to be tight enough that it prevents the passage of a four-inch diameter sphere, and it cannot create a ladder effect where horizontal rails give a child a foothold to climb over. 03(C)(3): before the pool goes in, the owner needs a location improvement permit from the staff who administer Chapter 156 for the Plan Commission.

Because this is a county ordinance, it governs only the unincorporated area of Clark County; property inside Jeffersonville, Clarksville, Charlestown, or Sellersburg falls under those cities' own codes instead.