Clay, NY Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

Section 230-20B(2)(e) of the Town Code cross-references the pool-specific standards, stating that fences surrounding swimming pools must comply with § 230-20B(3). That subsection provides that no building permit for erecting or maintaining a swimming pool or hot tub may issue except upon compliance with Chapter 81, Building Construction, and a list of conditions added by Local Law No. 3-2006. Among them, § 230-20B(3)(d) requires a perimeter of at least four feet around all edges of the pool, maintained between the pool's edge and the fence erected around it, ensuring a clear buffer rather than a fence built flush against the water.

Other pool conditions in the same subsection bar lighting that casts glare onto neighboring properties, require overhead electric lines to stay at least 20 feet from the pool, prohibit discharging pool waste water into any sanitary sewer or onto an adjoining property or street, and require an abandoned pool's depression to be filled and the ground returned to original grade with notice to the Enforcement Officer. Existing pools must also conform to all of these provisions, not just new construction, per § 230-20B(3)(g).