Florissant, MO Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

2 Enclosures, an amendment to the adopted International Property Maintenance Code, requires private swimming pools, hot tubs and spas containing water more than twenty-four inches deep to be completely surrounded by a barrier that complies with Section 305 of the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code and stands not less than forty-eight inches above finished grade, measured on the side away from the pool. Every gate and door in that barrier must be self-closing and self-latching; if the latch sits lower than fifty-four inches above the bottom of the gate, the release mechanism has to be on the pool side so someone outside the barrier cannot reach it easily.

The gate has to positively close and latch on its own when released just six inches open from the post, and an owner cannot remove, replace or otherwise change an existing enclosure in a way that weakens it as a safety barrier. Two exceptions apply: a spa or hot tub with a safety cover meeting ASTM F 1346 is exempt from the barrier rule entirely, and a pool, spa or hot tub permitted under an earlier Florissant code may keep a fence as low as forty-two inches so long as the original structure is never repaired or replaced; once it is, the guard has to meet the current forty-eight inch standard.