Franklin County, WA Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

220(B) treats pools and hot tubs as accessory residential uses and makes the enclosure a precondition of use, not an afterthought: the building department must inspect and approve all fencing before water is ever run into the pool. The barrier, whether a building, fence or wall, must stand not less than four feet high and cannot have openings larger than four inches, closing off the gaps a small child could slip through. Gates or doors in that enclosure must be self-latching, and the latching hardware has to sit at least four feet above grade so it is out of easy reach from the ground.

Pool lighting is folded into the same subsection: fixtures around the pool area must be hooded so the light does not shine onto neighboring properties. Hot tubs get a narrower rule under subsection C: a hot tub with an approved locking, pre-manufactured cover is exempt from the fencing requirement, but a hot tub without that cover has to meet the same enclosure and fencing standard as a swimming pool, unless the hot tub sits inside an enclosed building. The Planning and Building Department administers the inspection and sign-off before the pool can be filled; a pool built or filled without an approved enclosure is out of compliance with Title 17 zoning and subject to code enforcement action through the county's standard permit and inspection process, since the enclosure is a condition of the accessory-use approval rather than a separate standalone permit.