Freehold Township, NJ Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

Township Code § 305-11 covers every private swimming pool, whether existing already or newly constructed, installed, established or maintained. The fence must be permanent, made of durable material, at least four feet high but no more than six feet high, and built so it has no openings, mesh, holes or gaps larger than four square inches in any dimension, an exception being made only for the doors and gates themselves. If the fence is a picket design, the horizontal spacing between pickets cannot exceed four inches.

Every gate installed with the fence must meet the identical specifications as the fence itself, and must carry an approved locking device that keeps the gate locked at all times whenever the pool is not in use. This fencing duty sits alongside the permit process at § 305-2, where an applicant must submit the fence's location, height and aperture dimensions to the Building Inspector and get Township Engineer sign-off on the plans under § 305-3 before construction begins. Pool lighting is separately restricted under § 305-12: no artificial lighting may shine directly on an abutting property or otherwise become a nuisance, and underwater lighting requires prior inspection and approval by the electrical inspector of the Middle Department Association of Fire Underwriters.

m. The Building Inspector and Health Officer enforce all of Chapter 305 under § 305-14 and may inspect any pool and its appurtenances at reasonable times to confirm the fence and gate comply.