Haverford, PA Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

Section 182-703B of the Haverford Township Code, part of the zoning chapter adopted by the Board of Commissioners, sets the barrier rules for residential pools. The trigger is depth: every pool used for bathing or swimming in which water can collect in excess of two feet must be completely enclosed by a fence. The fence must be nonremovable, so a temporary or removable barrier does not satisfy the section.

Height is bounded at both ends. The fence must be at least four feet high and not more than six feet. A four-foot fence can be solid. Above four feet, the portion up to the six-foot cap must be 50% open, which rules out a solid six-foot privacy wall around a pool. Gates must be self-locking, and the whole enclosure has to prevent unauthorized children and stray animals from entering the pool area.

The Zoning Officer, not the pool owner or the contractor, approves the type, quality and method of construction of the fence, with the stated intent that it act as a safeguard and protection to children. The section also carves out existing, nonconforming fences, which the Township Zoning Officer is allowed to approve, so an older fence is reviewed rather than automatically condemned.

The fence is one piece of the pool rules. Pools must sit no less than 10 feet from any property line, measured from the waterline, and § 182-703A(3) keeps pools and similar recreational surfaces out of front yards. The pool and its enclosure must both appear on the plan filed with the permit application under § 182-703B(3). The Chapter A187 fee schedule lists $250 for in-ground pools, including bonding and fence enclosure, and $75 for aboveground pools, plus a separate fencing line of $40 for the first 100 linear feet and $10 for each additional 100 linear feet.