Hennepin County, MN Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing Requirements (2026)

Minnesota does not have a stand-alone state pool barrier statute for residential pools - residential pool barrier rules come from the Minnesota State Building Code adopted under Minn. Stat. §326B.106. The State Building Code is codified at Minn. Rules Chapter 1303, which adopts the International Residential Code (IRC) Appendix AG (Swimming Pools, Spas, and Hot Tubs) as Minnesota's residential pool barrier standard. The barrier must be at least 48 inches (4 ft) high measured from the side facing away from the pool. The vertical clearance between grade and the bottom of the barrier may not exceed 2 inches. Openings in the barrier may not allow passage of a 4-inch sphere. Solid barriers may not contain handholds or footholds. For in-ground pools, the barrier must be at least 4 ft from the waterline. Gates must open outward (away from the pool), be self-closing, and be self-latching, with the release mechanism on the pool side located at least 54 inches above the bottom of the gate. Where a wall of the dwelling serves as part of the barrier, doors with direct pool access must have an alarm or self-closing/self-latching device. Public pools are separately regulated by the Minnesota Department of Health under Minn. Rules Chapter 4717.1550. Building permits are issued by city building officials in each Hennepin County jurisdiction (Minneapolis Construction Code Services 612-673-3000; Bloomington, Edina, Minnetonka, etc., each have their own building departments).