Jacksonville Beach, FL Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

The pool barrier rule sits in the residential fence regulations of Sec. 34-722 as subsection (a)(4), titled Enclosure of swimming pool. It covers all swimming pools, with no carve-out by pool size or depth. The enclosure must be a fence of not less than four (4) feet in height, and it must have a gate equipped with a self-closing and self-locking device that keeps the gate securely closed at all times when not in actual use.

The code allows a substitute. The fence and gate are not required if entry to the pool by any person other than those residing or renting sleeping quarters on the property containing the pool is prevented by a wall, buildings, structures, or any other substitute devices. The test is equivalence: the degree of protection cannot be less than the protection afforded by the fence, gate and latch the section describes. A property owner relying on a substitute therefore has to show the Planning and Development Department that the wall or building closes off the pool as completely as a fence would.

The pool fence is still a fence under the opening sentence of § 34-722, so it needs approval by the planning and development department and a building permit, and it has to comply with section 34-720 corner visibility. In a residential district the materials rule in (a)(1) also applies: pressure treated wood, composite wood, PVC wood, metal or masonry, with barbed wire and chainlink fences not permitted. The general residential height limits in (a)(2) cap a front yard fence at 4 feet, and the fence must be setback at least 2 feet from the right of way.