Joliet, IL Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

Section 8-480 defines a 'family swimming pool' as any permanently constructed pool needing excavation, or any above-ground pool more than 48 inches tall, that holds water over 24 inches deep or has a capacity over 100 cubic feet, for use by the household and their guests. A 'portable family swimming pool' meets the same depth and capacity thresholds but is built to be dismantled or relocated. Both trigger § 8-482: the owner, possessor, or person in control of the pool must enclose either the pool itself or the entire lot where it sits with a fence or wall at least four feet high, built to prevent uncontrolled access by children coming from public areas or from adjacent lots.

Section 8-481 separately bars placing any family or portable pool in a required front yard or required corner side yard. Section 8-483 makes the fencing requirement a condition of getting a building permit: the building inspector must see proof of a contract to supply or erect the required fence before issuing any permit for the pool. Section 8-484 requires a permit for either kind of pool from the city building inspector, with the fee for a family pool based on the valuation of the pool and fence together, though there is no fee for a portable pool permit. Section 8-485 requires the city clerk to distribute copies of this article to retail pool sellers, who must post a copy where the pools are sold or hand a copy to every buyer before taking payment.