Kauai County, HI Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

Section 3109.2, Public Swimming Pools, was added to the International Building Code by Kaua'i County Code Section 12-2.2(57). It sets three concrete barrier requirements: the pool must be completely enclosed by a fence at least 4 feet in height or an equivalent screen enclosure; openings in that fence or screen cannot be large enough to pass a 4-inch-diameter sphere, which rules out wide-gap picket or chain-link designs; and every gate in the enclosure must be self-closing and self-latching so it cannot be left open after use.

The only exception the section states is for swimming, dipping or wading pools located on hotel premises, which are not required to be enclosed at all, reflecting that those pools already sit within a supervised, access-controlled property. The provision sits inside Chapter 12, the County's adopted Building Code, so compliance is checked the same way as any other building element: a barrier meeting these specifications must be shown on the plans submitted for the pool's building permit, and the Building Division inspects the completed fence, screen and gate hardware before signing off on final approval.

Because the rule is written for public pools, private backyard pools on single-family residential lots are not covered by Section 3109.2 itself, though a homeowner's association or the pool's own construction plans may separately require similar protection.