Killeen, TX Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

003 fixes the physical specifications for a pool yard enclosure covered by this chapter: at least 48 inches tall measured from the ground on the side away from the pool, with no opening large enough to pass a four-inch sphere underneath. Where the enclosure uses horizontal and vertical members spaced at least 45 inches apart, the gap test stays at four inches; tighter spacing drops the allowable gap to 1-3/4 inches, and decorative cutouts may never exceed 1-3/4 inches in any direction. Chain link fencing is 'prohibited entirely' for any new enclosure built after January 1, 1994, as are diagonal members lower than 49 inches, and no permanent equipment or structure may sit where it would make climbing over the enclosure easy.

007. 004 governs gates: each must have a self-closing and self-latching device, hardware that can be locked by padlock or a built-in key, card, or combination lock, and must swing outward away from the pool yard. The latch normally sits at least 60 inches above the ground, though it can drop as low as 42 inches if the gate cannot be opened from either side without a key, card, or combination, or slightly lower on the pool side if no gap wider than half an inch sits within 18 inches of the latch. Enclosures built before 1994 under an existing city ordinance keep following that older local standard instead.