Kirkland, WA Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

Any private swimming pool, hot tub or spa in Kirkland holding water more than twenty-four inches deep must be completely surrounded by a fence or barrier under KMC 21.41.303(b), part of the Property Maintenance Code's swimming pool article. The barrier must stand at least forty-eight inches above finished grade, measured on the side away from the pool, and its openings cannot allow a four-inch-diameter sphere to pass through, closing off the gaps young children could squeeze through or climb.

Gates and doors in the barrier must be self-closing and self-latching. If the latch release sits lower than fifty-four inches above the bottom of the gate, the release mechanism has to be on the pool side of the gate, out of a child's reach from outside. The self-closing and self-latching hardware must be maintained so the gate positively closes and latches when released from as little as six inches open. An existing pool enclosure cannot be removed, replaced or altered in a way that weakens it as a safety barrier, so a fence repair or gate swap has to preserve the same protection level.

Spas and hot tubs are not automatically off the hook: the fencing requirement only drops away if the unit has a lockable safety cover that complies with ASTM F1346. Without that certified cover, a spa or hot tub over twenty-four inches deep needs the same fence, height, opening-size, and self-latching gate that a full swimming pool needs. The rule sits within the same Chapter 21.41 enforcement structure as the rest of the Property Maintenance Code, so the code official can issue a notice and order for a missing or noncompliant barrier.