Sandoval County, NM Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

Section 14.F of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance sets pool standards countywide. Subsection 1 requires every pool to be enclosed by a solid wall or fence, or a chain-link fence, at least five feet high, with gates that are self-closing, fitted with self-closing latches, and built to prevent uninvited access; any wrought-iron gates or fencing must have bar openings no wider than four inches. Location rules layer on top of the barrier requirement: in an Urban Single-Family Residential District, a private pool must sit in the side or rear yard, stay at least three feet from any property line, and on a corner lot stay at least five feet from the street side property line, per Section 14.F.2.

In other districts, private and semi-public pools must stay at least seven feet from any property line, or ten feet on the street side of a corner lot, under Section 14.F.3. A public pool must stay twenty-five feet from any lot line under Section 14.F.4. Section 14.F.5 extends the same fencing and setback rules to non-permanent wading pools deeper than eighteen inches, and Section 14.F.6 flatly bars any pool, in-ground or portable, from the required front yard. A building permit, site plan and pool plan are required before construction begins, per Section 15.G(2)[h].