La Mesa, CA Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

LMMC § 14.20.020 sets the design and construction standards for barriers around swimming pools, spas and hot tubs serving up to three households and their guests. The barrier must stand at least 60 inches above grade on the side facing away from the pool, with a maximum 4-inch vertical clearance to a hard surface (2 inches to earth), and no opening may allow passage of a 4-inch diameter sphere. Horizontal-and-vertical-member fences under 45 inches between horizontal rails must keep the horizontal members on the pool side, with vertical spacing no more than 2 inches; chain-link mesh is capped at 2 inches square with wire no thinner than 11.5 gauge.

Access gates must meet the same height and spacing rules and carry a locking device at least 60 inches above grade; pedestrian gates must swing outward, away from the pool, and be self-closing with a self-latching device. Where the house wall forms part of the barrier and has doors opening directly into the pool yard, the owner must add a further barrier, an approved safety pool cover, exit alarms on those doors, or self-closing, self-latching door hardware with a release mechanism at least 54 inches above the floor.

Hot tubs and spas under 64 square feet of water surface, and outdoor pools generally, may use an ASTM F1346-91-compliant safety cover instead of a fence. Indoor pools fully enclosed within a residence, and pools at a hotel, motel, apartment house, private club or institution continuously supervised by an assigned adult lifeguard or managing employee, are exempt from the barrier requirement under § 14.20.070. Owners may request a variance from the director of building and safety under § 14.20.060 where site conditions make a fence impractical, and every pool must have its required barrier and gates in place before the pool is first filled, under § 14.20.080.