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

Lacey Municipal Code § 16.03.065 is the zoning rule for residential pools in the City of Lacey, Thurston County. It covers both above-ground and in-ground pools. Placement comes first: a pool cannot sit inside a required front yard setback, and it must be at least five feet from the rear and side property lines. The barrier standard comes second, and the section handles it by reference. Instead of printing its own fence height, latch height or gate swing, the code says residential pools shall comply with the International Residential Code including structural and barrier requirements. The dimensions of the required barrier therefore come from the adopted model code, and the Lacey section is the hook that makes them binding on a Lacey lot.

A second layer sits in Title 14. Chapter 14.35 of the Lacey Municipal Code adopts the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, 2021 Edition, as the performance code for the city, covering the design, construction, alteration, repair and maintenance of swimming pools, spas, hot tubs and aquatic facilities. Section 14.35.020 then states that any violation of that adopted code is a misdemeanor.

The zoning fence standards in § 16.03.070 are separate from the pool barrier rule. They cap free-standing walls, fences and hedges in a residential front yard at three feet, and in a residential side or rear yard at seven feet, with decorative fences that allow visibility, such as wrought iron or split rail, capped at eight feet. A pool owner has to satisfy the barrier requirement and the fence height cap together. Under § 16.03.030, when two lawfully adopted requirements conflict, the more restrictive one governs.