Lower Merion, PA Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

The Township's fence and wall regulations, § 155-3.7, set general height limits by district in Table 3.7.1, ranging from four feet for a primary frontage fence in the low-density residential districts up to eight feet for side and rear fencing in the industrial district, with all heights measured from existing grade under § 155-3.7B. Carved out of that general scheme, § 155-3.7A(3) singles out swimming facilities and defers entirely to the state building code rather than the zoning height table, meaning a pool enclosure must satisfy whatever barrier height, self-closing gate and latch requirements the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code imposes.

The Building and Planning Department's UCC amendment at § 143-8A(1) reinforces the point from the permitting side: before the Township issues a building permit for constructing or installing a swimming pool, it requires a completion guaranty, a bond or escrow deposit sized to cover the estimated cost of required improvements, and the ordinance names fencing first among those improvements alongside electrical work, grading, walls and drainage. All fences generally must also be properly anchored per the Uniform Construction Code under § 155-3.7A(5), and § 155-3.7A(4) separately bars any fence or wall within the floodway of the Schuylkill River regardless of use.

Because the pool-fencing standard is pegged to the state UCC barrier provisions rather than a Township-specific height number, a homeowner installing a pool should confirm the applicable barrier height and gate specification with the Code Official in the Department of Building and Planning before construction, since the completion bond will not be released until the fencing improvement passes inspection.