Minnehaha County, SD Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

The county's swimming pool barrier rule sits in Section 3109 of the 2021 International Building Code as adopted and amended by Ordinance MC 61-22, effective for building permits issued after May 27, 2022, and enforced in the unincorporated area outside Sioux Falls, Brandon and Dell Rapids. 1 applies to any pool, new or existing, with 18 inches or more of water and bars any owner, lessee, tenant or licensee from failing to maintain the required fence or wall. 1 sets the residential barrier at not less than 42 inches above grade, with the gap between grade and the bottom of the barrier capped at 2 inches; where the pool structure itself sits above grade, the barrier can be mounted on top of the structure with up to a 4-inch gap instead.

2 bars indentations or protrusions in solid barriers beyond normal construction tolerances. 3 requires access gates to carry a locking device, with pedestrian gates self-closing and any non-pedestrian gate self-latching. 4 requires the ladder or steps to be surrounded by a barrier meeting the same opening limits, or secured, locked or removed. 2 bars placing climbable equipment or structures next to the barrier. 2 instead: a 4-foot fence or screen enclosure with the same 4-inch sphere limit and self-closing, self-latching gates. 4 requires suction outlets to meet ANSI/APSP-7 to prevent entrapment.

7 only if it sits outside a residential zoning district, outside a platted subdivision of five or more lots, and its pool is more than 500 feet from any dwelling other than one on the same property.