Marietta, GA Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

04 of the Marietta Code of Ordinances, the city's fences-and-walls provision inside Part 7 (Planning and Development), sets the barrier standard for every pool in the city limits: a fence not less than 4 feet high with a self-closing, self-latching gate, unless the Director of the Department of Development Services approves an alternative. That 4-foot floor sits inside a broader fence chapter that also caps ordinary front-yard fences at 4 feet and rear/side yard fences at 6 to 8 feet depending on the district, so a pool enclosure can piggyback on an existing yard fence as long as the gate itself is self-closing and self-latching.

The same section separately bars barbed wire, spikes or an electric charge within 6 feet of ground level on any fence, and bans those devices entirely on street-facing residential, commercial, central business district or office fences, a relevant cross-check for anyone fencing a pool along a public right-of-way. Compliance is verified through the building permit process for pool installation, administered by the Department of Development Services, and the enclosure requirement functions as a life-safety condition tied to obtaining or maintaining the permit rather than a stand-alone citation scheme.

Homeowners planning a pool should confirm the exact gate hardware and fence height with Development Services before pouring concrete, since a variance from the 4-foot standard requires the Director's sign-off rather than automatic approval.