Milton, WI Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

Milton Code of Ordinances Sec. 10-183(f) sets the enclosure standard for outdoor pools. All outdoor, in-ground swimming pools need a fence or other solid structure not less than four feet in height completely enclosing the pool or the yard containing it. The barrier must comply with minimum building code standards for deck railing spacing and opacity, and every gate or door through the enclosure must stay securely closed and locked when not in use, fitted with a self-closing and self-latching device. That four-foot requirement can drop to three feet if the pool has a safety cover meeting ASTM F1346-91 standards in place whenever the pool is not in actual use.

Above-ground pools follow a different path: the barrier must be a solid wall or fence meeting the same deck-railing standard, installed directly above the pool's vertical water-enclosing wall, extending more than three feet above the pool's top rim, and kept at least six feet from any other wall, fence or structure a child could climb to bypass it. Every pool entrance, such as a ladder, must be secured against unauthorized entry. The above-ground barrier can be omitted where the whole yard is already enclosed by a four-foot fence, where a raised deck runs the pool's full perimeter with an attached 36-inch fence, or where a safety cover is combined with a three-foot fence.

Sec. 5 feet deep or less) outright and exempts outdoor hot tubs from the enclosure rule, though hot tubs still cannot sit in a front or street side yard, must stay ten feet from a property line, must be covered when not in use, and must have code-compliant electrical work.