Ocala, FL Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

Division 2 of Chapter 82, Article VIII carries Ocala's pool barrier rules, which apply to pools built before the state Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act's October 1, 2000 effective date and to any pool not otherwise covered by that Act. Section 82-512 puts a standing duty on "every person in possession of land as owner, purchaser under contract, lessee, tenant or licensee" with a pool on the property: maintain a barrier completely around the pool or the property at all times. Section 82-513 spells out what that barrier has to be: at least 48 inches high, built with no gap, clearance or opening anywhere in or under the barrier or between it and a supporting member wide enough to let a six-inch sphere pass through, and every gate in it has to be self-closing and either self-latching or otherwise lockable.

If the barrier instead runs around the property line, or sits no closer than five feet to any vertical pool wall, the exterior wall of the dwelling itself can count as part of the required barrier for that stretch. The building official can approve alternate barrier designs not otherwise covered by Division 2, with an appeal from a denial going to the city council under § 82-513(3). Section 82-514 exempts indoor pools and spas entirely, meaning ones fully enclosed on all four sides within a residential structure's walls.

Owners can also seek a hardship exemption from the building official under § 82-516 based on economic factors, landscape or architectural considerations, physical limitations, or available alternative safety devices, and § 82-517 separately requires any pool holding water to stay clear, sanitary, properly fenced and gate-locked when the property is unoccupied.