Oconee County, SC Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing code
- 2021 Intl. Swimming Pool & Spa Code
- Adopting section
- Oconee County Code § 6-52
- Local amendments
- None listed for § 6-52
- Permit required
- Yes, under § 6-82
- First-citation fine
- Up to $200.00
- Continuing fine
- Up to $2,000.00/day
Summary
Unincorporated Oconee County requires residential pools and spas to meet the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, adopted by reference at Sec. 6-52. The code, not a stand-alone county ordinance, sets the fence, barrier, and gate standards, and its administration and penalties run through the same permit and Codes Department rules as any other building code.
The 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, as (and if) updated or modified by act of the South Carolina Buildings Code Council or other applicable authority, from time to time, and its respective administration sections contained in Chapter 1, are hereby adopted and incorporated into this chapter of the Oconee County Code of Ordinances by reference. ... A person found to be in violation of a building code or regulation adopted pursuant to the provisions of this chapter must be cited and fined, by civil fine, in an amount not more than $200.00. Before being charged with a second violation, the person must be given seven calendar days to remedy the violation or submit a plan for correcting the violation.
Full Breakdown
Oconee County does not write its own pool-fence or barrier specifications into the Code of Ordinances. Instead, Sec. C. Code § 6-9-60. Because the county did not list any local amendments to Sec. 6-52 the way it did for the Property Maintenance Code at Sec. 6-51, the barrier, enclosure, and self-closing-gate requirements that apply to a pool or spa built in the unincorporated county are whatever the adopted 2021 edition of the model code specifies, unmodified by the county. What Oconee County does add is the administrative shell around that code: under Sec.
6-82, anyone who wants to construct, enlarge, alter, or otherwise change a structure regulated by the codes referenced in Article II, which include the Swimming Pool and Spa Code, must first apply to the building official and obtain a permit before work begins, except for emergency repairs. The permit must be kept on site and available for inspection on demand. 00 per day if it is not corrected. Appeals of a building official's determination go to the county's Board of Building Code Appeals under Sec. 6-85.
Violations & Fines
A pool built or altered without the required Sec. 6-82 permit, or found not to meet the adopted Swimming Pool and Spa Code's barrier standards, is cited under Sec. 6-84: a civil fine of not more than $200.00 for the first citation, with seven calendar days to correct it, rising to a civil fine of up to $2,000.00 per day if the violation continues uncorrected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Oconee County require a fence around a residential pool?
Do I need a permit before installing a pool barrier or fence?
What is the penalty for an unpermitted or non-compliant pool barrier?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Oconee County
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