Owensboro, KY Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

Section 3-7(f) of Appendix F, the joint Owensboro-Daviess County Zoning Ordinance, treats a swimming pool as an accessory structure and sets its location independently of the general accessory-building rules in Section 3-6. A pool must be located six feet from all interior side and interior rear property lines "as per the Kentucky Building Codes," and along any street-facing lot line it must meet the same setback that applies to the principal house under Article 8's zone-by-zone site development tables. Sports courts built on the same lot follow the setback rules for enclosed accessory buildings rather than the six-foot pool standard.

The section folds the barrier requirement into two sources at once: it requires that "walls and fences around such features shall conform to the requirements in this Zoning Ordinance and the Kentucky Building Codes," so the fence-height limits in Section 3-7(g) apply on top of whatever barrier, gate, and alarm specifications the adopted Kentucky Building Code imposes for pools. The city adopts building and property maintenance codes by reference in Chapter 5 of the Owensboro Municipal Code, so a residential pool must also pass a building-permit inspection confirming the required barrier is in place before a certificate of occupancy issues.

A pool cannot encroach into a public utility easement or right-of-way unless the owner first obtains an encroachment permit from the Zoning Administrator under Article 5 of the Zoning Ordinance; unpermitted work in an easement can be ordered removed at the owner's expense.