Pascagoula, MS Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing Requirements (2026)

Mississippi authorizes statewide adoption of the International Building and Residential Codes through Miss. Code Ann. § 17-25-21, which establishes the Mississippi Building Code Council. Mississippi adopted the 2018 IBC/IRC family. For one- and two-family residential swimming pools, IRC Appendix AG, Section AG105 (Barrier Requirements) governs: barriers must be at least 48 inches high measured on the outside; the maximum vertical clearance at grade is 2 inches; openings must not allow passage of a 4-inch sphere; for fences with horizontal members spaced less than 45 inches apart, vertical spacing cannot exceed 1.75 inches. Gates must open outward away from the pool, be self-closing and self-latching, and where the release is less than 54 inches above the bottom of the gate, the release must be on the pool side at least 3 inches below the top of the gate. The William Lee Montjoy Pool Safety Act (Miss. Code Ann. Ch. 45-43, §§ 45-43-1 to 45-43-31) imposes more detailed enclosure, gate, and inspection requirements but, by its terms, applies to property owners or owners' associations that own, control, or maintain a public, semi-public, hotel, motel, apartment, or HOA pool — not a private single-family residential pool. Pascagoula's Building and Code Enforcement Division (228-938-6620) issues pool building permits and conducts barrier inspections at final. The City has not published a separate municipal pool barrier ordinance more stringent than the IRC.