Roanoke, VA Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

Article II of Chapter 15 defines a public swimming pool broadly to include pools at apartment houses, condominiums, private clubs, hotels, motels, schools, and universities, wherever a fee or consideration is charged directly or indirectly for use, but section 15-22 expressly excludes pools at private residences intended only for the owner and his guests. For every pool that does count as public, section 15-30(c) requires the outdoor pool area to be completely enclosed by a fence, wall, building, or combination of these, meeting five specific conditions: materials impenetrable by children under age three; a minimum four-foot height around the entire pool; no more than a two-inch horizontal gap between vertical fence members; no more than a two-inch gap under the bottom of the enclosure; and every gate and door fitted with self-closing, positive self-latching hardware mounted at least three feet high, plus a permanent locking device.

The same section also bars swimming when lightning is seen or thunder is heard, or for fifteen minutes afterward. The health director enforces these standards under section 15-24 through property inspections and can order a noncompliant public pool closed under section 15-25 until conditions are corrected, after giving the owner written notice of the specific violated provisions and a chance to respond. A public pool constructed, operated, or maintained contrary to Article II is declared a public-health nuisance by section 15-25. Because the definition excludes owner-and-guest residential pools, a single-family backyard pool does not have to meet this four-foot barrier standard under city ordinance; separate state building-code pool barrier requirements can still apply to residential construction.