Rutherford County, TN Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing Requirements (2026)

Tenn. Code Ann. §68-120-101 directs the State Fire Marshal to promulgate statewide construction safety standards for one-family and two-family dwellings using the most recent edition of the International Residential Code (IRC) published by the International Code Council. Tennessee currently enforces the 2018 IRC with state-specific amendments for residential construction. IRC Appendix G/AG (Section AG105) — adopted as part of the state code — sets minimum residential swimming pool barrier requirements: a barrier at least 48 inches in height measured from the finished ground on the side facing away from the pool; vertical clearance between the finished ground and the bottom of the barrier no greater than 2 inches; openings small enough that a 4-inch-diameter sphere cannot pass through (or 1-3/4 inches where the top of the barrier is less than 45 inches); and gates that are self-closing and self-latching, opening outward away from the pool, with the latch at least 54 inches above grade. Tennessee state law also requires pools constructed on or after January 1, 2011 to be equipped with an alarm. Where a building wall serves as part of the barrier, doors with direct access to the pool must have an alarm or self-closing/self-latching device. In unincorporated Rutherford County, building permits and inspections are administered by the County Building Codes Department (615-898-7734). Inside Murfreesboro, the City Building & Codes Department (615-893-6441) issues permits and performs inspections. Smyrna, La Vergne, and Eagleville have their own building departments enforcing the same state-adopted IRC.