Tulsa, OK Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

Under Title 51 (Building Code), Chapter 5, Section 503 of the Tulsa Revised Ordinances, private swimming pools, hot tubs and spas containing water more than 24 inches deep must be completely surrounded by a fence or barrier at least 48 inches high, measured from the ground on the side away from the pool. The barrier can have no opening a 4-inch sphere could pass through. Gates must be self-closing and self-latching, open outward from the pool, and if the latch release sits below 54 inches it must be mounted on the pool side.

Above-ground pools using the pool wall itself as the barrier need a removable or lockable access ladder. Where a house wall forms part of the barrier, the owner must add one of several protections: an ASTM-rated safety cover, removable mesh fencing with a self-latching gate, door exit alarms, self-latching door hardware set above 54 inches, or an ASTM F2208-certified pool alarm. These barrier rules apply to pools at one- and two-family dwellings citywide; they are enforced through the city's building permit and inspection process, not a standalone pool inspection program.