Tustin, CA Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing Requirements (2026)

Tustin's pool/spa user guide reproduces the Swimming Pool Safety Act (Health & Safety Code 115920-115929; California Building Code Section 3109.2) and lists the city's adoption of it. Under HSC 115922, when a building permit is issued for a new or remodeled pool or spa at a private single-family home, the pool must be equipped with item #1 (an enclosure) and at least one additional drowning-prevention safety feature from a list of seven (removable mesh fencing meeting ASTM F2286, an approved safety pool cover, exit alarms on doors, a self-closing/self-latching device on house doors no lower than 54 inches, a pool alarm meeting ASTM F2208, or equivalent means). Per HSC 115923, the enclosure must have a minimum height of 60 inches; access gates must open away from the pool and be self-closing with a self-latching device placed no lower than 60 inches above the ground; the maximum vertical clearance from ground to the bottom of the enclosure is two inches; gaps must not allow passage of a four-inch sphere; and the outer surface must be free of handholds/footholds a child under five could climb. The local building official must inspect these devices before final approval. Tustin's general fence height limit (separate user guide) is 6 feet 8 inches, but pool barriers must independently satisfy the 60-inch minimum and the climbability rules of the Safety Act.