Warren, MI Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

34, titled 'Fence required for pools and ponds,' splits its coverage in two. Subsection (a) states that all regulations of the applicable building code provisions apply to swimming pools and to the method of enclosing a swimming pool for public safety, so the enclosure standard for an in-ground or above-ground swimming pool comes from the state construction code that the city has adopted, rather than a separate barrier-height number written into the zoning ordinance itself. Subsection (b) then sets an independent, specific rule for reflector pools, fish ponds, lily ponds, or any other artificially constructed body of water holding twenty-five inches or more of water at any point: it must be enclosed by a fence not less than four feet high.

The gate on that fence has to be self-closing and self-latching, with the latch mounted on the inside of the gate where a small child can't easily reach it, and the gate must also be capable of being securely locked. The Division of Buildings and Safety Engineering can waive the pond or reflector-pool fencing requirement, but only if the entire residential premises is already fully enclosed and the division inspects and approves that enclosure as an adequate substitute after a site visit.