Aiken County, SC Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

Section 5-131 states that "The International Residential Code (One and Two Family Dwellings) Appendix G, Swimming Pools, Spas, and Hot Tubs is hereby adopted and is on file in the office of the building official," making Appendix G's enclosure and barrier standards, including its self-closing, self-latching gate rules, part of Aiken County's enforceable building code. The county's editors note this pool code was originally codified as its own article and was folded into Article III, the building codes article, alongside the other adopted International Codes and the National Electrical Code under Sec.

5-121. Whether a permit is needed for a given pool turns on Sec. 5-76(b)(1)g, which exempts only "prefabricated swimming pools that are less than twenty-four (24) inches deep" from the general building permit requirement; any pool 24 inches deep or deeper, and any in-ground pool, needs a permit application to the building official before work begins, per Sec. 5-76(a)(1). Once a pool permit issues, Sec. 5-98's roughing-in and final inspection requirements apply, and Sec. 5-83 requires the permit card to stay posted at the site until the certificate of occupancy is issued.

The full enclosure, gate, and alarm specifications live in the adopted Appendix G text on file with the building official, and any dispute over compliance can be appealed to the board of appeals under Sec. 5-80(b).