West Valley City, UT Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

Section 7-2-119(1), in Chapter 7-2 (Supplementary and Qualifying Regulations), states the rule directly: private pools cannot sit closer than five feet to a side or rear yard property line, and must be secured by a six-foot fence with a self-closing, self-latching gate. The same section sets a separate, unrelated standard for tennis courts in subsection (2): they must sit in the rear yard, at least thirty feet from any dwelling on an adjoining lot, with a ten-foot setback from any property line.

Before digging or fencing, an owner needs a building permit from the Community and Economic Development Department. The Consolidated Fee Schedule at Section 1-2-103 sets a flat $175 minimum fee for individual swimming pool permits, distinct from any separate electrical or barrier-gate inspection. Under Section 7-1-113, the Community and Economic Development Department and the Community Preservation Department jointly enforce Title 7, and a designated City employee may enter a property to check compliance; if the owner refuses entry, the code requires the employee to obtain and execute a search warrant rather than force access. An owner who disputes a staff decision on pool placement has ten days to file a written appeal to the Board of Adjustment under Section 7-1-114, setting out every alleged error and all evidence for the hearing.

Because the pool standard is written as its own freestanding rule rather than folded into the general fence-height chapter, the five-foot setback and six-foot self-latching gate apply to pools specifically, on top of whatever fence height the property already carries along that yard.