Whitfield County, GA Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

Section 5-91(a) requires every swimming pool, including pools already built, to be completely surrounded by a fence or wall not less than four feet in height, with no openings, holes or gaps larger than four inches in any dimension except for doors and gates; a dwelling house or accessory building can serve as part of that enclosure. Section 5-91(b) requires every gate and door in the enclosure to stay closed at all times when not in actual use, except a dwelling's own door that forms part of the enclosure, and every opening must have a self-closing and self-latching device to keep it securely shut.

The issuing authority, the county building inspector's office under § 5-90, can require modifications to fences, walls, gates or latches on an individual basis where necessary to improve safety, per § 5-91(c). A swimming pool under this article is any artificial or semiartificial body of water intended for swimming with a depth of at least 18 inches somewhere in it, per § 5-90. Separately, § 5-93 requires the pool itself to sit at least ten feet from the property line, with all pool waste contained on the owner's property, and § 5-94 requires a permit from the building inspector's office before construction begins, with an inspection at the grounding-and-bonding stage and a final inspection; the fence or wall must be built before the final inspection can be completed.