York County, VA Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

Sec. 7.1-4(a) folds Section 303.2 ('Enclosures') of the Virginia Maintenance Code, part of the VUSBC's Part III maintenance provisions, directly into York County's own building regulations and applies it specifically to barriers around existing swimming pools, hot tubs, and spas. Because it is adopted as county law rather than left as a standalone state reference, the building code official and, where fire safety is implicated, the fire code official enforce it whenever an unsafe condition is discovered, using the same duties, powers, and immunities granted under the VUSBC (Sec.

7.1-4(b)). A property owner who disagrees with an enforcement decision can appeal to the Board of Building Code Appeals, which Sec. 7.1-4(c) designates by name to hear challenges to Virginia Maintenance Code determinations. Beyond the enclosure requirement itself, installing the fence is a permitted activity: Sec. 7.1-8(a)(7) sets a flat $90.00 building-permit fee for installing fencing around a swimming pool or around hazardous material, regardless of whether the fence is wood, metal, or masonry. That fee is separate from, and in addition to, the permit and fee required to build the pool itself under Sec.

7.1-8(a)(2). Very small pools are treated differently: Sec. 7.1-10(c)(1) exempts a pool less than two feet deep and no larger than 150 square feet in surface area from the building permit requirement altogether, though the underlying enclosure obligation under the Maintenance Code is not tied to that size exemption.