Hot tubs and spas in unincorporated Alpine County are exempt from the 60-inch pool barrier if fitted with a locking safety cover meeting ASTM F1346, under Health & Safety Code Section 115922(b)(2). Permanently installed spas still require building and electrical permits under the codes adopted in ACC Chapter 15.04.
Alpine County enforces the California Swimming Pool Safety Act through Alpine County Code 15.04.020. Health & Safety Code Section 115922(b) exempts spas and hot tubs equipped with a locking safety cover that complies with ASTM F1346 from the barrier and safety-feature requirements that apply to pools, so a homeowner installing a covered spa does not have to build a 60-inch enclosure. A permanently installed spa is still a building project: under the 2022 California Building Code and California Electrical Code Article 680 (both adopted in ACC 15.04.020), it requires a building permit and an electrical permit covering GFCI protection, equipotential bonding, and a disconnect within sight. Self-contained portable spas may have lighter permit triggers, but the bonding and GFCI requirements still apply. As with pools, a spa is a 'structure' under ACC 18.08 and must meet the yard setbacks for its zone; in the RE and RN zones, the general fence-height limits of ACC 18.68.140(H) (6 feet in side and rear yards, 4.5 feet in front yards) govern any privacy fencing placed around it.
Operating a spa without the ASTM F1346 locking cover after relying on that exemption means the spa must then meet the full barrier and safety-feature rules of Health & Safety Code 115922-115923. Installing spa wiring without the required electrical permit, or running a spa without GFCI protection, is enforceable under the California Electrical Code adopted in ACC 15.04.020 and can be red-tagged as a life-safety hazard.
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