Alhambra, CA Swimming Pools & Spas: Safety Rules (2026)

The City of Alhambra's residential pool safety regime is largely defined by state law that the city adopts and enforces locally. The Swimming Pool Safety Act (California Health and Safety Code Section 115922) requires that, when a building permit is issued for a new pool or spa or the remodeling of an existing one at a private single-family home, the pool be equipped with at least two of seven approved drowning-prevention safety features - an isolation enclosure, ASTM F2286 removable mesh fencing with a self-closing/self-latching gate, an ASTM F1346 safety cover, exit alarms on doors with direct pool access, self-closing/self-latching doors with raised releases, an ASTM F2208 pool alarm, or other approved equivalent measures. Section 115928 requires anti-entrapment protection: at least two hydraulically balanced suction outlets per pump, secured with anti-entrapment grates and separated by at least three feet, to prevent a single-drain suction hazard. Before issuing final approval for the permitted work, the local building official must inspect the required drowning-prevention features and, if no violations are found, give final approval. Alhambra incorporates these requirements through its Swimming Pool and Spa Code (Chapter 20.15) and its zoning Section 23.12.150, which also imposes water-line setbacks of three to five feet. The city's Building Division administers the permits and inspections rather than the county, because Alhambra is an incorporated city.