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

Pool safety in the City of Hawthorne rests on two layers. Locally, Zoning Code Section 17.20.160 requires any pool, pond, spa, or hot tub deeper than three feet to be enclosed by a six-foot structure, fence, or wall, with every outside gate or door carrying a self-closing device and a self-latching device set not less than four feet above the ground. On top of that, the City's Building & Safety Department administers the California Building Standards Codes and the statewide Swimming Pool Safety Act (Health and Safety Code Sections 115922-115928). Under that state law, when a building permit is issued for a new residential swimming pool or spa, the pool must be equipped with an approved enclosure that isolates the pool from the home and at least one additional qualifying safety feature drawn from the statutory menu - for example, approved safety pool covers, exit alarms on doors leading to the pool, a self-closing/self-latching device on the door, or an alarm system. The state also requires anti-entrapment drain covers under the federal Virginia Graeme Baker Act for circulation systems. The City does not publish its own separate pool-safety menu beyond the enclosure rule, so for the drowning-prevention features Hawthorne defers to and enforces the state statute through the adopted building code.