Kennewick, WA Swimming Pools & Spas: Safety Rules (2026)

Pool safety enforcement in Kennewick spans federal, state, and local rules. The federal Virginia Graeme Baker (VGB) Pool and Spa Safety Act at 15 USC 8003 (and the broader Act at 15 USC 8001-8008), enforced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, requires every public pool and spa to have ANSI/APSP-16 (or successor) compliant anti-entrapment drain covers and, for single-main-drain pools, a secondary anti-entrapment system (gravity drainage, safety vacuum release, suction-limiting vent, or automatic pump shut-off). The VGB Act applies to public pools - including HOA, hotel, and apartment-complex pools located in Kennewick - but ANSI/APSP-16 drain covers are now standard equipment on residential installations as well. Washington's Water Recreation Facility rules at WAC 246-260, implementing RCW 70.90, regulate public/semi-public pools - permits-to-operate, water-quality testing, lifeguard staffing, and signage - enforced locally by the Benton-Franklin Health District; that chapter expressly excludes private single-family residential pools. For residential pools, NEC Article 680 (NFPA 70) and WAC 296-46B-680 require equipotential bonding of all metal parts within 5 feet of the pool, GFCI protection of all 120V receptacles within 20 feet, and specific lighting standards. IBC Appendix G and the ISPSC (adopted at WAC 51-50) govern barriers, gates, and door alarms (see swimming-pools/fencing-requirements). Diving boards and slides must meet ISPSC depth requirements. The Kennewick Building Division inspects all four layers at the pool's final inspection.