San Benito County, CA Swimming Pools & Spas: Safety Rules (2026)

San Benito County does not write its own pool-safety device list; instead its building code (Chapter 21.01, Article V) requires an enclosure and a county inspection (Section 21.01.078), and the zoning code (Section 25.07.013) requires fencing per the adopted Building Code. The substantive safety standard is therefore the statewide Swimming Pool Safety Act (California Health and Safety Code Section 115922 et seq.), carried into the California Residential Code. Under state law a 'swimming pool' is any structure intended for swimming or recreational bathing that contains water more than 18 inches deep, including in-ground and aboveground structures, hot tubs, spas, and nonportable wading pools. When a building permit is issued for a new pool or spa, or for remodeling an existing one, at a private single-family home, the owner must equip it with at least two of seven drowning-prevention safety features: (1) a compliant 60-inch enclosure isolating the pool; (2) ASTM F2286 removable mesh fencing with a self-latching gate; (3) an ASTM F1346 safety pool cover; (4) exit alarms on doors and windows with direct pool access; (5) a self-closing, self-latching device on doors providing direct access, with the release mechanism at least 54 inches above the floor; (6) an ASTM F2208 in-water entry-detection alarm; or (7) an independently verified equivalent protection. These are layered requirements, so a single fence alone is generally not enough for a new pool.