Pool fences in Worcester and Central Mass.

What the state building code expects

Residential pool barriers in Massachusetts are governed by the state building code, and your town's building inspector enforces it. The usual requirements:

• At least 48 inches tall, measured from the finished ground on the outside of the fence.
• No gap big enough for a 4-inch ball to pass through the fence, and only a small gap allowed underneath.
• Gates that close and latch on their own, and swing outward, away from the pool.
• Latches kept out of small hands. A latch lower than 54 inches generally has to sit on the pool side of the gate.
• Nothing climbable. No horizontal rails or decorative patterns that work like a ladder on the outside.

You may have heard that Massachusetts requires a 6-foot pool fence. That rule, in the state's General Laws, applies to public and semi-public pools, like those at clubs and apartment complexes. A backyard pool at a single-family home falls under the building code instead.

Town rules still apply on top

The pool fence also has to obey your town's ordinary fence rules.

• Worcester: ask Inspectional Services about height and placement before you order.
• Northborough: no fence over 7 feet, and solid fences near the street stay at 3½ feet or lower. More on Northborough.
• Millbury: the town repealed its own zoning section on swimming pools in 2009, so the state code and the building inspector govern. More on Millbury.

The pool itself needs a building permit, and the barrier is part of what gets inspected before the pool can be used.

Which fence types work

• Aluminum: the most common pool fence around here. Open pickets keep the view, and manufacturers sell pool-rated panels with the right spacing and no climbable rails.
• Vinyl: a solid vinyl privacy fence can double as the pool barrier if it meets the height and gate rules. Good when you want screening from the neighbors too.
• Wood: works, as long as the boards face out and the rails sit on the pool side so there's nothing to climb.
• Chain-link: the budget option. Ask the contractor to confirm the mesh size meets code.
• Your existing fence: sometimes it can count as part of the barrier. An inspector decides, so ask before you assume.

Questions to ask every contractor

• Have you built pool barriers that passed inspection in my town?
• Are the gate hinges and latch rated for pool use, and where will the latch sit?
• If the yard slopes, how will you keep the gap under the fence within code?
• Will you coordinate timing with the pool installer so the barrier is ready for inspection?

Tell us on the form

Whether the pool is in-ground or above-ground, whether it's already in or still planned, your town, and any fence that's already standing. Pick aluminum, vinyl, or "not sure yet" for material.