Florida pool fence requirements: chapter 515, the building code and final inspection

Published November 9, 2026 · Law and code checked November 9, 2026

• Free. Two printables, a final-inspection barrier checklist and the s. 515.33 buyer notice; the download links come by email.
• Deepsel is our product: free estimate, invoice and scheduling software for contractors (scheduling, quotes, invoicing, card payments). The section before the FAQ says where it fits and where it doesn't.
• Not legal advice. Have a Florida attorney read the buyer notice before you use it.

Florida doesn't require a fence around every pool. It requires every new residential pool, spa or hot tub to have at least one of five safety features before it can pass final inspection: a barrier, an approved safety cover, exit alarms on the doors and windows that open to the pool, self-closing and self-latching doors, or a certified pool alarm.¹ If the feature is a fence, it has to be at least 48 inches high measured on the outside, with no more than 2 inches between the ground and the bottom, no gap a 4-inch ball can pass through, and gates that open outward and close and latch by themselves.^1,2 And the building code your inspector works from is stricter than the statute: an outdoor pool needs a barrier unless it has an approved safety cover, and the alarm and door options only cover the side where the house is part of that barrier.²

If you build pools, that's two jobs, not one. The barrier has to pass its inspection before the pool is filled, and the buyer has to get the documents s. 515.33 requires when they sign your contract. I made a printable for each, free: a final-inspection barrier checklist (copy it in Google Docs, or download the Word file or the PDF) and the s. 515.33 buyer notice with the full text of chapter 515 and a receipt for the buyer to sign (Google Docs, Word, PDF). Pick a format, enter your email and I'll send the links.

This page is written for the contractor who has to pass that inspection: a newly licensed residential (class B) or commercial (class A) pool/spa contractor, CPC certified or RP registered, or a remodeler adding a spa. What each class may build, and what a servicing (class C) license can't, is on the Florida pool contractor license page. Homeowners will find their answers in the first two sections. Everything below quotes the statute or the code next to the rule, because the people who'll check your work, the inspector and maybe one day a lawyer, will read them word for word.

Florida pool fence law: what chapter 515 requires

Chapter 515 is the Preston de Ibern/McKenzie Merriam Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act, passed in 2000. It covers a "swimming pool," which the act defines as any structure in a residential area that "contains water over 24 inches deep," in-ground, above-ground and on-ground, plus hot tubs and nonportable spas. "Residential" means the premises of "a detached one-family or two-family dwelling or a one-family townhouse not more than three stories high."¹

The core rule is s. 515.27(1): "In order to pass final inspection and receive a certificate of completion, a residential swimming pool must meet at least one of the following requirements."¹ Here are the five, with what the Florida Building Code, Residential adds to each:

Read the right-hand column again. In the code, the alarms, the door latches and the pool alarm aren't alternatives to a barrier. They're the three ways to deal with doors and windows "where a wall of a dwelling serves as part of the barrier." The code's base rule is that "Outdoor swimming pools shall be provided with a barrier," with the safety cover as the one exception.² The county forms follow the code. Palm Beach County's affidavit, for example, offers six ways to comply, and every one is either a 360-degree barrier (sometimes with the house as one side) or an approved safety cover.⁹ So when a homeowner tells you a $200 pool alarm is all Florida needs, the statute alone might agree with them. The inspector won't.

Three limits on the act. It doesn't apply to public pools, which have their own rules under chapter 514 and the Department of Health, or to "any portable spa with a safety cover that complies with ASTM F1346-91." And a city or county can enforce its own pool safety ordinance if it is "equal to or more stringent" than chapter 515.¹ Miami-Dade's is one (below).

One more: the act is written for new pools. Its intent is "that all new residential swimming pools, spas, and hot tubs be equipped," and the penalty reaches whoever "fails to equip a new residential swimming pool."¹ Whether a resurfacing or remodel permit's final inspection also looks at the barrier is the building department's call. Ask when you pull the permit, and if the barrier won't pass, price the fix into the remodel instead of finding out at final.

Florida pool barrier requirements in the building code (R4501.17)

The statute's barrier section, s. 515.29, is short: "at least 4 feet high on the outside," no "gaps, openings, indentations, protrusions, or structural components that could allow a young child to crawl under, squeeze through, or climb over," around the pool's perimeter, and "sufficiently away from the water's edge."¹ The Florida Building Code, Residential turns that into numbers. These are the 8th edition's (2023) words, and the 9th edition keeps them unchanged:^2,3

Gates

Gates are the part of the barrier that moves, so they're the part to test twice. The code: access gates "shall be self-closing" and "equipped with a self-latching locking device located on the pool side of the gate." Where the release is "no less than 54 inches (1372 mm) from the bottom of the gate," it may be on either side, "so placed that it cannot be reached by a young child over the top or through any opening or gap from the outside." Gates "must open outward away from the pool," and "the gates and barrier shall have no opening greater than 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) within 18 inches (457 mm) of the release mechanism."² Test the closer from fully open and from half open. A gate that latches from 90 degrees and bounces off the latch from 20 is a fail, and hinges sag after a summer.

When the house is part of the barrier: alarms and door latches

If the house wall forms one side of the barrier, every door and window that opens onto the pool area needs one of three things (R4501.17.1.9):²

• An exit alarm "complying with UL 2017 that has a minimum sound pressure rating of 85 dBA at 10 feet," with any deactivation switch "at least 54 inches (1372 mm) above the threshold." Windows are exempt if they're screened or protected with a sill 48 inches or more above the floor, if they're above the first story, or if they're a screened or protected kitchen pass-through 42 inches or higher with a counter beneath.
• A self-closing, self-latching device on every door, latching "a minimum of 54 inches (1372 mm) above the threshold," approved by the building official.
• A pool alarm certified to ASTM F2208.

A house wall with no door or window opening to the pool needs nothing more (R4501.17.1.14). Count the openings at the first walk-through, sliders and bathroom windows included, because each one is a line item. A Florida homeowner on Reddit summed up the surprise: "Baby fences are not cheap and requires drilling 1" holes in the pool decking or alarms over a certain decibel level at all 1st floor entrances to the pool decking including windows" (r/pools, February 2025).

Screen enclosures, mesh barriers and yard fences

• Screen enclosure. "Standard screen enclosures which meet the requirements of Section R4501.17 may be utilized as part of or all of the 'barrier' and shall be considered a 'nondwelling' wall" (R4501.17.1.11). It can sit as close to the water as the code allows otherwise (R4501.17.1.13). Its doors to the yard are the way through the barrier, so expect the inspector to test them like gates, and the house doors that open into the enclosure still need alarms or latches. The enclosure is usually its own permit, often pulled by an aluminum or screen contractor, so put its final on your schedule.²
• Mesh safety barrier (the removable "baby fence"). It must comply with ASTM F2286 and the manufacturer's instructions, a hinged gate in it must meet the gate rules, and it can't go on top of an above-ground pool (R4501.17.1.15). "One end of a removable child barrier shall not be removable without the aid of tools," and it must stand "no less than 20 inches (508 mm)" from the water's edge (R4501.17.1.2, R4501.17.1.13).² Orange County publishes a list of mesh barrier makers whose engineering it has accepted.⁸
• The yard fence. It counts where it's on the pool's perimeter and passes every row of the table above (R4501.17.1.12). Check the neighbor's side too: a 48-inch fence measured in your customer's yard can be 44 inches from the neighbor's higher grade, and that's the outside. Palm Beach County requires a Pool Barrier Agreement, signed by the owner and recorded in the county's Official Records, before a neighbor's wall or fence can count.⁹

Above-ground pools, spas and waterfront lots

An above-ground pool's own wall can be the barrier, or the barrier can sit on top of it. The ladder or steps must be "capable of being secured, locked or removed," or surrounded by a barrier, and with the ladder removed no opening may pass a 4-inch sphere (R4501.17.1.10; s. 515.29(2)). A spa or hot tub over 24 inches deep is a "swimming pool" under the act; a portable spa with an ASTM F1346 cover is exempt.^1,2 On a canal or lake, the water can count as part of the barrier only "when approved by the authority having jurisdiction," which may want surveys, aerials and water management district specs showing it won't change and clearly blocks access (R4501.17.1.14.1).² Get that approval in writing before you leave the water side open.

Put the barrier in the quote

Who supplies the barrier is a money question before it's a code question. A pool designer answering a homeowner who had eight quotes put it plainly: "Electrical, permits, fence or barrier, and startup. These are the usual 'not included' surprises" (r/swimmingpools, November 2026). Name the safety feature in the contract, say whether it's in your price, and if the owner is buying it elsewhere, say it must pass before the final. Part 3 of the buyer notice has those lines. Payment terms, the 10% deposit rule and the notices your contract must carry are on the Florida construction contract requirements page.

Final inspection: no water until the barrier passes

The code's sequencing rule is one line: "Final electrical, and barrier code, inspection shall be completed prior to filling the pool with water." The exception is "Vinyl liner and fiberglass pools are required to be filled with water upon installation" (R4501.19).² So on a gunite or shotcrete pool, the barrier and its gates, alarms and latches have to be finished and passed before your start-up crew fills it. If the enclosure company or the alarm installer runs late, the plaster schedule waits. On a fiberglass or vinyl pool, the shell is full long before final, so fence off the site while you wait.

Counties run the paperwork differently. These are each county's own pages, read November 9, 2026, and they cover unincorporated areas; cities with their own building departments have their own forms. A registered (RP) license works only where you're registered; a certified (CPC) license works statewide.

The notice of commencement is the owner's form; the Florida mechanics lien guide explains it and why it matters to your lien rights. And note what the county forms are not: they're filed with the building department, and none of them is the buyer document s. 515.33 requires. You need both.

The penalty if a new pool has no safety feature

"A person who fails to equip a new residential swimming pool with at least one pool safety feature as required in subsection (1) commits a misdemeanor of the second degree."¹ That's up to 60 days in jail and a fine of up to $500.⁷ There's a way out: "no penalty shall be imposed if the person, within 45 days after arrest or issuance of a summons or a notice to appear, has equipped the pool with at least one safety feature" and has attended the drowning prevention program.¹ The Department of Health's rule makes that program the online course "Home Pool Essentials," from the American Red Cross and the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance.⁵

The statute says "a person," not "the contractor" or "the owner," and Miami-Dade's form points its citation at the owner.¹⁰ For you the practical penalties come first anyway: no final inspection, no certificate of completion, a permit that can expire, and in Palm Beach a violation the county calls willful, with the qualifier's signature on the affidavit.^8,9

The buyer notice s. 515.33 requires

This is the part pool contractors miss, because nobody asks for it at the permit counter. Section 515.33: "A licensed pool contractor, on entering into an agreement with a buyer to build a residential swimming pool, or a licensed home builder or developer, on entering into an agreement with a buyer to build a house that includes a residential swimming pool, must give the buyer a document containing the requirements of this chapter and a copy of the publication produced by the department under s. 515.31."¹

The statute doesn't say what "a document containing the requirements of this chapter" looks like. The Department of Health's rule does, and none of the pages that rank for this topic mention it. Rule 64E-21.001, last amended in 2020, says:⁵

• The document is the text of "Sections 515.21-.37, F.S., 2019." The chapter hasn't changed since 2016, so the 2026 text is the same words.¹
• The publication is "U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission publication Number 362, August 2012, Safety Barrier Guidelines for Residential Pools." It's a free 20-page booklet, and the CPSC says it "may be reproduced, in part or in whole, without permission."⁶

So the packet is the chapter's text plus the CPSC booklet, handed over when the buyer signs. Chapter 515 sets no penalty for skipping it, and it doesn't ask for a signature. Get one anyway. A pool that later has an accident is exactly when someone will ask what the buyer was told, and a dated receipt answers in one line. It also starts the conversation you want to have about keeping the features in place. A Reddit user, writing the day a friend's son was pulled from the family pool and resuscitated, put it this way: "I see so many comments about people passing inspections and then completely removing safety features" (r/pools, July 2025).

The buyer notice has your company and license block, a plain-words summary, an optional section naming the safety feature and who pays for it, a receipt for the buyer to sign, the full text of sections 515.21 to 515.37 as Appendix A, and a cover page for the printed CPSC booklet as Appendix B. Home builders selling a house with a pool can use it as is.

Drain covers and entrapment: VGB and ANSI/PHTA/ICC 7

The barrier keeps children out of the water; the drain rules keep the pool from holding anyone under. Two layers apply:

• Federal. The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act makes it a federal product rule that "each swimming pool or spa drain cover manufactured, distributed, or entered into commerce in the United States" meet the entrapment standard.¹⁵ The CPSC's current standard is ANSI/APSP/ICC-16 2017 (16 CFR 1450.3). Public pools and spas, which the act defines to include those of apartment complexes, residential developments and hotels, also need anti-entrapment devices, and one with "a single main drain other than an unblockable drain" needs a backup such as a safety vacuum release system or an automatic pump shut-off.¹⁵
• Florida code. "Entrapment protection for suction outlets shall be installed in accordance with requirements of ANSI/PHTA/ICC 7," and main suction outlet velocity "must comply with ANSI/PHTA/ICC 7" (R4501.6.6, R4501.6.3).² The 9th edition adds ANSI/APSP/ICC 16 to that section.³

On a residential build, that means covers labeled to the current standard, rated for the pump's flow, installed per their listing, and a photo of each label in the job file. Lee County asks for every suction outlet and its cover standard on the plans.¹² Condo, HOA and hotel pools also go through the Department of Health; the Florida pool contractor license page covers that side.

What changes on December 31, 2026

The 9th edition (2026) of the Florida Building Code takes effect on December 31, 2026.³ I compared its R4501.17 barrier sections and R4501.19 with the 8th edition's, line by line: the wording is the same, apart from typesetting. The Florida Building Commission's analysis of changes lists none for the barrier either.^3,4 What does change in chapter 45, for the rest of the job:⁴

• The pressure test becomes water only, at 25 psi instead of 35.
• All pool piping is held to 8 feet per second.
• "Main drain" becomes the suction outlet fitting assembly (SOFA), no longer required at or near the deepest point, and ANSI/APSP/ICC 16 joins ICC 7 for entrapment.
• Underwater lights are capped at 30 volts DC or 15 volts AC.
• Florida keeps its single-wire bonding through a new exception.
• A private pool is defined as "permanently installed," and a portable spa is one "installed on or above grade" that "May not be installed with raised decking to allow access."³ So a hot tub set into a raised deck may no longer count as portable under the code; ask your building official before you leave the barrier off one.

Bills that died in 2025 and 2026, and will be back

I checked the Florida Senate's bill pages for both sessions. Nothing that passed touches chapter 515 or the barrier code. What failed:¹⁶

• A barrier at sale. SB 604 and HB 93 (2025), then HB 117, SB 244 and SB 610 (2026), would have required a home with a pool to meet the safety-feature and barrier rules when it's sold or transferred, with home inspectors reporting violations. All died in committee; the 2026 bills died on March 13, 2026.
• Rentals. CS/CS/SB 658 (2026) would have required landlords and vacation rentals to fit water safety features. It passed the Senate 37 to 0 and died in messages; the House version died in subcommittee.

The sale bill has now been filed in two sessions running. If it passes, existing pools sold after its effective date would need a compliant barrier, and that's retrofit work: gates, alarms and mesh barriers on pools you didn't build.

The free barrier checklist and buyer notice

The final-inspection barrier checklist fits a clipboard: the job, the permit, the county form and the buyer notice date at the top; then the barrier walk with every measurement above, a gate table, a door-and-window table for the house side, rows for screen enclosures, mesh barriers, safety covers and above-ground pools, the final inspection sequence, drain cover labels, and a box for anything the inspector calls out. Each row carries its code section, so you can point to it when you disagree with someone. Copy it in Google Docs, or download the Word file or the PDF.

The s. 515.33 buyer notice is the packet described above, with grey notes telling you what to fill in and delete. Copy it in Google Docs, or download the Word file or the PDF, and print the CPSC booklet to go behind it.

Where Deepsel fits

Deepsel is the field service software I build, and it covers the quote before the pool and the paperwork after. You write the quote with options (pool with a fence, pool with a screen enclosure, pool with a mesh barrier), the buyer approves and signs on screen, and you can take an optional card deposit at approval that's credited on the final invoice. On Pro you can write your own contract in Settings, attach it to the estimate and have the buyer sign it when they approve, so the s. 515.33 receipt can go in with the contract signature; Florida isn't one of the built-in contracts, so you'd write it or copy one and edit it. Checklists are internal, never shown to the customer: you can turn the barrier walk into a checklist template with pass, flag and fail items and number items for the heights and gaps (flagged when one is out of range), put it on the estimate or on the inspection visit, and keep photos of each latch on the job. Pumps, filters, heaters and salt chlorinators go in the customer's equipment records with make, model and serial, which pays off if you keep the pool on service after start-up (the service plans module is on Pro; the pool service agreement template and pool service pricing cover that side of the business). Free covers 30 estimates and 30 invoices a month for your whole team; Pro is $29 a month with unlimited estimates and invoices (pricing). What it won't do: it doesn't hand the buyer the CPSC booklet, it doesn't track permits or inspections, and it doesn't know Florida law.

Frequently asked questions

Is a fence required around a pool in Florida?

Not always a fence, but almost always a barrier. Chapter 515 of the Florida Statutes lets a new residential pool pass final inspection with any one of five safety features: a barrier, an approved safety cover, exit alarms on the doors and windows to the pool, self-closing and self-latching doors, or a certified pool alarm. The Florida Building Code, which the inspector enforces, is stricter: an outdoor pool needs a barrier around it unless it has an approved safety cover, and the alarms, door latches and pool alarm only cover the side where the house wall is part of that barrier. The barrier can be a fence, a wall, a screen enclosure or a mesh safety barrier.

Do I need a fence around my pool if my yard is fenced in?

Not if the yard fence passes as the pool barrier. Florida lets a yard fence or wall serve as part of the barrier where it sits on the pool's perimeter and meets every barrier rule: at least 48 inches high on the outside, no more than 2 inches at the bottom, no gap a 4-inch ball passes, and self-closing, self-latching gates that open outward. The house side then needs exit alarms, self-closing doors or a pool alarm. In Palm Beach County, using a neighbor's fence takes a Pool Barrier Agreement recorded in the county's records.

Do you need a screen enclosure (a pool cage) in Florida?

No. A screen enclosure is one way to make the barrier: the building code counts a standard screen enclosure that meets the barrier rules as a nondwelling wall, and it can be all or part of the barrier. A fence, wall or mesh safety barrier works too. If the enclosure is the barrier, expect the inspector to hold its doors to the yard to the gate rules, and the house doors that open into it still need alarms or self-closing latches.

How high does a pool fence have to be in Florida?

At least 48 inches (4 feet), measured on the side away from the pool, with no more than 2 inches between the ground and the bottom of the fence. A gate latch whose release sits at least 54 inches above the bottom of the gate may be on either side of the gate; a lower release goes on the pool side. Either way, no opening in the gate or barrier may exceed 1/2 inch within 18 inches of the release. A mesh safety barrier must stand at least 20 inches back from the water.

What are Florida's pool alarm requirements?

Two kinds of alarm count. Exit alarms go on every door and window that opens from the house to the pool: listed to UL 2017, at least 85 dBA at 10 feet, with any switch to turn them off mounted at least 54 inches above the threshold. A pool alarm sits in the water and must be independently certified to ASTM F2208; a wristband alarm worn by a child doesn't count. Under the building code either one only covers the house side of a barrier. A pool alarm on its own doesn't replace the barrier.

What happens if a new pool in Florida has no safety feature?

It can't pass final inspection, and failing to equip a new residential pool with one of the five features is a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. There's no penalty if, within 45 days of the arrest, summons or notice to appear, the pool gets a safety feature and the person takes the drowning prevention course the Department of Health requires (the online Home Pool Essentials course). Counties add their own consequences: Miami-Dade cites the owner if the barrier is missing at final, Orange expires a permit whose final isn't passed in time, and Palm Beach treats filling a pool before the barrier final as a willful violation.

What does a pool contractor have to give the buyer in Florida?

Under s. 515.33, a licensed pool contractor who agrees to build a residential pool must give the buyer a document containing the requirements of chapter 515 and the Department of Health's drowning prevention publication. Rule 64E-21.001 names both: the text of sections 515.21 to 515.37, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission's Publication 362, Safety Barrier Guidelines for Residential Pools. Home builders and developers selling a house with a pool have the same duty. Give both at contract signing and keep a signed receipt.

Did Florida change its pool fence law in 2025 or 2026?

No. Chapter 515 was last amended in 2016. Bills to require a pool barrier when a home is sold died in both years (SB 604 and HB 93 in 2025; HB 117, SB 244 and SB 610 in 2026), and a 2026 bill requiring water safety features at rentals passed the Senate 37 to 0 but died in the House. The 9th edition of the Florida Building Code, in force from December 31, 2026, carries the barrier sections over without a change in wording.

Sources

1. Florida Statutes, chapter 515, Preston de Ibern/McKenzie Merriam Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act: § 515.23 (intent, "all new residential swimming pools"), § 515.25 (definitions: (1) approved safety pool cover, ASTM F1346-91; (10) residential; (11) swimming pool, "water over 24 inches deep"), § 515.27 (safety feature options; (2) second-degree misdemeanor and 45-day cure), § 515.29 (barrier requirements), § 515.31 (education program and publication), § 515.33 (information to buyers), § 515.37 (exemptions). History: ch. 2000-143; § 515.27 amended by ch. 2016-129, no later amendments. leg.state.fl.us, 2026 Florida Statutes, read November 9, 2026.
2. Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th edition (2023), chapter 45, Private Swimming Pools: R4501.6.3 (water velocity; main suction outlet per ANSI/PHTA/ICC 7), R4501.6.6 (entrapment protection), R4501.17 (barrier requirement; safety cover exception) and R4501.17.1.1 to R4501.17.3, R4501.19 (final inspection before filling). International Code Council, codes.iccsafe.org, read November 9, 2026.
3. Florida Building Code, Residential, 9th edition (2026), chapter 45, "Effective Date: Dec 31, 2026": R4501.17 and R4501.19 compared word for word with the 8th edition (no change in wording); R4501.6.6 adds ANSI/APSP/ICC 16; R4501.2 definitions of "Spa, portable" and "Swimming pool, private." International Code Council, codes.iccsafe.org, read November 9, 2026.
4. Florida Building Commission, "Analysis of Changes for the 9th Edition (2026) Florida Building Code: Changes to the Florida Building Code, Residential," chapter 45 (definitions, R4501.6.3, R4501.6.6, R4501.12.1, R4501.16, R4501.16.1, R4501.21.3; no entries for R4501.17). floridabuilding.org, published June 15, 2026, read November 9, 2026.
5. Fla. Admin. Code R. 64E-21.001, "Drowning Prevention Education/Public Information Publication": (1) the education program is the 2018 online course "Home Pool Essentials"; (2) the publication is CPSC Publication 362, August 2012; (3) "In accordance with Section 515.33, F.S., the document containing the requirements of this chapter shall be Sections 515.21-.37, F.S., 2019." Effective May 19, 2020. flrules.org, read November 9, 2026.
6. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, "Safety Barrier Guidelines for Residential Pools: Preventing Child Drownings," Publication 362 (08/12), 20 pages, public domain. cpsc.gov, read November 9, 2026.
7. Florida Statutes § 775.082(4)(b) (second-degree misdemeanor, "not exceeding 60 days") and § 775.083(1)(e) ($500). 775.082, 775.083, 2026 Florida Statutes, read November 9, 2026.
8. Orange County Division of Building Safety, "Residential Swimming Pool Permit" (Swimming Pool Safety Affirmation; barrier permit; "290 Final Inspection" and permit expiry; accepted barrier products). orangecountyfl.net, read November 9, 2026.
9. Palm Beach County Building Division, PPM PB-O-104, "Pool Barrier Requirements/Process" (primary permit with barrier and electric sub-permits; Affidavit of Understanding; recorded Pool Barrier Agreement), discover.pbcgov.org; "Residential Swimming Pool Safety Requirements: Affidavit of Understanding" (revised March 21, 2024; filling before the final electric and barrier inspections violates section 110.3.B.8 as amended by the county), discover.pbcgov.org. Both read November 9, 2026.
10. Miami-Dade County, "Swimming Pool Permits" (barrier section, citing County Code section 33-12 and §§ 515.27, 515.29), miamidade.gov; "Swimming Pool Owner's Certification" under section 33-12(e) and (f) (revised May 6, 2015), miamidade.gov; Code of Miami-Dade County § 33-12, "Fences and safety barriers for swimming pools," text read in the eLaws copy of the code. Read November 9, 2026.
11. City of Oakland Park Building Department, "Swimming Pool & Spa Permit Application Checklist" (Residential Swimming Pool, Spa and Hot Tub Safety Act form, signed and notarized), oppermits.com, March 2026; City of Pembroke Pines, "Swimming Pool & Spa Permit Checklist" (Safety Act form; fence sub-permit; notice of commencement before the first inspection over $5,000), ppines.com. Broward County's own copy of the form returned an error. Read November 9, 2026.
12. Lee County Building and Permitting Services, "Pool (Residential and Commercial) Application and Permitting Guide," last updated October 9, 2025 (Pool Safety Feature and Pool Enclosure Affidavit fields; separate enclosure or fence permit; "Pool barriers must be installed at the time of final inspection"; suction outlets on the plans; notice of commencement; "119 Pool Final"). leefl.gov, read November 9, 2026.
13. Collier County, "Pool (PRSPL)" application requirements. collier.gov, read November 9, 2026.
14. Hillsborough County, "Residential Pool Requirements" (last modified January 28, 2026). hcfl.gov, read November 9, 2026.
15. Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, 15 U.S.C. § 8003 ((b) drain cover standard; (c) public pools and spas, required devices and definition), law.cornell.edu; 16 CFR 1450.3 (ANSI/APSP/ICC-16 2017, 84 FR 24027, May 24, 2019), ecfr.gov. Read November 9, 2026.
16. The Florida Senate, bill pages: 2025 SB 604 and HB 93 (died June 16, 2025); 2026 HB 117, SB 244 and SB 610 (died March 13, 2026), and CS/CS/SB 658 (passed the Senate 37 to 0, died in messages). Read November 9, 2026.