Pool permit and fence requirements in Cochise County, Arizona
Cochise County has 8 pool permitting authorities. The required pool fence height is 60 inches throughout. The code calls it a barrier.
Every figure below was verified against that authority’s own adopted ordinance. Entries that could not be confirmed are stated as unconfirmed rather than estimated.
Cochise County is the only part of Southern Arizona where a pool cover is a code requirement rather than an option, and there are two separate cover rules in force in the county. Barrier height is 60 inches throughout, and in the unincorporated county it is 60 twice, once by building code amendment and once by zoning.
Every permitting authority in Cochise County
| Authority | Pool fence height | Code edition | Ordinance or code cite |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Benson | 60 in | 2024 | Benson Ord. 645, adopted 2026-04-13, eff. 2026-05-13; Exhibit H to Resolution 11-2026 |
| City of Bisbee | 60 in | none adopted | BCC 7.1.1 |
| City of Douglas | 60 in | none adopted | DMC 15.04.010 |
| City of Sierra Vista | 60 in | 2018 | Sierra Vista Code Sec. 150.01; Ord. 2023-005 as amended by Res. 2023-043 |
| City of Tombstone | 60 in | none adopted | TCC 3-1-1 |
| Unincorporated Cochise County | 60 in | 2024 | Cochise Co. Resolution 26-23, adopted 2026-07-14, eff. 2026-09-01 (Exhibit A, 6.03.100) |
Stated plainly for Cochise County: City of Benson requires 60 inches; City of Bisbee requires 60 inches; City of Douglas requires 60 inches; City of Sierra Vista requires 60 inches; City of Tombstone requires 60 inches; Unincorporated Cochise County requires 60 inches.
Not yet confirmed in Cochise County: Town of Huachuca City, City of Willcox. Design to 60 inches in these until the requirement is confirmed with the building department.
City of Benson
City of Benson has adopted the 2024 edition of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, at Benson Ord. 645, adopted 2026-04-13, eff. 2026-05-13; Exhibit H to Resolution 11-2026.
The required pool fence height is 60 inches, measured on the side of the fence facing away from the pool. The code calls this a barrier. The dimension has to hold around the entire perimeter and for 3 feet measured horizontally out from the outside face, which is why grade fall-off on a sloped lot is the usual reason a wall that measured correctly at layout fails inspection.
The fence stands at least 20 inches back from the water’s edge.
Horizontal members on the outside face sit not less than 45 inches apart vertically, so the fence cannot be climbed like a ladder.
No opening in the fence may pass a 4 inch sphere.
Chain link mesh is limited to 1.75 inches.
Zoning setback, side and rear: 5 ft, per Benson Zoning Regs Section TWELVE, Supplemental Regulations, Swimming Pools (p. 58). Read the datum: authorities in this region measure to different things, some to the pool structure and some to the edge of water.
City of Bisbee
City of Bisbee has adopted no edition of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code. An ISPSC section number is the wrong citation here; the answer comes from the local ordinance or the state statute.
The required pool fence height is 60 inches, measured on the side of the fence facing away from the pool. The code calls this a barrier. The dimension has to hold around the entire perimeter and for 3 feet measured horizontally out from the outside face, which is why grade fall-off on a sloped lot is the usual reason a wall that measured correctly at layout fails inspection.
City of Douglas
City of Douglas has adopted no edition of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code. An ISPSC section number is the wrong citation here; the answer comes from the local ordinance or the state statute.
The required pool fence height is 60 inches, measured on the side of the fence facing away from the pool. The code calls this a barrier. The dimension has to hold around the entire perimeter and for 3 feet measured horizontally out from the outside face, which is why grade fall-off on a sloped lot is the usual reason a wall that measured correctly at layout fails inspection.
City of Sierra Vista
City of Sierra Vista has adopted the 2018 edition of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, at Sierra Vista Code Sec. 150.01; Ord. 2023-005 as amended by Res. 2023-043.
The required pool fence height is 60 inches, measured on the side of the fence facing away from the pool. The code calls this a barrier. The dimension has to hold around the entire perimeter and for 3 feet measured horizontally out from the outside face, which is why grade fall-off on a sloped lot is the usual reason a wall that measured correctly at layout fails inspection.
The fence stands at least 20 inches back from the water’s edge.
Horizontal members on the outside face sit not less than 45 inches apart vertically, so the fence cannot be climbed like a ladder.
No opening in the fence may pass a 4 inch sphere.
Chain link mesh is limited to 1.75 inches.
Zoning setback, side and rear: 4 ft, per Sierra Vista UDO Sec. 151.04.009(A). Read the datum: authorities in this region measure to different things, some to the pool structure and some to the edge of water.
City of Tombstone
City of Tombstone has adopted no edition of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code. An ISPSC section number is the wrong citation here; the answer comes from the local ordinance or the state statute.
The required pool fence height is 60 inches, measured on the side of the fence facing away from the pool. The code calls this a barrier. The dimension has to hold around the entire perimeter and for 3 feet measured horizontally out from the outside face, which is why grade fall-off on a sloped lot is the usual reason a wall that measured correctly at layout fails inspection.
TCC 3-1-16 separately caps fence height at 72 inches.
Unincorporated Cochise County
Unincorporated Cochise County has adopted the 2024 edition of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, at Cochise Co. Resolution 26-23, adopted 2026-07-14, eff. 2026-09-01 (Exhibit A, 6.03.100).
The required pool fence height is 60 inches, measured on the side of the fence facing away from the pool. The code calls this a barrier. The dimension has to hold around the entire perimeter and for 3 feet measured horizontally out from the outside face, which is why grade fall-off on a sloped lot is the usual reason a wall that measured correctly at layout fails inspection.
The fence stands at least 20 inches back from the water’s edge.
Horizontal members on the outside face sit not less than 45 inches apart vertically, so the fence cannot be climbed like a ladder.
No opening in the fence may pass a 4 inch sphere.
Chain link mesh is limited to 1.75 inches.
Zoning setback, side and rear: 7 ft, per Cochise Co. Zoning Regs Sec. 2.51.140 (legacy Sec. 1816); 7 ft is measured from the EDGE OF THE POOL, side and rear setback areas only; general RU setback 20 ft at Sec. 2.15.040. Read the datum: authorities in this region measure to different things, some to the pool structure and some to the edge of water.
Applications before 2026-09-01 run under the 2015 codes. The 60 inch barrier applies under both editions. The 2024 amendments cross-reference Cochise County Zoning Regulations 2.51.140 for pool covers; the 2015 package cited 1816 and 1819.01(A).
Communities that permit through Unincorporated Cochise County: Bowie, Dragoon, Elfrida, Hereford, McNeal, Mescal, Miracle Valley, Naco, Palominas, Pearce, Pirtleville, San Simon, Sierra Vista Southeast, St. David, Sunizona, Sunsites, Whetstone. These are unincorporated communities with no building department of their own, so the fence height for every one of them is the Unincorporated Cochise County figure above.
Sierra Vista Southeast. Not the City of Sierra Vista. The City is on the 2018 ISPSC. Sierra Vista Southeast is unincorporated Cochise County, on the 2024 ISPSC at 60 inches.
What else applies in Cochise County
These are regional or statewide and are explained once rather than repeated on every county page.
- Whether a 48 inch fence is legal under state law, and the June 1 1991 date it turns on
- What size of pool or spa actually triggers the fence requirement
- Gate latch height, and the three different datums jurisdictions measure it from
- Eleven rules quoted at homeowners that govern public pools, not yours
- What an HOA or CC&R can and cannot change
- Step tread, riser and handrail requirements for a residential pool
- All 30 Southern Arizona permitting authorities, side by side