Pool permit and fence requirements in Pima County, Arizona
Pima County has 6 pool permitting authorities. The required pool fence height is 48 or 60 inches depending on which authority issues the permit. 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.
Pima County is the only place in Southern Arizona where the 48 inch figure is still real, and it is real in exactly one of its six permitting authorities. Unincorporated Pima County requires 48 inches. Tucson, South Tucson, Marana, Oro Valley and Sahuarita all require 60. The City of Tucson moved to 60 inches on January 1, 2026 under Ordinance 12171, so the 48 inch figure no longer applies inside the city limits. South Tucson reaches 60 through a nuisance ordinance rather than a building code. A design that clears in unincorporated Pima County fails the moment the lot sits inside a town or city boundary.
Every permitting authority in Pima County
| Authority | Pool fence height | Code edition | Ordinance or code cite |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of South Tucson | 60 in | 2018 | Ord. 25-01 Sec. 101.4.10 (2018 IBC family); City Code Ch. 7 Sec. 7-13(G)(3) |
| City of Tucson | 60 in | 2024 | Tucson Code Sec. 6-191; Ord. 12171 Exh. G |
| Town of Marana | 60 in | 2024 | Marana Town Code 7-1-2; Ord. 2025.013, adopted 2025-06-17, eff. 2025-07-18; amendments are |
| Town of Oro Valley | 60 in | 2024 | Town Code 6-5-1; Ord. (O)25-05, ordinance eff. 2025-09-03; 2024 codes apply to application |
| Town of Sahuarita | 60 in | 2024 | Sahuarita Ord. No. 2026-197, eff. 2026-07-01; 2024 ISPSC Amendments |
| Unincorporated Pima County | 48 in | 2024 | PC Code 15.04.020(A)(11); Ord. 2025-15 Exh. K |
Stated plainly for Pima County: City of South Tucson requires 60 inches; City of Tucson requires 60 inches; Town of Marana requires 60 inches; Town of Oro Valley requires 60 inches; Town of Sahuarita requires 60 inches; Unincorporated Pima County requires 48 inches.
City of South Tucson
City of South Tucson has adopted the 2018 edition of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, at Ord. 25-01 Sec. 101.4.10 (2018 IBC family); City Code Ch. 7 Sec. 7-13(G)(3).
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.
Resolves to 60 by either route. Ord. 25-01 was adopted 2025-04-15, which forecloses A.R.S. 36-1681(D)(5). If its Exhibit I sets 60, the answer is 60. If Exhibit I leaves the 48 inch ISPSC base in place, (D)(6) is failed and the statute gives 60. Audited 2026-09-15.
City of Tucson
City of Tucson has adopted the 2024 edition of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, at Tucson Code Sec. 6-191; Ord. 12171 Exh. G.
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.
Corrected from 48 to 60 on 2026-09-15. Tucson Code Ch. 6 Art. IX, the Swimming Pool and Spa Code, has three sections and none of them states a barrier height. The only pool text in the adopting ordinance is Ord. 12171 Exhibit G, which revises ISPSC 305.2 and 304 and carries no height figure. The adoption is effective 2026-01-01, so A.R.S. 36-1681(D)(6) is the operative test and the 48 inch ISPSC base cannot satisfy it. The statutory 60 inches governs.
Town of Marana
Town of Marana has adopted the 2024 edition of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, at Marana Town Code 7-1-2; Ord. 2025.013, adopted 2025-06-17, eff. 2025-07-18; amendments are Exhibit J to Resolution 2025-067.
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.
Town of Oro Valley
Town of Oro Valley has adopted the 2024 edition of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, at Town Code 6-5-1; Ord. (O)25-05, ordinance eff. 2025-09-03; 2024 codes apply to applications submitted on or after 2026-01-01.
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 rear / side per zone (see ahj_resolve.py) ft, per OV ZC 25.2.F; district yards Table 23-2A s.23.4; ESOS 27.10.F.3.b. Read the datum: authorities in this region measure to different things, some to the pool structure and some to the edge of water.
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Town of Sahuarita
Town of Sahuarita has adopted the 2024 edition of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, at Sahuarita Ord. No. 2026-197, eff. 2026-07-01; 2024 ISPSC Amendments.
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 Town pool and spa permit submittal checklist (DocumentCenter 9606). Read the datum: authorities in this region measure to different things, some to the pool structure and some to the edge of water.
Unincorporated Pima County
Unincorporated Pima County has adopted the 2024 edition of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, at PC Code 15.04.020(A)(11); Ord. 2025-15 Exh. K.
The required pool fence height is 48 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 PC Zoning 18.07.030(D)(1)(a). Read the datum: authorities in this region measure to different things, some to the pool structure and some to the edge of water.
Unincorporated Pima County accepts a powered safety cover meeting ASTM F1346 in lieu of the listed barrier requirements. That is not available in every jurisdiction in the region.
The 48 inches here rests on A.R.S. 36-1681(D)(5), not on the ISPSC base alone. The history notes to PCC 15.04.020 carry Ord. 1989-78 Sec. 5, 1989, with 1986, 1987 and 1988 amendments, all of which predate the article’s June 1, 1991 effective date. (D)(5) attaches no stringency test, so the pre-1991 ordinance survives at 48 inches. This is the only jurisdiction of the thirty in this roster that can defend a figure under five feet. Audited 2026-09-15.
Communities that permit through Unincorporated Pima County: Ajo, Avra Valley, Casas Adobes, Catalina, Corona de Tucson, Drexel Heights, Flowing Wells, Green Valley, Littletown, Picture Rocks, Summit, Tanque Verde, Three Points, Tucson Estates, Vail, Valencia West. These are unincorporated communities with no building department of their own, so the fence height for every one of them is the Unincorporated Pima County figure above.
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What else applies in Pima 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