Pool permit and fence requirements in Santa Cruz County, Arizona
Santa Cruz County has 3 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.
Santa Cruz County has never adopted any edition of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code. Residential pools are governed entirely by a zoning provision that predates most of the region’s building codes. An answer that cites an ISPSC section number for a pool in Rio Rico, Tubac or anywhere else in the county is citing a code the county does not have.
Every permitting authority in Santa Cruz County
| Authority | Pool fence height | Code edition | Ordinance or code cite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Patagonia | 60 in | none adopted | Patagonia Town Code 7-1-1 |
| Unincorporated Santa Cruz County | 60 in | none adopted | Santa Cruz Co. Zoning and Development Code Sec. 1600 (Article 16), eff. 1997-03-21; bldg c |
Stated plainly for Santa Cruz County: Town of Patagonia requires 60 inches; Unincorporated Santa Cruz County requires 60 inches.
Not yet confirmed in Santa Cruz County: City of Nogales. Design to 60 inches in these until the requirement is confirmed with the building department.
Town of Patagonia
Town of Patagonia 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.
The Town adopts its own 2006 codes but Santa Cruz County provides inspection under an IGA. A Patagonia job is reviewed by the same inspectors as a Rio Rico job, against a different code edition.
Unincorporated Santa Cruz County
Unincorporated Santa Cruz County 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.
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: 7.5 (R-1..R-5, MF, MH, MFR) / 15 (GR-40, GR, SR, B-1, B-2, M-1) ft, per Santa Cruz Co. Zoning and Development Code Sec. 1600. Read the datum: authorities in this region measure to different things, some to the pool structure and some to the edge of water.
Unincorporated Santa Cruz County accepts a powered safety cover meeting ASTM F-1346 (275 lb, no opening over 4 in, lock or 40 lb force) in lieu of the listed barrier requirements. That is not available in every jurisdiction in the region.
ISPSC Chapter 8, the residential geometry chapter covering depths, slopes, steps and the diving envelope, is NOT in force here.
The regional outlier. Still on 2012 I-Codes, the oldest package of the four counties, with no ISPSC. Pool safety runs through the Zoning and Development Code Article 16, so a pool here is a zoning compliance question rather than a building code question. Submittal requires an approved septic permit from SCC Health and water availability documentation from the utility.
Communities that permit through Unincorporated Santa Cruz County: Amado, Kino Springs, Rio Rico, Sonoita, Tubac, Tumacacori-Carmen. These are unincorporated communities with no building department of their own, so the fence height for every one of them is the Unincorporated Santa Cruz County figure above.
Amado. Primarily Santa Cruz County, partially Pima. Verify the parcel.
What else applies in Santa Cruz 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