Fort Worth / Tarrant County at a Glance
Fort Worth's Pool Code
No Texas statute requires a barrier around a single-family pool. The Legislature instead handed cities a starting point: under Local Government Code 214.103, a city that regulates pools uses the ISPSC unless it adopts a newer edition.
Fort Worth adopted the 2018 ISPSC with local amendments in City Code section 7-440 (Ordinance 24340-08-2020, effective September 1, 2020), and the city's code page still lists it as current. Section 305 of that code sets the backyard baseline: a barrier at least 48 inches high on the outside, no opening that passes a 4-inch sphere, and pedestrian gates that open outward, self-close and self-latch.
The city's amendments change a few points. The powered-cover exception applies to one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses. Where a house wall forms part of the barrier, the code's alarm and door options apply to those homes. And the chain link ban added by the amendments covers public pools built after January 1, 1994, not backyard pools.
Health and Safety Code Chapter 757 covers pools run by apartment complexes and property owners associations. For a house with a backyard pool, the city code governs.
Fort Worth and Nearby Cities
No statewide rule for homes; each city picks its own edition and amendments.
| Area | What we verified |
|---|---|
| City of Fort Worth | 2018 ISPSC with local amendments. Permit through Fort Worth Development Services. |
| Mansfield | The city's building FAQ points to 2018 ISPSC Section 305 for pool barriers. |
| Grand Prairie | The city's residential pool guidelines apply the ISPSC as adopted by the city and ask for a site plan. The pool must be at least 6 feet from the house unless an engineer's sealed letter says otherwise. |
| Arlington, Southlake, Keller, Colleyville and others | We found no barrier handout from these cities to cite. Their building departments can tell you which edition they enforce, and HOAs may add design rules. |
| Dallas-side cities | Dallas, Plano, Frisco and McKinney are covered in our Dallas-Fort Worth guide. |
Pool Fence Cost in Fort Worth: National Ranges
We found no published source that prices pool fences by state or city, so these are national installed ranges from our pool fence cost guide. Quotes where you live can land above or below them.
| Material | Installed, per linear foot | Full breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| Removable mesh | $15 to $35 | Mesh fence cost |
| Aluminum | $30 to $60 | Aluminum fence cost |
| Vinyl / PVC | $20 to $45 | Vinyl fence cost |
| Tempered glass | $90 to $500 | Glass fence cost |
National typical installed ranges, not quotes. Multiply by your fence perimeter. Some sources include one gate in the figure; extra gates, permits and hard deck surfaces add to the total. Sources: HomeGuide (Feb 3, 2026), Life Saver Pool Fence (Aug 5 and Sep 23, 2026) and Pool Guard USA (May 20, 2025). Full source list and method: pool fence cost guide. Reviewed September 2026.
Sources
Every rule on this page traces to one of these. We link the primary source so you can check it yourself.
- Texas Local Government Code 214.103 (the ISPSC as the default city pool code)
- City of Fort Worth, Building and Energy Codes (the adopted 2018 ISPSC)
- Fort Worth City Code, Section 7-440 (adoption of the 2018 ISPSC, effective September 1, 2020)
- City of Fort Worth, 2018 ISPSC local amendments (cover exception, house wall and chain link amendments)
- City of Mansfield, Building Safety FAQ (Mansfield barrier code)
- City of Grand Prairie, Residential Pool Guidelines (Grand Prairie pool guidelines)
- Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 757 (apartment and HOA pool yards)
Frequently Asked Questions
Full state guide: Texas Pool Fence Requirements, the statewide rules, all regions, and complete details.