Your Local Code Decides
Most state and local gate rules start from the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC). Some places use an older edition or add their own terms, so confirm with your building department before you buy hardware.
The Model Code Gate Rules
Section 305.3 of the 2024 ISPSC sets the gate rules most local codes build on. The 2021 edition has the same gate and latch text, apart from the rule about stairs.
- Pedestrian gates open outward, away from the pool or spa.
- They close by themselves and have a self-latching device.
- Every door and gate in the barrier must be able to take a locking device.
- Doors and gates must not swing over stairs (added in the 2024 edition).
- Utility or service gates that are not for people to walk through stay locked when not in use (305.3.1).
- On double or multiple gates, at least one leaf is secured in place and the next leaf has a self-latching device (305.3.2).
How High the Latch Has to Be
For a home pool, Section 305.3.3 places the latch release this way:
- A release you can reach from outside the barrier, and that does not lock itself, sits at least 54 inches above the finished floor or ground surface.
- A self-locking latch, opened by a key, an electronic opener or a combination, has its control and release at no more than 54 inches.
- If the only release is on the pool side of the gate, it sits at least 3 inches below the top of the gate.
- Where the release is on the inside of the barrier, no opening in the gate or barrier within 18 inches of the latch may be larger than 1/2 inch (305.3.4), so a child cannot reach through to it.
Fitting a Lower Latch
A latch below 54 inches has to move to the pool side, sit at least 3 inches below the top of the gate, and have nothing wider than 1/2 inch within 18 inches of it. One way to meet the 1/2-inch rule is a solid panel or fine mesh around the latch area; check the product against your code before installing.
States With a Different Latch Rule
These states put a different latch rule in law. Each row comes from that state's page.
| State | Latch rule |
|---|---|
| California | If an enclosure is one of your two Pool Safety Act features, its gates open away from the pool, self-close and have a self-latching device no lower than 60 inches above the ground (HSC 115923). |
| Arizona | The latch sits at least 54 inches above the ground, or on the pool side with the release at least 5 inches below the top of the gate, or the gate is secured by a key, electric opener or combination lock at any height (ARS 36-1681(B)). |
| Florida | Under the Florida Building Code's barrier section (R4501.17), a gate release may sit on either side if it is at least 54 inches from the bottom of the gate. |
| Mississippi | For pools at multiunit rental complexes and property owners associations: a latch at least 60 inches up, or 42 inches or higher if the gate opens only by key, card or combination on both sides, or on the pool side only, at least 3 inches below the top, with no opening over 1/2 inch within 18 inches (Miss. Code 45-43-9). Home pools follow the local code. |
When the House Is Part of the Barrier
If a wall of the house forms part of the barrier and has doors, or windows with a sill lower than 48 inches, that open onto the pool area, Section 305.4 of the ISPSC requires one of these:
- An alarm on those doors and windows that sounds when they or their screens open, listed to UL 2017 as a water hazard entrance alarm. In a house, its shut-off switch sits at least 54 inches above the floor.
- A pool or spa safety cover listed to ASTM F1346.
- Another approved protection, such as self-closing doors with self-latching devices, that protects at least as well as the alarm.
See the state pages for the options your state lists.
Gate Rules in Every State
Each row is the gate summary from that state's page. The label under the state name shows whether the barrier rule is set statewide or by cities and counties. Where a row says the rule is set locally, ask your building department which code and edition it uses.
| State | Gate rule (state page summary) |
|---|---|
| Alabama Local rules | Set locally. |
| Alaska Local rules | Set locally. |
| Arizona Required statewide | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| Arkansas Local rules | Self-closing, self-latching, lockable. |
| California Required statewide | Enclosure gates open away from the pool, self-close and self-latch. |
| Colorado Local rules | Set locally. |
| Connecticut Required statewide | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| Delaware Local rules | Set by your county. |
| Florida Required statewide | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| Georgia Required statewide | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| Hawaii Local rules | Set by your county's code. |
| Idaho Local rules | Set locally. |
| Illinois Local rules | Set locally. |
| Indiana Required statewide | Self-closing and latching, able to be locked. |
| Iowa Local rules | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| Kansas Local rules | Self-closing, self-latching. |
| Kentucky Required statewide | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward, able to take a lock. |
| Louisiana Required statewide | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| Maine Required statewide | Must be able to be securely fastened. |
| Maryland Required statewide | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward, able to take a lock. |
| Massachusetts Required statewide | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| Michigan Required statewide | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| Minnesota Local rules | Set locally. |
| Mississippi Local rules | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| Missouri Local rules | Set locally. |
| Montana Local rules | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward (latch 54"). |
| Nebraska Required statewide | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| Nevada Local rules | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| New Hampshire Required statewide | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| New Jersey Required statewide | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| New Mexico Required statewide | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| New York Required statewide | Self-closing and self-latching; pedestrian gates open outward; outside-reachable latch at 54"+; locked when the pool is not in use. |
| North Carolina Required statewide | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| North Dakota Local rules | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| Ohio Local rules | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| Oklahoma Required statewide | Self-closing, self-latching. |
| Oregon Required statewide | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward; latch out of a child's reach. |
| Pennsylvania Required statewide | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| Rhode Island Required statewide | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| South Carolina Local rules | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| South Dakota Local rules | Set locally. |
| Tennessee Local rules | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| Texas Local rules | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| Utah Required statewide | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| Vermont Local rules | Set locally. |
| Virginia Required statewide | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward, able to take a lock. |
| Washington Required statewide | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| West Virginia Local rules | Self-closing, self-latching, opens outward. |
| Wisconsin Local rules | Set locally. |
| Wyoming Local rules | Set locally. |
Pricing a gate? See our pool fence gate cost guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
Every rule on this page traces to one of these. We link the primary source so you can check it yourself. The state rows come from each state page on this site, where that state's own sources are listed.
- International Code Council, 2024 ISPSC Chapter 3, Section 305 (gates, latch release, openings near the latch, house wall)
- International Code Council, 2021 ISPSC Chapter 3, Section 305 (same gate and latch text, without the stairs rule)
- California Health and Safety Code §115923 (enclosure gates and the 60-inch latch)
- Arizona Revised Statutes §36-1681 (gate and latch options)
- Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th edition (2023), Chapter 45 (R4501.17 gate release)
- Miss. Code 45-43-9 (Justia, 2025) (rental and association pool gates)