You cannot drive through a suburban neighborhood these days without spotting one of these inflatable swimming pools.
They’re popping up everywhere (pun intended.)
Last summer, being the great dad that I am, I joined the crowd. These pools come in many shapes and sizes, I got the 42″ high, 16′ diameter round pool for only a few hundred bucks. It was easy to set up (only a few hours), has it’s own electric filter and pump system. All in all, it worked out really well and most importantly, my 8 year-old daughter loved it. We had a blast.
However, I spent that summer with the nagging feeling that I was violating some law that swimming pools must be enclosed by a fence. I dismissed it with my own reassurance that it only applied to below-ground pools as kids could stumble accidentally into it. I did remove the ladder when it was not in use, so it would take a pretty motivated kid to get in there. (duh, is there any other kind?)
This summer has been a horribly humid one in Massachusetts but my laziness has prevented me from setting up the pool. Would it be “sour grapes” to say that it wasn’t a great idea anyway? It turns out that my concerns were valid and my self-assurances were not.
The Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations and Standards has published a statement on this subject: SWIMMING POOLS and the STATE BUILDING CODE (A BBRS Staff View, 7-11-06) where they reiterate:
Note that if the privately-owned pool has a water design depth greater than 24 inches (regardless of the pool’s surface area and regardless of whether the pool has a water circulation system), then the pool is classified as a private pool for Building Code purposes and barrier/fencing requirements, latching and alarm requirements and numerous other requirements of Section 421 are applicable even if the private swimming pool, is an on-ground swimming pool.
Emphasis on “on-ground” is theirs…
This emphasis relative to “on-ground†pools is made to remind the reader that even if the pool is just a large inflatable “on-ground†pool, for Building Code purposes, once the pool design depth exceeds 24 inches, 780 CMR, Chapter 4, Section 421 is applicable.
Enclosure requirements for private swimming pools are found in 780 CMR, Chapter 4, Section 421.10 of the Massachusetts building codes.
This statement makes it very clear that the now very popular “temporary” inflatable swimming pools are not exempt from these laws.
Your own state codes may vary, but it’s worth checking out. In fact, these rules do not apply in all states depending on definitions of “permanent” in regards to these pools. Local debates are raging in some cases. This will become more and more an issue as these pools become even more popular. In Massachusetts, permits are not required for these swimming pools and the building inspector is likely not going to drive around looking for violations — in fact even the most vigilant or assertive local inspectors may not even be allowed to do that. They must, however, investigate complaints.
But regardless of whether you’re following the letter of the law or interested in doing so, keep in mind the reason these laws exist in the first place — to keep your kids and your neighbors’ kids safe. If you invest the time and money into one of these pools, again very worth it in my opinion, don’t stop there. Set up an enclosure and keep it safe!
