Pool Fences and Gates: What Makes a Barrier Work

A pool fence works when it goes all the way around the pool, separates it from the house, is at least 4 feet high with no gaps or footholds a child could use, and has a gate that opens away from the pool and closes and latches by itself every time. Those details are what stop a curious toddler from getting over, under or through.

Fences matter most during the moments no one is watching, which is when most young children reach a pool.

Why a four-sided fence matters

83%

Many yards are fenced around the edge, with the house as the fourth side. That keeps neighbors' children out, but not your own. CDC reports that a four-sided isolation fence, which separates the pool area from the house and yard, reduces a child's risk of drowning by 83% compared to three-sided property-line fencing (opens in a new tab).

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says research suggests that fencing can prevent more than half of all swimming pool drownings of young children (opens in a new tab), and that pool fences are for ALL pools, including in-ground pools, above-ground pools and hot tubs (opens in a new tab).

Height, gaps and climbing: over, under and through

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) barrier guidelines describe a good barrier as one that keeps a child from going over, under or through it (opens in a new tab). Here are the key numbers:

All of these come from CPSC's Safety Barrier Guidelines for Residential Pools (opens in a new tab). CDC's short version: a four-sided fence that is at least four feet in height and fully encloses the pool (opens in a new tab), with self-closing, self-latching gates.

A few more points:

• Chain link is easy to climb. The AAP says chain-link fences are very easy to climb and are not recommended as pool fences (opens in a new tab).
• Watch what's next to the fence. CPSC says barriers should be placed so children can't use permanent structures, equipment or similar objects to climb them (opens in a new tab). Move chairs, planters, grills and toys away.
• Removable mesh fences should be at least 48 inches high, and the safest ones lock into the pool deck so the fence can't be removed without tools (opens in a new tab).

Gates that close and latch themselves

CPSC puts it plainly: the weak link in the strongest and highest fence is a gate that fails to close and latch completely (opens in a new tab).

A good pool gate:

• Opens outward, away from the pool. If it isn't fully shut, a young child pushing on the gate to get in will actually be closing it (opens in a new tab), so it can latch.
• Closes and latches by itself every time, from any position.
• Has its latch out of reach. The AAP says at least 54 inches from the ground (opens in a new tab). If the latch is lower, CPSC says it should be on the pool side, at least 3 inches below the top, with no opening bigger than ½ inch within 18 inches of the latch, so a child can't reach through.
• Stays locked when the pool isn't in use. The AAP says to keep the gate locked at all times and check it frequently (opens in a new tab).

When the house is one side of the barrier

A four-sided fence is best. CPSC says a barrier that completely surrounds the pool is better than a fence with the house serving as the fourth side (opens in a new tab). If your house must form one side, CPSC recommends at least one of these:

• Door alarms on every door that leads to the pool. See door alarms and locks for what a good alarm does.
• Self-closing, self-latching doors or locks that are out of a child's reach.
• A power safety cover on the pool. See pool safety covers vs. solar covers.

Never have a pet door that opens to the pool area. CPSC says locking a pet door is not enough (opens in a new tab).

Checking your fence every season

Fences loosen, gates sag and plants grow. Check yours at the start of each swim season and after storms.

• Walk the whole fence. Look for loose boards, bent bars and gaps at the bottom.
• Measure any gap that looks bigger than 4 inches.
• Open the gate from different positions and let go. It should close and latch every time.
• Check that the latch is still out of a child's reach and the hinges aren't sagging.
• Move anything climbable away from the fence: furniture, coolers, toys, planters, trash cans.
• Test door alarms and replace batteries.
• Trim plants and trees that could be climbed or hide a gap.

The AAP also says to keep toys out of the pool area when not in use (opens in a new tab), so children aren't tempted to go after them.

What you can do today

1. Test your gate ten times from different angles. Fix it today if it fails even once.
2. Run the Pool barrier check to go through height, gaps, gates and doors step by step.
3. Clear the fence line of anything a child could climb.
4. Call your building department to ask what your local code requires.
5. Use the full Pool Safety Checklist for the other layers, and read the home pool safety checklist. Above-ground pool? See above-ground pool safety.