My backyard is already fenced. Does the pool still need its own barrier?

Not necessarily. Florida law lets a yard fence count as the pool barrier if it sits on the pool's perimeter and meets every barrier requirement, including the gate rules. A house wall can be part of the barrier only if no door or window in it opens onto the pool area.

Do hot tubs and spas count?

Florida's pool safety law covers any structure holding water over 24 inches deep, and it names hot tubs and nonportable spas. Check with the inspector for your specific spa, but plan on a barrier or one of the other approved safety features.

Which pool fence is hardest for a small child to climb?

Mesh and tempered glass, according to HomeGuide, because neither gives a toddler a foothold. Whatever the material, the code limits horizontal rails a child could use as a ladder, and nothing like a pool pump or a planter may sit close enough to climb.

Can I take a mesh pool fence down when the grandkids aren't visiting?

That's what removable mesh is for. It costs less than a permanent fence but is less durable, and it only protects anyone while it's up and latched. Look for mesh built to ASTM F2286, the performance standard for removable pool mesh.

Will the pool fence be inspected?

On a new pool, yes in effect: Florida won't let a new residential pool pass final inspection without a compliant barrier or one of the other listed safety features, such as an approved safety cover or door alarms. Ask the pool builder and the fence installer who is responsible for the barrier on your job.

Pool Fences in Tallahassee, FL

Installed price: national guides put pool fencing at $10 to $45 per linear foot, or $2,000 to $13,500 for 200 to 300 feet
By material: mesh $10 to $30 a foot, aluminum and vinyl $30 to $45, tempered glass $120 to $500
Height: Florida requires at least 4 feet measured on the outside; 48 inches is the most common build
Gate: must open away from the pool, self-close and self-latch; a self-closing gate adds about $200 to $800 if it isn't in the base price
Time: from 2 hours for mesh on a finished deck to 2 days for posts in concrete

Tallahassee Expert Fencing passes your request to a local contractor who builds pool barriers. Tell us the pool's size, the deck material and how many gates you need, and the contractor calls back to measure and price a fence that meets the state rule.

Pool Fence Types for Florida Backyards

Each option can meet Florida's barrier rule; they differ in price, looks and whether they come down.

Aluminum Pool Fence

HomeGuide calls aluminum a very common pool fence material because it's easy to install, and installers like to set it while a new patio or pool deck is being poured. Expect about $30 to $45 a foot for a pool-height fence. The catch is picket spacing: rails and picket gaps have to meet the barrier numbers below, so ask for a panel sold as pool-code compliant. Taller yard-style aluminum fences are covered on Aluminum Fences.

A removable black mesh pool safety fence on poles set into a concrete pool deck

Removable Mesh Pool Fence

Safety mesh stretched between poles that can be lifted out. It's one of the cheapest barriers at $10 to $30 a foot, and the soft mesh gives a child nothing to grip. It can come down for a party or a pool service visit. It's also less durable and less secure than a fixed fence, and it only works while it's up. ASTM F2286 sets the design and performance requirements for removable mesh pool barriers.

Vinyl Pool Fence

Vinyl pool fencing runs $30 to $45 a foot in picket or solid styles. It won't rust or need sealing near splash water, though it can crack on impact. A solid vinyl privacy fence can double as the pool barrier if it meets the height and gate rules, which suits a pool that sits close to a neighbor. More vinyl styles are on Vinyl Fences.

A close view of a pool fence gate with a self-closing hinge and a raised magnetic latch

Pool Gates: Self-Closing and Self-Latching

A pool gate is the part that gets propped open, so the law spells it out. Under Florida law a pool gate has to:

Open outward, away from the pool
Close by itself
Latch by itself, with the release on the pool side where a young child can't reach it over the top or through a gap

The building code lets the release sit on either side if it's at least 54 inches above the bottom of the gate. Magnetic self-closing, self-latching gate sets add $200 to $800 when the quote doesn't already include one. Test the gate every month: open it partway, let go, and watch it latch. A pool gate that no longer closes goes to Gate Repair first.

Frameless tempered glass pool fence panels along the edge of a pool deck

Glass and Picket-Style Pool Fence

Tempered glass keeps the view open and is hard to climb, at $120 to $500 a foot installed. Plexiglass looks similar for $25 to $40 a foot but can yellow and scratch over time. Wood or metal picket fences can also serve as barriers if the picket gaps meet the spacing limits below, and wood pool fencing runs $20 to $40 a foot.

A row of freshly set pine fence posts with a string line, a post-hole digger and a stack of new boards in a shaded backyard

Why Tallahassee homeowners call Tallahassee Expert Fencing

The call and the form are free
Your request goes to one contractor, not a list of bidders
Ask for posts, gates, removal and cleanup priced line by line
Hold the final payment until the gates swing and latch

Florida's Residential Pool Barrier Rule

Chapter 515 of the Florida Statutes sets the barrier rule for a home pool, and the Florida Building Code repeats it with measurements. In Florida, drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1 to 4, and the state health department says home pools are where most young children are likely to drown.

What counts. The law covers any residential pool, hot tub or nonportable spa holding water deeper than 24 inches. "Young child" means under 6.

The barrier itself (F.S. 515.29):

At least 4 feet high, measured on the outside
No gaps, openings, indentations or protrusions that let a young child crawl under, squeeze through or climb over
Placed around the pool's perimeter and far enough from the water's edge that a child who gets through can't fall straight in
A yard fence counts only where it stands on the pool's perimeter and meets every requirement
A house wall counts only if no door or window in it opens onto the pool
Nothing permanent, like equipment or a structure, positioned so it can be used to climb the barrier

The measurements (Florida Building Code, Residential, section R4501.17). These come from the code text quoted in a county building department's guide to an earlier edition; confirm against the current edition with your inspector.

Item	Limit
Top of barrier	at least 48 in above grade, outside face
Gap at the bottom	2 in maximum
Any opening	must not pass a 4 in sphere
Pickets, rails under 45 in apart	1-3/4 in maximum gap, rails on the pool side
Pickets, rails 45 in or more apart	4 in maximum gap
Chain link mesh	2-1/4 in square maximum, unless slatted
Gate latch	release on pool side, or either side at 54 in or higher

New pools. A new residential pool can't pass final inspection unless it has at least one of five safety features: a compliant barrier, an approved safety cover, exit alarms on doors and windows to the pool, self-closing self-latching devices on those doors with the release at least 54 inches up, or a pool alarm. A fence has one advantage over alarms: it works without anyone remembering to switch it on.

Pool Fence Prices by Material

National installed ranges, not quotes:

Material	Per linear foot
Removable mesh	$10-$30
Black chain link	$10-$29
Wood	$20-$40
Plexiglass	$25-$40
Vinyl	$30-$45
Aluminum	$30-$45
Wrought iron	$50-$85
Tempered glass	$120-$500

A fence around the deck alone is shorter than one on the property line, so price both layouts. For a pool in an HOA common area or apartment complex, see HOA and Apartment Fencing.