California pool fence requirements

California's Swimming Pool Safety Act requires at least two of seven drowning prevention features on a new pool or spa, or a remodel of one, at a single family home, whenever a building permit is issued. The full list of the seven features, and which pairings do not count as two, is in the permit comparison guide.

One of those seven features is a compliant pool enclosure, defined in Health and Safety Code section 115923:

• At least 60 inches high
• No more than 2 inches of clearance between the ground and the bottom of the enclosure
• No gap or void that lets a 4 inch sphere pass through
• No handholds or footholds a child under 5 could use to climb over
• Any gate opens away from the pool, closes and latches itself, with the latch release at least 60 inches above the ground

This is the state floor. Cities and counties can require more, or require that this specific feature be one of your two.

The City of Temecula's municipal code does not let you pick any two of the seven state features freely. One of your two required features has to be the compliant pool enclosure described above. The second can be any of the other six. Confirm this with the city before assuming two alarms, or an alarm plus a safety cover, satisfy a Temecula permit on their own. The Temecula and French Valley permit comparison covers the rest of that rule and the inspection order that checks it.

In unincorporated French Valley, Riverside County's pool barrier letter 284-004, revised December 2025, sets its own primary and secondary barrier rules: a primary barrier at least 60 inches high, matching the state minimum, no mesh fencing allowed as the primary barrier, and any alarm used as the secondary feature has to be ASTM F2208 listed. See the French Valley page for the rest of what the county requires.

Murrieta's published guidance, bulletin IB-131, is about which pools are exempt from a permit at all, not a separate barrier ordinance. Where a permit is required, the state's two of seven rule still applies. See the Murrieta page for the permit exemption itself.

Menifee is not Temecula, Murrieta, or unincorporated Riverside County. The City of Menifee Building and Safety Department runs its own Guide for Pool and Spa Construction, which requires the perimeter yard fence, the gates, and any required alarms to be installed and inspected, meeting both City of Menifee and State of California requirements, before the pool is plastered or filled with water. That check happens at the Pre-Plaster inspection, one of four inspections the city calls out by name. See the Menifee page for the rest of what that guide covers.