Laws and Regulations

• As with any major building project, verify whether there are any local zoning regulations or building codes that govern your project, including the requirements of a condo association, which can sometimes set specific limits on what can be built.
  
  

Materials

• Select durable materials that will wear well. For example, if using chain link, make sure it's dusted to protect against rust or covered in colored vinyl. Wood is an excellent fencing material, but choose woods that won't splinter easily. To avoid losing wooden fence slats, consider using screws instead of nails. Decorative metal fence sections are easy to assemble, but take care that any filigrees or exposed tips are not so sharp that a child trying to cross the top will cut herself.
  
  

Height and Opacity

• A fence should be tall enough to stop most people and large animals from easily climbing over the top, but not so high that an adult cannot see over the top. In addition to safety, a pool enclosure can provide privacy. You can interweave vinyl slats between chain links for a great visual barrier. If the fence will separate the pool from a yard, make sure the adults can see through or over the fence to supervise children at play.
  
  

Design Features

• Although wood-slat fences are attractive, they are also excellent nesting sites for spiders and stinging insects. Any fence that has horizontal supports should limit access to those supports from the exterior of the pool enclosure, to deny footholds to people who might wish to scale the top. Consider whether the base of the fence should be secure against small animals, like rabbits or woodchucks. Also, for safety, consider having two gates on opposite sides of the pool area.
  
  

Signage and Locks

• A fence without solid locks is as useful as no fence at all, so make sure the locking mechanism is robust and can withstand ordinary attempts to defeat it. This precaution includes checking the gate hinges. Also, as a protection against liability, put up signs warning against trespassing and alerting visitors that no lifeguard is on duty.