Shafter Municipal Code Ch. 8.32 Swimming Pools and Ponds

Every person who owns or is in possession or control of any premises upon which there is located a swimming pool, fish pond, wading pool, sump, or other outdoor, artificially-created body of water, having a depth at any point of two feet or more and a surface area of less than ten thousand square feet shall maintain on the premises a fence, wall, or other enclosing structure, which together with its gates and/or doors shall completely enclose such body of water and which shall be designed and constructed so as reasonably to prevent entrance into such closed area and access to such body of water from the outside by small children. Such fence, wall or other enclosing structure shall be not less than four and one-half feet in height; shall not be of a ladder-type or step-type construction or other design facilitating the climbing thereof by a small child; and shall have no openings or other means of entrance large enough to admit a child, except by means of doors or gates as hereinafter provided.

(Prior code § 9-3-1)

Each opening in any fence, wall, or other structure enclosing any such body of water shall have and be equipped with a door or gate, which shall be of such width as is required to fill completely such opening and which shall be not less than four and one-half feet in height. Each such gate or door shall be equipped with self-closing and self-latching devices, designed for and capable of keeping such gate or door securely closed when not in actual use. Such self-closing and self-latching devices shall be located not less than four feet above ground level or shall otherwise be made inaccessible from the outside to small children. In lieu of such self-closing and self-latching devices, any such gate or door may be equipped with locks, which shall be used to keep such gate or door closed and locked at all times when such body of water is not in actual use. No such gate or door shall be of ladder-type or step-type construction or other design facilitating the climbing thereof by children.

(Prior code § 9-3-2)

A. Upon proper application and for good cause shown, the council may in certain instances allow modifications of a minor nature with respect to the minimum height of enclosing structures, gates and doors, or with respect to the kind and location of latches and locking devices.

B. The council may permit other protective devices or structures to be used, so long as in the opinion of the council the degree of protection afforded by any such substitute devices or structures is not less than the protection afforded by a fence, wall, or other enclosing structure, or gate, door, latch, or locking devices, required under the provisions of this chapter.

(Prior code § 9-3-4)

It is unlawful for any person to drain, pump or discharge, or cause to be drained, pumped or discharged, water from a privately-owned swimming pool except onto the premises of the owner of such pool or into a sewage outflow line connected to sewage disposal pipeline of the city. Any premises upon which a private swimming pool is located shall have proper fittings installed and attached to its sewage outflow line so as to permit the water from such pool to be drained, pumped or discharged into such sewage outflow line by suitable temporary connection, and no permanent connection shall be made between any private swimming pool and the sewage disposal lines of the city. Temporary connection shall be permitted for the purpose of draining, pumping or discharging water from such pool. Any such temporary connection shall be disconnected and removed upon completion of the draining, pumping or discharge operation.

(Prior code § 9-3-6)

All persons maintaining any such swimming pools, fish ponds, wading pools, sumps, or other outdoor, artificially-created bodies of water shall comply with the provisions of this chapter.

(Prior code § 9-3-3)

The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to portable swimming pools.

(Prior code § 9-3-5)