Long Island pool safety: What families need to know about alarms, fences and town code
When Jerry and Lynn Campbell installed an in-ground pool in their Massapequa backyard this summer, they chose to add a power safety cover, which, upon punching in a keypad code, automatically slides a barrier over the entire pool. Jerry, 37, a construction manager, and Lynn, 39, a teacher, have four children ages 2, 4, 6 and 7.
"We keep it closed unless everyone’s in the back in the pool," Jerry says. "It’s very easy to deploy and use. Even I could stand on that, and I’m a 220-pound guy. It holds you up. You won’t fall through."
Their choice to add the cover will help keep their kids safe; it also helps them comply with state safety regulations. Homeowners adding backyard swimming pools have to meet government safety regulations for fencing and alarms designed to prevent tragedies. Homeowners with existing pools, or buyers who purchase a home with a pool, may wish to consult the code anyway and try to comply with the latest safety recommendations, says Scott Byrne, the Town of Oyster Bay deputy commissioner of planning and development.
Drowning is the leading cause of death among children between the ages of 1 and 4 and increased in that category by 28% in 2022 compared with 2019, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control. At least 11 people have drowned in Suffolk County in 2024, eight of them in backyard pools and three at beaches, according to statistics provided by the Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine’s office. There were 15 similar drownings all of last year, officials said. On Long Island, drownings this year have included a 2-year-old boy who drowned in his family's pool in Islandia on July 2. Within 24 hours over the Fourth of July holiday, three people ranging in age from 7 to 79 drowned in residential pools. A 7-year-old also drowned in a backyard pool during a barbecue in Bay Shore on July 20.
Here's what you need to know to keep your backyard pool up to par with the latest safety regulations.
What does the state consider a "swimming pool?" Does my hot tub count?
The 2020 Residential Code of New York State defines "swimming pool" to include in-ground, aboveground, on-ground and indoor pools, hot tubs, spas and fixed-in-place wading pools.
The state requires a fence or barrier at least 4 feet high that surrounds the swimming pool to prevent access. Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto/Michael Vi
Do I need to install a backyard pool fence and/or door alarms?
The state requires a fence or barrier at least 4 feet high that surrounds the swimming pool to prevent access. All gates to the pool must be self-closing and self-latching and must open outward.
A wall of the home can be part of the barrier. However, in that case, all doors with access to the pool through that wall must be equipped with an alarm that goes off whenever the door is opened. Windows on that wall also need to be latched so that they cannot open more than 4 inches, Byrne says.
The cost of a fence varies with the size of the property, the type of fence chosen, whether chain link or decorative, says Michael Dominici, president of Long Island Pool and Patio in Coram, which installs in-ground pools. A typical door alarm on Amazon sells for about $60, he says. The alarms have a bypass button that’s too high for children to reach that adults tap each time they are leaving the house, so they won’t trigger the alarm, Dominici says.
Should I install window alarms in my home?
James Morgan, who owns a home in Southold, added a pool during the pandemic. Since he used the wall of his house as one of the four sides of the fence surrounding his pool, he was only required by the state to alarm the doors of his house leading to the backyard pool, but he went beyond and also alarmed the windows for greater safety, he says. They make a sound each time they are opened, "which is annoying, but you get used to it," he says. It’s meant to alert adults if a child exits the house without anyone knowing.
In fact, Dominici would prefer to see people install a fence between the house and the pool even if a homeowner could use the wall of the house as part of the barrier requirement. "As a parent, as a grandparent, I highly recommend it," he says. That’s what he did with his own pool. "It is the best way to keep a child from getting out of your house and into the pool," he says.
"That's a great recommendation," Byrne agrees.
A powered cover is another great option, Dominici says, but it is expensive: It can add $15,000 or more to the cost of the pool.
Every swimming pool must be equipped with a pool alarm capable of detecting a child entering the water at any point on the surface of the pool. Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto/cmspic
What is a pool alarm, how does it work and who has to have one?
Every swimming pool must be equipped with a pool alarm capable of detecting a child entering the water at any point on the surface of the pool. "The alarm is going to go off as soon as there is movement in the pool," Dominici says. It must give an audible alarm, and it must also be audible poolside and at another location on the premises. Homeowners can disable it while they are actively using the pool. A pool alarm costs about $250, Dominici says.
Dominici recommends keeping the alarm on at all times and not getting complacent and disabling the alarms permanently. "Some people say, ‘I’ll keep an eye on them,’" he says of parents of young children. "It’s not that easy."
"Unfortunately, that's very common," Byrne agrees. "I'm sure that happens all the time, and we're not back in the house to see it."
What if I'm purchasing a home that already has a pool?
Once a certificate of occupancy is issued, there is no further monitoring or inspections to be completed by the building division; it’s a homeowner’s responsibility to maintain the pool in compliance with local and state requirements, according to the Town of Islip's Building Department.
This is one reason that Byrne recommends new buyers check to see if the home they are purchasing meets the current code; for instance, a seller with teenagers may have removed the pool alarm because they're no longer worried about a young child falling in the water, he says.
"I would call the town or the village or the city and ask 'How do I ensure the pool on the property I'm about to purchase is legal and safe?' and be guided by what they say," says Jason Mistretta, chief town investigator in the Town of Islip's Code Enforcement Division.
Who enforces pool code safety in my town?
Implementation of the state regulations is overseen by each town or village.
Homeowners initially apply for a pool permit and are informed of requirements, Byrne says. Once the pool is completed, they call for a final inspection so they can get a certificate of occupancy. If they fail, they will get a detailed report, can fix issues and then call for another inspection, he says.
Each municipality can increase requirements to make the state code stricter, such as insisting fences be at least 6 feet tall, Byrne says. Most adhere to the state codes, he says, but check with your town or village to see if it has safety requirements beyond the state mandates.
The Town of Islip, for instance, has a town code that requires additional safety steps, Mistretta says.
"If you are not sure if a pool you observe — your own or anyone else's — is safe, contact your local municipality," Mistretta says. "We work on complaints for code violations."
Beth Whitehouse writes about families, parenting and great things to do with the kids on Long Island. She’s been a Newsday editor and shared a 1997 Newsday staff Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the crash of TWA Flight 800.
