#1 Local Pool Fence Company
A Safety Barrier First, A Fence Second
A pool fence is the one fence with a job beyond privacy. It is a safety barrier, it is inspected, and the details that matter are the ones most people never think about — latch height, gap at the ground, which way the gate swings.
Every city around here writes these rules differently, and the differences are big enough to fail an inspection. Centerton requires six feet minimum. Most of its neighbours require forty-eight inches. Prairie Grove limits chain link mesh so tightly that standard fabric will not pass. We build to the town you are actually in.
Kismet Fence is a locally owned Licensed Contractor, No. 0446811126, based in Farmington and serving all of Northwest Arkansas.
Pool Fence Installation in Northwest Arkansas
Get this wrong and you do not just fail an inspection — you have a barrier that does not do its job. We would rather spend ten minutes on the code before we quote than rebuild a gate afterwards. Our workmanship warranty runs for the lifetime of the fence.
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Pool Fence Styles
Ornamental Aluminum
The default choice for pool enclosures, and usually the right one. Vertical pickets give nothing to climb, powder-coated aluminum will not rust beside chlorinated water, and you keep a clear view of the pool from the house — which matters more than any code rule when children are in the yard.
Vinyl & Composite
Where you want privacy as well as a barrier. Solid vinyl gives you a full screen and needs no maintenance in a wet, high-humidity spot. Worth knowing that a solid panel blocks your view of the water, so it suits a pool you can see from a deck or window rather than one screened on every side.
Mesh & Removable
Fine-mesh panels on removable posts, used as a secondary barrier inside a yard that is already fenced. Popular with families who want the pool closed off while children are small and the option to take it down later. Check the height against your city before relying on it as the primary barrier — Centerton requires six feet.
Wood & Chain Link
Both can work, with caveats. Wood must have no horizontal rails on the outside face that a child can climb. Chain link is the one to check hardest: Prairie Grove caps pool mesh at one and one-quarter inches, and standard two-inch fabric will not pass there.
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We're experienced, licensed general contractors who follow proper building standards, safety practices, and local codes.
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We offer convenient financing plans to make high-quality fencing affordable without compromising on materials or workmanship.
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We stand behind our work with a reliable warranty that protects your investment and gives you confidence long after installation is complete.
Permits Made Easy
We take care of all required permits so your project stays compliant and on schedule.
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From design to installation, we make fencing simple. Request your free quote today and see why homeowners and businesses choose us for reliable, long-lasting fences.
What counts as a pool varies too. Bella Vista and Bentonville both bring in above-ground pools, spas and hot tubs once the water is deeper than about two feet — the depth is the trigger, not the type. Springdale requires 48 inches with a self-latching gate. Siloam Springs works from the adopted state fire code rather than its own number. If you are putting in a hot tub and assumed no fence was needed, ask first.
Pool Fences We've Installed in Northwest Arkansas
Pool Fence Rules By City
Pool barrier rules are set by your city, not the state, and they differ enough to fail an inspection. Here is what each Northwest Arkansas town actually requires, taken from the ordinances themselves.
How Tall Must A Pool Fence Be?
The single biggest difference between towns, and the first thing that fails an inspection.
What is the usual minimum?
48 inches in most of Northwest Arkansas. Bentonville, Springdale and Prairie Grove all work from that number.
Which town is different?
Centerton. It requires a minimum of six feet and a maximum of eight — a foot and a half more than its neighbours.
If you are reusing a plan or a quote from another town, this is where it fails.
How is the height measured?
In Bentonville, from finished ground level on the side away from the pool. That matters on a sloped yard, where the fence can measure differently from each side.
What if the pool fence is part of my main fence?
In Centerton, a pool fence that forms part of a boundary or privacy fence takes that fence’s maximum height instead. A pool enclosed by an eight-foot privacy fence is fine.
Gates, Latches And Self-Closing
Where most pool inspections are actually lost.
Does the gate have to self-close?
Yes, everywhere. Self-closing and self-latching is the baseline in every town we work in.
Which way should it swing?
Prairie Grove requires the gate to swing away from the pool, so a child pushing on it closes it rather than opening it.
Is there a test for the closer?
Bentonville writes one into the code: the gate must positively close and latch when released from six inches open. You can check that yourself on a finished gate.
Where does the latch go?
This is the rule that surprises people. In Bentonville, if the latch sits less than 54 inches above the bottom of the gate, the release must be on the pool side.
Prairie Grove goes further: latch on the outside means 54 inches up; latch on the inside means at least three inches below the top of the fence, with no opening wider than half an inch within 18 inches of it.
The logic is the same everywhere — a child should not be able to reach through and open it.
What about a wide equipment gate?
Prairie Grove exempts gates over five feet wide used for equipment access from the self-closing requirement, provided they are locked at all times except when in use.
Gaps, Mesh And Climbability
The specs that decide which material you can actually use.
How big a gap can there be at the bottom?
Prairie Grove allows no more than two inches between the bottom of the fence and the ground.
On uneven ground that is the detail that catches people, because a fence that fits at one end can leave a gap at the other.
Are there rules about openings?
Yes. Prairie Grove requires that no opening allow a four-inch sphere to pass, and that the design create no ladder effect on the outside.
Can I use standard chain link around a pool?
Not in Prairie Grove. The code limits openings to one and one-quarter inches between parallel wires, and the mesh most people use for back yards and property lines is two inch.
A pool enclosure there needs a tighter specialty mesh. Worth knowing before you order material rather than after.
What does ladder effect mean?
Horizontal rails, wide mesh or decorative features on the outside face that a child can get a foot into. Smooth vertical surfaces on the outside are what you want.
What Counts As A Pool
Hot tubs and above-ground pools catch people out.
Does an above-ground pool need a fence?
Usually yes. Bella Vista and Bentonville both include above-ground pools.
What about a hot tub or spa?
Bella Vista covers uncovered spas and hot tubs deeper than two feet. Bentonville uses 24 inches of water depth as its trigger.
The depth is what matters, not the type. If you are putting in a hot tub and assumed no barrier was needed, ask first.
Does a cover count instead of a fence?
The Bella Vista rule is written around uncovered spas and hot tubs, so a proper safety cover can change the answer. Confirm your specific setup with the city before you rely on it.
Anything unusual?
Siloam Springs treats an in-ground pool as a structure regardless of height for zoning purposes, which affects setbacks rather than the barrier itself.
Permits And Who To Ask
Some towns permit the fence, some permit the pool, some do both.
Do I need a permit for a pool fence?
It depends on the town, and it is worth asking early. Bella Vista and Bentonville require fence permits generally. Prairie Grove requires one before construction and replacement.
What about the pool itself?
Springdale asks you to check with Building Inspection before the pool goes in, not after, and they issue the permit and the full requirements.
Which town works from the state code?
Siloam Springs. Its zoning chapter and property maintenance code contain no pool barrier rules, so the requirements come through the adopted Arkansas Fire Prevention Code.
Should the fence go up before the pool is filled?
That is the safest sequence and some cities expect it. A barrier is only useful if it is standing before there is water to fall into.
Who checks the work?
Bella Vista requires a final inspection and issues a certificate of compliance. Siloam Springs inspects the site before installation. Bentonville permits but does not inspect the fence.
Sources: the municipal codes of Bentonville, Springdale, Prairie Grove, Centerton, Bella Vista and Siloam Springs, August 2026. Rules change and pool barrier requirements are safety rules. Confirm with your city building department before you build.