Oshawa pool enclosure permits · Reformity Inc.Pool Fence Permit in Oshawa
Yes. In Oshawa, any pool, hot tub or decorative pond that can hold more than 60 cm (24 in) of water needs a Pool Enclosure Permit, and no water can go in until the City inspects and approves the enclosure; in-ground pools also need a Site Alteration Permit, while a hot tub with a compliant locking cover is exempt from the enclosure rules.
We prepare and submit your permit drawings to the City of Oshawa, then build to the approved plan.
Do you need a permit?
Pool fence permit rules in Oshawa.
Oshawa's pool rules come from the Pool Enclosure By-law 79-2006, last amended in 2025, and pool permits are handled outside Building Services: Municipal Licensing and Standards checks the enclosure, and Engineering reviews the grading, with a Site Alteration Permit for an in-ground pool that keeps the land within 0.6 m of the property line undisturbed. The by-law applies citywide, from lots near the core to Windfields or Kedron, but in newer subdivisions the first question is whether the builder's lot grading is certified, because the City gives no pool approvals until it is. Then the rule that matters most: no water until the enclosure passes inspection.
Checked against the City of Oshawa's own by-laws and pages in November 2026. Rules change, so we confirm them for your address before we draw.
When you need a permit
A pool, hot tub or decorative pond deeper than 60 cm needs a Pool Enclosure Permit for new enclosures and substantial repairs (50% or more of a gate, or of a fence run between corners). Hot tubs with a compliant locking cover are exempt.
Pool Enclosure By-law 79-2006, ss. 2, 4.1 & 6.1 (consolidated to 58-2025, PDF)Height and climbing
The enclosure, gates included, must be 1.5 m to 2.2 m high; lattice doesn't count toward the 1.5 m. Climbable objects need 0.9 m clearance outside, or a 1.8 m fence. Doors from a garage into the pool area must self-close, latching at least 1.5 m up.
City of Oshawa: pools and hot tubsSelf-closing, self-latching gates
Gates must be at least 1.5 m high, self-closing within 30 seconds, with a lockable self-latching device on the pool side near the top. Double gates: one self-latching, one ground-pinned. Metal and chain-link gates need a 0.3 × 0.3 m latch cover plate.
Pool Enclosure By-law 79-2006, ss. 2, 5.4 & Table 5.2.0.A (PDF)Gaps, boards and posts
Keep the bottom of the fence within 100 mm of grade. Vertical wood boards may be 100 mm apart if rails are at least 0.9 m apart, otherwise 38 mm. Wood posts: 89 × 89 mm minimum, 2.4 m apart at most, embedded 1.2 m.
Pool Enclosure By-law 79-2006, Tables 5.2.0.A & 5.2.1.A (PDF)No water until approved
No water may go in until the permit is issued and an Officer has inspected and approved the enclosure. The by-law also requires a temporary 1.5 m enclosure around the pool if water is placed during installation, kept until the permanent one is approved and for no more than seven days. The permit expires if the work isn't done within six months.
Pool Enclosure By-law 79-2006, ss. 4.1.3, 4.1.5 & 5.1 (PDF)
What the city asks for
The Oshawa application.
Issued by: City of Oshawa: Municipal Licensing and Standards (Pool Enclosure Permit under By-law 79-2006), with Engineering Services reviewing grading, including the Site Alteration Permit for an in-ground pool. We put the package together, submit it and keep you posted.
Documents
- Pool Enclosure Drawing: lot lines, buildings and what they are, the streets the lot faces, and the driveway
- Proposed pool location and the enclosure, with fencing and gate locations
- Door access to the pool area and where it leads in the house
- Enclosure details: fence type, material, gates and latching devices
- In-ground pool: Site Alteration sketch with the pool, equipment pad, landscaping, property lines and dimensions
- Same sketch: overland drainage pattern, construction access, and the 0.6 m strip along the property line left undisturbed
- Owner Authorization Form if someone other than the owner applies
- Park Access Permit with the contractor's insurance certificate, if access is through City land
How it goes
- 1We measure the yard, confirm the pool sits in an enclosed side or rear yard and, for a newer home, check that the builder's lot grading is certified.
- 2We draw the Pool Enclosure Drawing, plus the Site Alteration sketch for an in-ground pool, keeping the 0.6 m strip along the property line undisturbed.
- 3We apply through the City's online Application for Pool Permits; its questionnaire sets which permits you need, including Park Access or Road Occupancy permits if the job crosses City land or uses the road.
- 4Preliminary fees and security deposits are paid online, and we build the enclosure to By-law 79-2006 within the permit's six-month window.
- 5We arrange the City's enclosure inspection; the pool stays empty until an Officer approves the enclosure.
- Processing time
- No processing time is published for the Pool Enclosure Permit. For an in-ground pool, the City says Site Alteration Permit review and approval can take several weeks. The enclosure permit expires if the work isn't finished within six months of issue, and Park Access Permits, needed for access through City parkland, are issued only from May 15 to October 15, with a decision within two weeks.
- Inspections
- By-law 79-2006 bars placing or keeping water in the pool until the permit is issued and an Officer has inspected and approved the enclosure. It also requires a temporary enclosure (1.5 m plastic or chain link, mesh no larger than 38 mm) around the pool if water is placed during installation, kept until the permanent enclosure is approved and for no more than seven days. An owner can authorize an agent to attend inspections.
Pool enclosure fence — sheet 1 — Elevation, board-on-board section and post-footing detail. From a real Reformity permit drawing set, client details removed. Click to enlarge.
Pool enclosure fence — sheet 2
Pool enclosure fence — sheet 3
Permit drawings included
We prepare and submit your permit drawings.
Fence elevation, board and post-footing details, gate hardware and a key plan of the enclosure, drawn to the City of Oshawa's rules and submitted with your pool enclosure permit application.
- Dimensions to your lot lines
- Materials, sizes and spacing
- Footing and base sections
- Code notes for the inspector
Fencing · real projects
Recent fencing jobs in Oshawa.
Real Reformity jobs from our project files. Customer addresses are never published.
Oshawa pool fence permit FAQ
Quick answers.
A hot tub that can hold more than 60 cm of water counts as a pool. But By-law 79-2006 exempts hot tubs and spas from the permit and enclosure standards if the cover can hold 90.72 kg (200 lb), is at least 2 in thick, is permanently fixed and secured to the tub, and is locked when not in use. Without that cover, it needs a compliant enclosure and a Pool Enclosure Permit.
Not until your lot grading is approved. The City gives no pool approvals on new lots where the builder's lot grading hasn't been approved or certified, and if your home was built less than two years ago, you need the builder's approval of the work first. The City recommends asking your builder about your lot's certification status.
Yes, if it can hold more than 60 cm (24 in) of water: it needs a Pool Enclosure Permit and an enclosure that meets By-law 79-2006. A shallower pool, 30 to 60 cm deep, must still sit in an enclosed side or rear yard with fencing at least 1.2 m (48 in) high. The City's grading page exempts above-ground pools from the Site Alteration Permit that in-ground pools need, and a deck or platform attached to an above-ground pool appears on the City's list of projects that need a building permit.
Send the form on this page or call 437-241-6287. We reply within one business day, visit to measure, prepare the drawings for the City of Oshawa, submit the application and give you a fixed written price for the work.
Let us handle the Oshawa permit.
We measure, draw it to the City of Oshawa's rules, submit the application and build to the approved plan. One business-day reply.
More in Oshawa
Guide: Pool Fence Bylaws in the GTA: Height, Gates & Self-Latching Rules (2026)
Pool Fence Permit in other cities