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Council adopts first-reading changes to pool rules allowing certified automatic covers as fence alternative
Summary
Staff proposed and council approved on first consideration a zoning text amendment that would let ASTM-compliant automatic pool covers substitute for a 4-foot barrier in many cases; Planning & Zoning and residents debated safety and accessibility issues.
The Cedar Falls City Council voted on the first consideration of an ordinance amending Chapter 26 (zoning) to update swimming-pool standards, approving a primary proposal that would allow a certified automatic pool cover that meets ASTM safety standards to substitute for a physical fence in some cases.
Chris (planning/building staff) told the council the change responds to an application from a pool contractor and to inconsistencies in the current code. Staff proposed reducing the required barrier height from 5 feet to 4 feet, clarifying setbacks and definitions, and offering an exception for pools in rear yards that front on arterial streets. The primary option brought forward would permit an ASTM-certified, lockable automatic pool cover to satisfy the barrier requirement in lieu of a fence; a secondary option omits the cover exception but keeps the other updates.
The code change drew detailed technical discussion from councilors about safety tradeoffs. Some councilors and staff said automatic covers meeting ASTM standards can be safer than a fence because a cover cannot be left open as easily as a gate; others cited the human-error risk that a cover could be left open after use. Planning & Zoning recommended the primary option by a 5–2 vote; it recommended the alternate option unanimously.
Two members of the public with experience in cover installations and easement constraints spoke in favor of the cover option. Ryan Borgward described a lot with a drainage easement that made a perimeter fence impractical and said lockable covers are recognized by pediatric safety experts and by other Iowa jurisdictions as an acceptable barrier alternative.
Councilors voted to pass the ordinance on first consideration with the cover exception (the primary option). Staff said the amendment applies only to pools more than 24 inches deep and does not change building-code barrier requirements that are state-mandated.
The ordinance will return for a second reading before final adoption. If the primary option fails on later consideration, staff said the alternative option (which removes the cover exception but retains other zoning updates) remains available without returning to Planning & Zoning.
Notes: The change clarifies setbacks (pool deck vs pool edge), addresses double-fronting rear yards on arterials, and sets a 24-inch depth threshold for applicability.
