{"id":94407,"date":"2025-07-26T15:33:14","date_gmt":"2025-07-26T15:33:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/94407\/"},"modified":"2025-07-26T15:33:14","modified_gmt":"2025-07-26T15:33:14","slug":"texas-laws-around-apartment-complex-swimming-pools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/94407\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas laws around apartment complex swimming pools"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><strong>HOUSTON<\/strong> \u2013 A recent drowning of a 5-year-old girl at a west Houston apartment complex has sparked the conversation about the safety and accessibility of swimming pools in Houston apartment communities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.click2houston.com\/news\/local\/2025\/07\/25\/5-year-old-girl-drowns-after-wandering-to-west-houston-apartment-pool\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.click2houston.com\/news\/local\/2025\/07\/25\/5-year-old-girl-drowns-after-wandering-to-west-houston-apartment-pool\/\">Houston police<\/a>, the child left her apartment alone in the middle of the night and made her way to the pool. Another resident discovered her in the water. <\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\"\/><\/ul>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">It\u2019s unclear how long she had been there before she was found.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The drowning has prompted questions about the laws and local ordinances that govern apartment complex swimming pools in Texas, and why the pool was easily accessible to a young child.<\/p>\n<p><b>Texas\u2019 public pool safety requirements<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">In Texas, swimming pools at apartment complexes are regulated as public swimming pools under state law. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The Texas Department of State Health Services enforces rules that include the following:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p><b>Pool enclosures and barriers:<\/b>\u00a0Pools must be surrounded by a fence or barrier at least 48 inches high. Gates must be self-closing and self-latching, with latches at least 42 inches above the ground. Openings in the fence cannot allow a sphere 4 inches in diameter to pass through. There should be no direct access from an apartment to the pool area without passing through a locked gate.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p><b>Locks and access control:<\/b>\u00a0Gates must remain locked when the pool is closed. Only authorized persons, such as residents and their guests, should have access. Signs must be posted with pool hours and warnings.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p><b>Signage and safety equipment:<\/b>\u00a0Pools must display signs with emergency information, pool rules and warnings about unsupervised children. Safety equipment such as life rings and reaching poles must be available.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Violations for broken gates or fencing around pools<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">If a child can enter a pool area unsupervised, it may indicate noncompliance with these laws. Common issues include gates left open or not self-latching, broken or inadequate fencing, malfunctioning locks, or lack of supervision and enforcement by property management.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">In many drowning cases, investigations reveal that a gate was propped open, a latch was broken or fencing was inadequate. These are violations that can result in fines or even criminal liability for property owners.<\/p>\n<p><b>What to do if you see broken gates, locks or fencing?<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Residents should immediately report any broken gates, locks or fencing to management. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Apartment owners must regularly inspect and maintain all safety barriers and equipment. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Anyone who notices a pool that is not properly secured should report it to the local health department or city code enforcement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">For more information on Texas pool laws, visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dshs.texas.gov\/public-swimming-pools-spas\/laws-rules-public-swimming-pools-spas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Texas Department of State Health Services Public Swimming Pools &amp; Spas page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2025 by KPRC Click2Houston &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HOUSTON \u2013 A recent drowning of a 5-year-old girl at a west Houston apartment complex has sparked the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":94408,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5130],"tags":[718,4345,425,50,62332,358,3187],"class_list":{"0":"post-94407","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-community","9":"tag-houston","10":"tag-local","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-pool-safety","13":"tag-texas","14":"tag-tx"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114920266513177860","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94407"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94407\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}