Pool barriers built to Massachusetts 780 CMR and inspected in your own town. Family owned in West Newbury since 1985, and every installation carries our lifetime workmanship warranty.
In short: Olympic Fence Company is a second generation family business in West Newbury, MA, installing pool fencing across the North Shore and Essex County since 1985. Barriers are built to Massachusetts 780 CMR in aluminum, vinyl, cedar, ornamental steel, or rigid wire panel. We file the permit, meet the inspector, and back the work with a lifetime workmanship warranty. Residential service runs 30 miles from West Newbury. Call 978-997-2302 or request an estimate.
Because the fence has to pass an inspection before anyone swims. A pool fence is the one piece of fencing a town official will walk the perimeter of, measure, and shake the gate on. We build to that standard from the first post.
Our crews have been putting up pool barriers in Essex County for four decades. Boxford ledge changes how posts get set. A Salisbury yard near the water needs gate hardware that will not seize up after two salt seasons. Haverhill and Newburyport do not handle their permits the same way. Knowing that ahead of time is the difference between passing on the first visit and booking a re-inspection.
Every barrier we install is backed by our lifetime workmanship warranty. Most contractors in the region stop at one to three years.
Get Your Free Pool Fence EstimateFive materials, five different reasons to pick them. We walk through all of them at your estimate and tell you which ones we would rule out for your property and why.
Rust proof, powder coated, and almost maintenance free. The narrow pickets keep sightlines open so you can watch the pool from the deck. Aluminum handles New England freeze and thaw without warping, and the self closing gate hardware comes standard. This is what most of our Essex County pool customers choose.
Ornamental aluminum fencing details
Pool safety and backyard privacy in one run of fence. Vinyl will not splinter, rot, or need painting, and pool chemicals do not stain it. Available in full privacy, semi privacy, and open spindle styles. Child safe latch hardware is included on every gate we hang.
Vinyl fencing details
Premium Northern White and Western Red cedar, cut to the height and picket spacing your yard needs. Wood posts usually fail at the soil line first. Our wood on steel system puts a galvanized steel post inside the wood, so the fence stays plumb long after a standard cedar fence has started to lean.
Cedar fencing details
The wrought iron look with modern galvanized protection underneath. Steel is the strongest residential barrier we install and it holds up to decades of weather with very little upkeep. A good fit for older Newburyport and Amesbury properties where the fence has to suit the house.
Ornamental steel fencing details
Homeowners usually call this mesh fencing. Welded wire panels give you the widest possible view of the water while still meeting the barrier code, and they cost less than ornamental metal. Parents who want eyes on the pool from the kitchen window tend to land here.
Ask about wire panel optionsThat is normal. Most people come into the estimate with a picture in their head and leave with a different material once they see how it prices out and how it will actually sit in the yard.
We measure the perimeter, look at the grade and the drainage, check what your town requires, and then give you a written quote with the tradeoffs spelled out. No pressure to decide on the spot.
Book a free consultationMassachusetts follows the pool barrier provisions in the state building code, 780 CMR, which adopts the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code. Every town in Essex County enforces that baseline, and a few enforce more. Here is the short version of what your barrier has to do:
Gates are where pool fences fail inspection. A latch mounted an inch too low, a hinge that does not pull the gate fully closed from a resting position, a gate that swings toward the water instead of away from it. We set every gate with commercial grade self closing hardware and test it in front of you before we leave the job.
Because the towns we serve interpret parts of this differently, we confirm the local requirements with your building department before we order material. Georgetown and Haverhill in particular are worth checking early.
This is a general summary based on the Massachusetts state building code and is not legal advice. Requirements can change, and some municipalities enforce stricter standards. Contact your local Building Department or consult a licensed professional for current code requirements specific to your property.
Three common ways to get a pool fence installed on the North Shore, side by side.
| What matters | DIY kit | General contractor | Olympic Fence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 780 CMR compliance | On you | Varies by crew | Built to code, every job |
| Gate hardware | Basic latch | Whatever ships with the panel | Commercial self closing and self latching |
| Material choice | What the store stocks | Two or three options | All five, including custom cedar |
| Permit filing | On you | Often on you | We file it and meet the inspector |
| Workmanship warranty | None | One to three years | Lifetime, transferable |
| Who does the work | You and a helper | Subcontracted crews | Our own crew, start to finish |
The fence is one part of it. Here is the rest of what comes with the job.
No trips to town hall and no paperwork on your kitchen table. We file the application with your building department, track the approval, and coordinate the final inspection.
No subcontractors and no handoffs halfway through. The same Olympic Fence crew sets the first post and tests the last gate.
Spoils hauled off, offcuts picked up, no ruts across the lawn. Customers mention this in reviews more than anything else except the finished fence.
You receive written confirmation that the barrier was installed to code. Insurers often ask for it, and some carriers adjust the premium once they have it on file.
Peak season on the North Shore runs late summer into fall and the schedule fills. If your install date is a few weeks out, we can set a temporary barrier so the pool stays enclosed in the meantime.
Wood fences almost always rot at the soil line first. We run a galvanized steel post inside the wood so the failure point is gone. You will not find this from another contractor on the North Shore.
Four steps from your first call to a barrier your town has signed off on.
We come out, measure the pool perimeter, look at grade and drainage, and pull up what your town requires. You get straight answers on material and budget. Nobody asks you to sign anything that day.
Your quote shows the fence specification, where the gates go, the material with its tradeoffs, and the permit requirements for your town. If there is a way to hit the same safety standard for less money, it is in the quote.
We submit the permit, work with the local inspector, and book the install around your calendar. Temporary barriers are available if the wait runs long.
The crew builds the barrier, tests every gate closure and latch, walks the inspection with the town, and cleans the site. Most residential pool fences go in inside one to two days.
"David and his team installed a new fence and removed the old fence for our pool area. They were able to fit our job into their schedule even quicker than estimated."
Steve B.
"I was impressed and appreciative when James offered to contact the local municipality to ensure compliance with local conservation regs. I would recommend James, Emily and Olympic fence without reservation."
Jim C.
"Communication, installation and attention to detail were outstanding. They worked within my budget and were much more reasonable than two other quotes."
Regina C.
The rules live in the Massachusetts state building code, 780 CMR. A residential pool barrier has to stand at least 48 inches high, measured from the grade outside the fence. It can leave no more than 2 inches of clearance at the bottom, and no opening in it can pass a 4 inch sphere. Gates have to be self closing and self latching, and they have to swing outward, away from the water. The latch sits at least 54 inches above grade. Some Essex County towns enforce more than that, so we check with your building department before we order material.
Olympic Fence installs residential pool fencing within roughly 30 miles of our West Newbury shop. That covers Newburyport, Newbury, Byfield, Amesbury, Salisbury, Merrimac, West Newbury, Groveland, Haverhill, Georgetown, Rowley, Boxford, Topsfield, Ipswich, Danvers, Beverly and North Andover. Commercial and municipal pool projects run out to about 70 miles. If you are not sure whether your town is covered, call 978-997-2302 and we will tell you straight away.
Ornamental aluminum and commercial grade vinyl are the two we install most often around here. Both shrug off pool chemicals, salt air off the Merrimack and the coast, and repeated freeze and thaw cycles without rusting or rotting. Aluminum wins when you want the view; vinyl wins when you want privacy as well as safety. Cedar suits older properties where the fence needs to match the house, and rigid wire panel is the budget option with the clearest sightlines.
In most Essex County towns, yes. A pool barrier is a safety requirement, not a boundary marker, so the building department usually wants to inspect it before anyone swims. The details vary town by town. Olympic Fence files the application and coordinates the inspection wherever we work, so you do not need to make the trip to town hall.
The number comes down to the material, how many linear feet you need, how many gates, what the ground is like, and what your town requires. A flat lawn in Salisbury and a ledge lot in Boxford price out very differently for the same fence. The only honest way to answer it is to measure your yard, so request a free on site estimate and you will get a written quote with the options laid out.
It covers installation defects for as long as you own the home: post stability, gate alignment, panel alignment, and hardware function. The materials themselves are covered separately by the manufacturer. The warranty also transfers to the next owner if you sell the property, which matters more than people expect at closing. Most fence contractors in this market offer one to three years.
Most residential pool fences go in inside one to two days once the crew is on site. The longer part is usually permit approval, which varies by town and by season. Peak season here runs late summer through fall and the calendar tightens up, so the earlier in the year you book, the faster the whole thing moves.
Pick your town for local permit notes, material recommendations, and photos of nearby work.
We also install pool barriers in Haverhill, Groveland, Georgetown, Newbury, Byfield, Rowley, Boxford, Topsfield, Ipswich, Danvers, Beverly and North Andover. Residential service runs 30 miles from West Newbury, with commercial and municipal work out to 70 miles.
Get a free, no pressure estimate from a licensed Essex County fence contractor with 40 years of local work behind it. We help you pick the material, file the permit, and build it to pass.