Published July 27, 2026 · Home Builder Pool Pros
Signage is the violation category inspectors can write up without ever testing the water — it's visible from the gate, it's unambiguous, and the rule specifies wording and letter heights down to the inch. It's also the cheapest violation to prevent. Texas's pool rule (25 TAC Chapter 265) prescribes a specific inventory of signs for an apartment-class pool, and replacement signs at older pools must meet the current spec — so every sign you buy today has to comply. Here's the full list.
The required pool signs
All of these come from the sign table in the Texas rule. Letter heights are minimums.
| Required sign | Minimum letter height |
|---|---|
| "WARNING-NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY" (unguarded pools) | 4 inches |
| "NO DIVING" + international no-diving symbol (unguarded pools) | 4 inches |
| "IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, DIAL 911" | 4 inches |
| Hours of operation | 1 inch |
| Maximum user load limit | 2 inches |
| Directions to the emergency phone (if not visible from the pool yard) | 2 inches |
| Precise pool location posted at the emergency phone (address / building / GPS) | 1 inch |
| "PERSONS UNDER THE AGE OF 14 MUST NOT BE IN THE POOL WITHOUT ADULT SUPERVISION" | 2 inches |
| "DO NOT SWIM IF YOU HAVE BEEN ILL WITH DIARRHEA WITHIN THE PAST 2 WEEKS" | 2 inches |
| "CHANGING DIAPERS WITHIN 6 FEET OF THE POOL IS PROHIBITED" | 2 inches |
| "GLASS ITEMS NOT ALLOWED IN THE POOL YARD" | 2 inches |
| "PETS IN THE POOL ARE PROHIBITED" | 2 inches |
| "EXTENDED BREATH HOLDING ACTIVITIES ARE DANGEROUS AND PROHIBITED" | 2 inches |
The rules about the signs themselves
- Posted within the pool yard, securely mounted, readily visible to pool users, and durable enough for weather
- Each sign needs a distinct border, and any branding can't distract from the message
- Messages may be combined onto one sign or posted individually — a well-designed combination sign is legal
- Where most residents speak a language other than English, signs may additionally be posted in that language
- Wording variations require pre-approval from the local pool regulatory official — the prescribed text is the safe default
If the property has a spa, there's a second list
- "DO NOT USE THE SPA IF THE WATER TEMPERATURE IS ABOVE 104 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT" (1 inch)
- Maximum user load (1 inch) and location of the nearest emergency phone (2 inches)
- "EMERGENCY SPA SHUTOFF" marking at the shutoff switch (2 inches)
- The diarrhea, under-14 supervision, and no-pets signs repeat for the spa (2 inches each)
Depth markers and deck markers
Depth markers on new, renovated, or replaced installations sit in the top 4½ inches of the pool wall under the coping, readable from in the water, with detailed sizing coming from the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, which Texas adopts by reference. Spa depth markers must be at least 4 inches, at intervals of 25 feet or less, with slip-resistant deck markers. The deck "NO DIVING" symbol — diver in a circle with a 45-degree slash — must be at least 4 inches. And pools deeper than 5 feet need a contrasting 4-inch floor line marking the shallow-to-deep transition.
The user-load number nobody knows how to calculate
That "Maximum User Load Limit" sign requires an actual number, and DSHS guidance provides the formula: in shallow areas (5 feet or less), one user per 15, 12, or 8 square feet of water depending on how much deck the pool has; in deep areas, one per 20, 15, or 10 square feet on the same deck tiers; 300 square feet per user in a diving area; 8 square feet per user in spas and wading pools. Compute each zone, round down, and sum. Since the rule text has been restructured, confirm the posted number with your local code authority — but showing up with a calculated number beats a blank sign.
One more thing: the chemical room
The state pool rule's sign table doesn't cover chemical storage placarding — that comes from fire code and local ordinance. But national inspection data has found chemical labeling, storage, and security violations in roughly one in five routine pool inspections where it was assessed, so when we audit a property's signage we check the chemical room's placards too. Cheap fixes, all of it — the whole sign inventory for a pool and spa usually costs less than one month of service, and it removes an entire violation category from your inspection.
Sign requirements from 25 TAC Chapter 265, Subchapter L as of mid-2026. DFW cities may adopt stricter or additional requirements — confirm locally before ordering signs.