Does Your Association's Pool Have Telephone Access?
The City and County of Denver’s Pool Rules and Regulations has a policy which requires "limited access pools" to have telephones or equivalent alarm systems within the immediate pool areas.
"Limited access pools" are defined as: pools maintained in conjunction with a hotel-motel, apartment house, condominium, health club, health facility, or similar facility, and which is not available for use by the general public, but only by their occupants or members and their guests. Based on this definition, condominium and townhome communities in Denver are required to comply with this requirement.
However, the rule does indicate that pools constructed or remodeled prior to the effective date of November 9, 2006, may be exempt from the rule if no immediate danger to public health and safety exists. So, communities created prior to this date have a legitimate argument of not being required to have such a phone system in place.
Associations, regardless of the date constructed or remodeled, should have a phone or an alarm available. It may limit liability in case of an accident or emergency. Be safe rather than save the few dollars it costs to have a phone line.
Some follow up information on this code: I have spoken with Bob McDonald at Denver County Health who has informed me that Denver will enforce this code requirement against pools constructed prior 2006 because it is considered a "critical" violation. Critical violations are those related to safety and water chemistry and are not considered exempt from this requirement. So the safest approach for communities who have pools in Denver County is to simply make sure they have emergency phones in their immediate pool areas.