Maricopa County Data — Updated 2026
Arizona Pool Drowning Statistics
Annual drowning data for Maricopa and Pinal Counties — child fatalities, age breakdowns, and how compliant pool barriers reduce risk. Data sourced from the Children's Safety Zone and Maricopa County fire department reports.
The Urgency
Why This Data Matters
Arizona's climate means pools are in use nearly year-round — and the drowning risk is not seasonal.
#1
Leading cause of death
Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for Arizona children ages 1–4 — higher than car accidents.
80%
Occur in home pools
The vast majority of child drownings in Arizona occur in the family's own backyard swimming pool.
< 2 min
Time to drown
A child can drown in less than two minutes — often silently, without splashing.
83%
Reduction with barrier
A compliant four-sided pool barrier reduces a child's drowning risk by up to 83%, according to CDC research.
Maricopa & Pinal Counties
Annual Drowning Data
Water-related incident data compiled from Maricopa and Pinal County fire department reports.
| Year | Total Incidents | Fatalities | Child Deaths (0–17) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Jun) | 80 | 35 | 4 | Data through June 29, 2026. Peak summer months not yet included. |
| 2025 (full year) | 123 | 52 | 8 | Under-5 fatalities dropped from 18 in 2024 to 7 in 2025. |
| 2024 (full year) | 155 | 75 | 19 | Highest child drowning rate in over a decade for Maricopa/Pinal. |
| 2023 (full year) | 138 | 61 | 14 | — |
Source: Children's Safety Zone — Valley of the Sun Water Incident Reports · Phoenix Fire Department public incident data. 2026 data is preliminary through June 29.
Understanding the Risk
What the Numbers Tell Us
Arizona is one of the most dangerous states in the country for child drownings — not because Arizona pools are less safe by design, but because the climate makes pools accessible and appealing almost every month of the year. Families who would use a pool three months a year in cooler climates use theirs nine to ten months a year in Phoenix. That extended exposure window dramatically increases cumulative risk.
The 2024 data — the highest child drowning count in over a decade — prompted Arizona health officials and drowning prevention advocates to call for increased compliance with the state's pool barrier law, ARS § 36-1681. That law requires every private residential pool to be enclosed by a barrier that meets specific height, gap, and gate requirements. Many Arizona pools are not in compliance.
The good news: the CDC has documented that a compliant four-sided pool barrier reduces a child's drowning risk by up to 83%. A pool fence is not a guarantee — it is a barrier, and barriers buy time. In the two minutes it takes for a child to drown, a compliant fence can be the difference between a close call and a fatality.
The 2025 data shows improvement — child fatalities under 5 dropped from 18 to 7 — but 7 children still died in preventable drownings. In 2026, the summer months (July through September are the peak drowning season) have not yet been counted. The first half of 2026 alone recorded 35 fatalities from 80 incidents.
Arizona Pool Fence Law
ARS § 36-1681: What's Required
Arizona law (ARS § 36-1681) requires every private residential swimming pool to be enclosed by a barrier that meets all of the following requirements:
- ✓Minimum 5-foot barrier height (measured on the outside of the enclosure)
- ✓Maximum 2-inch ground clearance below the fence
- ✓No openings larger than 4 inches that a child could use as a foothold
- ✓Self-closing, self-latching gates that open away from the pool
- ✓Gate latch at least 54 inches from the ground, or on the pool side of the gate
- ✓No climbable objects within 36 inches of the outside of the barrier
Non-compliance with ARS § 36-1681 can result in fines and, more critically, creates significant personal liability if a drowning occurs in an unenclosed pool. Read the full guide to Arizona pool fence law →
For Reporters & Researchers
Media Inquiries Welcome
Michael Leifer has led removable mesh pool fence installation across Maricopa County since 1994 — over 25,000 installations completed. He is available for comment on pool safety, Arizona pool barrier law, and drowning prevention trends. Licensed AZROC 317289. Member of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance and Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona.
For media inquiries, contact Michael directly: (602) 698-7733 or sales@clearchoicepoolfence.com