New commercial and residential swimming pools need to have alarms to detect an unsupervised child or pet, or an intruder breaking the water.
The state law was enacted last December to prevent children from drowning. The law applies to all above- or below-ground pools 24 inches deep or deeper that are installed, constructed, or "substantially modified" after Dec. 14, 2006.
According to the state’s Department of State, "Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths in children between the ages of 1 and 14 nationwide, and the third leading cause of injury-related deaths of children in New York."

Depending on the size of a pool, more than one alarm may be needed. The law also includes hot tubs and spas.
"Every pool we build, every pool we sell, has to have an alarm," said Doug Dantrowitz, manager of Concord Pools in Clifton Park. The law stipulates alarms must be meet American Society of Testing Materials standards.

A municipality’s building inspectors or fire departments enforce the law, said Eamon Moynihan, spokesperson for the state’s Department of State.
All pool alarms on the market are not ASTM-certified, Dantrowitz said. One is available for an in-ground pool, and another is available for above-ground pools. Both are made by Poolguard, Dantrowitz said. Concord Pools, which has four locations in the Capital Region, includes the alarm with each pool. "We would never charge more for safety," Dantrowitz said.

An above-ground pool alarm by Poolguard uses a 9-volt battery, which sends out a pulsating sound. The alarm includes a remote receiver to be placed within a home, which also sounds an alarm. It sells for about $125.
Poolguard’s in-ground pool alarm sells for about $190 and works much like the above-ground alarm. It may be put in sleep mode when a pool is in use. Designed for a 20-by-40-foot pool, the alarm will detect "a 1-year-old child weighing 18 pounds and up." A receiver placed indoors has a range of up to 200 feet.