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How Much Does a Pool Cover or Enclosure Cost in Toronto?

Last updated:By The Pool Trade Desk

A lit pool seen at dusk from outside a frameless glass pool fence, the glass panels and their stainless spigots in the foreground, the cyan water glowing through the glass and a closed gate at the left.

Municipal enclosure requirements decide the fencing side of this budget, so it belongs in the plan next to the cover rather than after it. Researched pricing puts winter pool cover, inground at $650 to $1,000 per cover (CAD), per Precision Landscaping (Toronto and GTA), and above-ground winter cover, retail (Basic Blue, 12 ft to 33 ft round) at $27.99 to $149.99 per cover (CAD), per Pool Supplies Canada. Each row in the table below names its own source, and prices are quoted before tax unless the row says otherwise.

What do covers, fencing and enclosures cost?

The table

This range rests on 9 independent published sources, and every row below names the one its own figure came from. Where two sources disagree they stay in the table as two rows with two labels; nothing here is an average of the two, and no range was widened to cover a gap.

Canadian dollars, researched August 2026, one named Ontario source per row. Ontario HST sits on top of every figure unless the row says otherwise.

  • Winter pool cover, inground

    Typical range
    $650–$1,000
    Unit
    per cover (CAD)
    Condition
    The source's comparison table calls this budget off-season protection for above-ground or inground pools; it keeps leaves and debris out and is not a safety cover.
    Source
    Precision Landscaping (Toronto and GTA)

  • Above-ground winter cover, retail (Basic Blue, 12 ft to 33 ft round)

    Typical range
    $27.99–$149.99
    Unit
    per cover (CAD)
    Condition
    Retail, cover only, no installation, and one product ladder rather than the whole catalogue. Heavier above-ground covers from the same retailer run to $529.00, and its cheapest inground winter cover starts at $126.99.
    Source
    Pool Supplies Canada

  • Safety cover, inground (child and pet safety)

    Typical range
    $3,000–$5,000
    Unit
    per cover (CAD)
    Condition
    The source's table lists this band for child and pet safety on an inground pool. A second Ontario source on this page prices a manual safety cover lower; the two published ranges disagree and both are shown.
    Source
    Precision Landscaping (Toronto and GTA)

  • Manual safety cover, installed

    Typical range
    $1,200–$3,000
    Unit
    per cover (CAD)
    Condition
    Installed. The source notes a manual cover takes physical effort to open and close, which is the trade-off against the automatic range below.
    Source
    Project Landscaping (Ontario, 2026)

  • Safety cover, retail starting prices (stock and custom)

    Typical range
    $599.00–$1,209.00
    Unit
    per cover (CAD)
    Condition
    Two starting prices, not a range: $599 is the retailer's lowest stock cover, $1,209 its lowest custom-made one. Cover and standard concrete-deck hardware only, with no installation labour.
    Source
    Pool Supplies Canada

  • Automatic pool cover

    Typical range
    $15,000–$30,000
    Unit
    per system (CAD)
    Condition
    The source's comparison table; this is the system, and it assumes the cover is designed into the pool rather than retrofitted.
    Source
    Precision Landscaping (Toronto and GTA)

  • Automatic pool cover, retrofit to an existing pool

    Typical range
    $10,000–$20,000+(typ. $14,000-$15,000)
    Unit
    per system (CAD)
    Condition
    'As low as $10,000' applies to a small cocktail pool or a basic under-track retrofit, not to a full-size pool. The source calls its own range a basic estimate only.
    Source
    Pool Covers BC (Canada)

  • Automatic pool cover fitted to a new pool build

    Typical range
    $17,000–$20,000
    Unit
    per system (CAD)
    Condition
    A new build, where the cover is engineered into the pool. The source calls this a basic estimate and says exact pricing varies.
    Source
    Pool Covers BC (Canada)

  • Automatic or retractable cover, installed

    Typical range
    $8,000–$20,000
    Unit
    per system (CAD)
    Condition
    Installed. The source's argument for the cost is that these covers cut heating bills by retaining warmth as well as keeping debris out.
    Source
    Project Landscaping (Ontario, 2026)

  • Aluminum picket pool fence, installed

    Typical range
    $75–$130
    Unit
    per linear foot (CAD)
    Condition
    Per linear foot, installed, at a standard 48-inch height, from a GTA fence manufacturer's own published rate card. The source states it meets GTA by-law rules.
    Source
    Aluminum Solutions (Toronto and GTA)

  • Post-mounted glass pool fence, installed

    Typical range
    $145–$190
    Unit
    per linear foot (CAD)
    Condition
    Per linear foot, installed, with 10mm clear tempered glass on structural metal posts, from the manufacturer's own rate card.
    Source
    Aluminum Solutions (Toronto and GTA)

  • Frameless glass pool fence, installed

    Typical range
    $195–$275+
    Unit
    per linear foot (CAD)
    Condition
    Fully installed, per linear foot, and open-ended at the top. The manufacturer's own published Toronto and GTA rate.
    Source
    Aluminum Solutions (Toronto and GTA)

  • Pool fencing and railings (safety fence from $300, glass fence from $310, deck railing from $340, perimeter fence from $350)

    Typical range
    $300–$350
    Unit
    per foot, starting price (CAD)
    Condition
    Starting prices per foot, not finished quotes: safety fence from $300, glass fence from $310, deck railing from $340, perimeter fence from $350. The same rate card puts a pedestrian gate at $410 per foot and a full enclosure from $280.
    Source
    Art Metal Workshop (Toronto and GTA)

  • Fence or enclosure as a line item on a new pool build

    Typical range
    $3,000–$15,000
    Unit
    per project (CAD)
    Condition
    Not optional: the source flags a pool enclosure as required by Ontario law, and it is not in a builder's base pool price.
    Source
    Swimpool 360 (Toronto, 2026)

  • Pool enclosure installation, Toronto

    Typical range
    $10,000–$30,000+
    Unit
    per enclosure (CAD)
    Condition
    'Typically', and open-ended at the top. This is a full enclosure over the pool, not a perimeter fence, from a Toronto manufacturer's own page.
    Source
    Art Metal Workshop (Toronto and GTA)

  • Solar or thermal cover

    Typical range
    $150–$800
    Unit
    per cover (CAD)
    Condition
    Depends on pool size and whether a roller is added. The source lists it as a recommended add-on to a heater, not a standalone purchase.
    Source
    Swimpool 360 (Ontario, 2026)

  • Pool cover as a line item on a new pool build

    Typical range
    $1,500–$8,000
    Unit
    per cover (CAD)
    Condition
    A line the source says is NOT in a builder's base pool price, alongside heating, fencing, landscaping and permits.
    Source
    Swimpool 360 (Toronto, 2026)

Which of these numbers is actually big?

The bands

Each bar is one row from the table above, drawn from $0 so the lengths can be compared by eye. 12 of the 17 pool covers and enclosures rows are drawn, on 3 separate scales (per cover (CAD), per system (CAD), per linear foot (CAD)), because a figure quoted per month and a figure quoted per project are not the same measurement and must not share an axis. The widest published band on this guide is automatic pool cover, at $15,000 to $30,000.

per cover (CAD)7 rows, $27.99 to $8,000

  • Above-ground winter cover, retail (Basic Blue, 12 ft to 33 ft round)

    $27.99–$149.99

  • Solar or thermal cover

    $150–$800

  • Safety cover, retail starting prices (stock and custom)

    $599.00–$1,209.00

  • Winter pool cover, inground

    $650–$1,000

  • Manual safety cover, installed

    $1,200–$3,000

  • Pool cover as a line item on a new pool build

    $1,500–$8,000

  • Safety cover, inground (child and pet safety)

    $3,000–$5,000

$0$8,000
per system (CAD)3 rows, $8,000 to $30,000

  • Automatic or retractable cover, installed

    $8,000–$20,000

  • Automatic pool cover

    $15,000–$30,000

  • Automatic pool cover fitted to a new pool build

    $17,000–$20,000

$0$30,000
per linear foot (CAD)2 rows, $75 to $190

  • Aluminum picket pool fence, installed

    $75–$130

  • Post-mounted glass pool fence, installed

    $145–$190

$0$190

5 of the 17 rows above are not drawn, because a bar would say something the source did not.

  • Automatic pool cover, retrofit to an existing pool $10,000–$20,000+. No closed upper figure, so the right-hand end of a bar would be invented.
  • Frameless glass pool fence, installed $195–$275+. No closed upper figure, so the right-hand end of a bar would be invented.
  • Pool enclosure installation, Toronto $10,000–$30,000+. No closed upper figure, so the right-hand end of a bar would be invented.
  • Pool fencing and railings (safety fence from $300, glass fence from $310, deck railing from $340, perimeter fence from $350) $300–$350. The only figure quoted “per foot, starting price (CAD)”, and one bar on its own axis compares nothing.
  • Fence or enclosure as a line item on a new pool build $3,000–$15,000. The only figure quoted “per project (CAD)”, and one bar on its own axis compares nothing.

What does the Toronto enclosure permit cover, and what does it not?

The barrier

A cover and an enclosure are two different products solving two different problems, and only one of them is required by law. The first group below is what Municipal Code Chapter 447 is about. The second is everything people buy alongside it and often assume counts.

What the enclosure is, in law

The barrier that stops a child reaching the water: the fence, its gates and their latches. In Toronto it comes before the excavation, and the pool stays empty until it passes inspection.

  • Aluminum picket fence, installed

    $75–$130 per linear foot (CAD)

    Priced per linear foot, so the perimeter, not the pool, sets this line.

  • Post-mounted glass instead

    $145–$190 per linear foot (CAD)

  • Gates that self-close and self-latch, swinging away from the pool

    Consistent across this guide's sources: latch height, gap under the fence and picket spacing are all specified.

  • The fence as a line on a new pool build

    $3,000–$15,000 per project (CAD)

and separately

What a cover is for

Not the same job. A safety cover carries weight, a winter cover keeps debris out, a thermal cover holds heat in, and for a pool none of the three replaces the fence.

  • Winter cover, inground

    $650–$1,000 per cover (CAD)

    Keeps debris out. It carries no weight rating at all.

  • Safety cover, rated to hold a person or a pet

    $3,000–$5,000 per cover (CAD)

  • Automatic cover, fitted to a new build

    $17,000–$20,000 per system (CAD)

    Priced by the length of the pool rather than its area, and cheaper built in than retrofitted.

  • Solar or thermal cover

    $150–$800 per cover (CAD)

and before both

What the City requires first

Before either of the other two. A Zoning Certificate, then the enclosure permit, then the excavation, then an inspection before any water goes in.

  • An approved Zoning Certificate, then the enclosure permit

    The permit fee is stated in this guide's Ontario section, per application, under Municipal Code Chapter 441.

  • No excavation before the permit

    Chapter 447 s.447-1.3B(1), quoted in full in this guide's Ontario section.

  • No water before the inspection

    The City's 311 guidance, quoted in full in this guide's Ontario section.

  • A cover does not substitute for a fence, for a pool

    Chapter 447's cover-based exemption applies only to a whirlpool, hot tub or spa with a substantial, structurally adequate cover permanently attached.

Built from this guide's Ontario section, which quotes Municipal Code Chapter 447 and the City's own 311 guidance, and from the price rows above with their conditions. Sources on this page disagree on the minimum fence height, and the guide says so rather than picking one.

What drives the price?

Variables

Size, access and what has to be rebuilt to reach the pool move a pool covers and enclosures quote more than anything else in Toronto. Each line below is one of those variables, with the published figure that shows how far it moves the total.

  • Cover type: winter tarp $650 to $1,000, safety cover $3,000 to $5,000, automatic cover $15,000 to $30,000 (Precision Landscaping)
  • Pool length: automatic covers run around $2,500 per linear foot to supply and install (Action Home Services)
  • New build versus retrofit: Pool Covers BC puts a retrofit at $14,000 to $15,000 average and a new build at $17,000 to $20,000
  • Fence material: aluminum picket $75 to $130 per linear foot against frameless glass $195 to $275 and up (Aluminum Solutions)
  • Perimeter length: fence is priced per foot, so pool shape and how far the fence sits from the water both matter
  • Gates: each gate must be self-closing and self-latching to comply, and Art Metal Workshop prices a pool pedestrian gate from $410 per foot
  • Stock versus custom: Pool Supplies Canada sells stock safety covers from $599.00 and custom ones from $1,209.00
  • Permit: $198.59 per application in Toronto, plus a Zoning Certificate step before it

What's specific to Ontario and Toronto?

Local rules

Ontario adds 13 percent HST on top of every quote, Toronto requires a pool fence enclosure permit before anyone digs, and the freeze-thaw cycle decides what survives the winter. Those three are what a national price guide leaves out.

  • In Toronto the fence is not optional and it comes before the water. City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 447, section 447-1.3B(1), states that 'No person shall excavate for or erect, or cause or permit excavation for or erection of, a swimming pool without first obtaining a permit from the Executive Director for a swimming pool enclosure for the proposed pool.'
  • The City's 311 guidance is explicit about filling: 'You cannot fill a swimming pool with water or permit water to collect or remain in a swimming pool until the City has conducted an inspection and confirmed the completion of a permanent swimming pool enclosure that fully complies with the bylaw.'
  • The City of Toronto pool fence enclosure permit fee is $198.59 per application, listed under Building Permission and Information in Municipal Code Chapter 441, Fees and Charges. Toronto also requires an approved Zoning Certificate before that permit can be issued.
  • Sources disagree on the minimum enclosure height, so confirm with your municipality rather than with an installer. Aluminum Solutions, a GTA pool fence company, states the fence must stand at least 1.2 metres high measured from grade on the outside of the enclosure, while Project Landscaping states 1.5 metres for Toronto residential properties. The binding requirement is whatever Municipal Code Chapter 447 says for your property type, so check it or call the City before ordering a fence.
  • Gate hardware requirements are consistent across sources. Aluminum Solutions states gates must be self-closing and self-latching, with the latch at least 1.35 metres above the ground, and must swing outward away from the pool. It also states the gap under the fence must not exceed 100 millimetres and picket spacing must not exceed 100 millimetres.
  • Project Landscaping states every municipality in Ontario requires permits for pool enclosure fences and cites fines up to $5,000 for non-compliance.
  • Ontario HST is 13 percent. None of the Ontario cover or fence sources we checked state whether their prices include it, so confirm before comparing.
  • A cover does not replace a fence for a pool in Toronto. Municipal Code Chapter 447 does provide a cover-based exemption, but only for a whirlpool, hot tub or spa with 'a substantial, structurally adequate cover permanently attached to it or to its supporting structure'.

How can I pay less?

Levers

The biggest saving is almost always timing and bundling rather than choosing a cheaper material. Each lever below is tied to a published figure from the table, so you can see what it is actually worth before deciding it is worth doing.

  • Buy a stock safety cover if your pool is a standard rectangle. Pool Supplies Canada lists stock covers from $599.00 against $1,209.00 for custom, both with installation hardware and free shipping.
  • Get three automatic cover quotes. Canadian sources range from $8,000 to $60,000 for the same category of product, and Action Home Services' $2,500 per linear foot rate gives you a way to sanity-check any of them against your pool's length.
  • Fit the automatic cover during the build if you want one. Pool Covers BC prices a new-build installation at $17,000 to $20,000 against $14,000 to $15,000 for a retrofit on an existing pool, so compare both routes rather than assuming retrofit is always dearer or cheaper.
  • Choose aluminum picket over glass if the budget is tight. Aluminum Solutions quotes $75 to $130 per linear foot installed for aluminum against $195 to $275 and up for frameless glass.
  • Add a solar or thermal cover regardless of what else you buy. Swimpool 360 prices one at $150 to $800 and recommends it as an add-on to any heating system.
  • Sort the enclosure permit before excavation. Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 447 requires the permit before you dig, and the pool cannot be filled until the City inspects the finished enclosure, so a late application costs you swimming weeks, not just the $198.59 fee.

How did we research these numbers?

Provenance

Every figure above was re-read in the document it is attributed to, and the exact sentence carrying it is recorded against the row. Where a number could not be found in the source it named, the row came out rather than the number being adjusted to fit. Here is what PoolBuilderIndex found across the 9 sources.

  • Automatic cover quotes in Canada vary by a factor of nearly four, and the gap is not explained by pool size alone. Project Landscaping puts an automatic or retractable cover at $8,000 to $20,000 installed, Pool Covers BC at $10,000 for a small cocktail pool rising to $17,000 to $20,000 on a new build, and Precision Landscaping in Toronto at $15,000 to $30,000. Get at least three quotes before accepting any of them as the market rate.
  • Action Home Services is the only source that gives a unit rate for automatic covers, at 'around $2,500 per linear foot to supply and install'. That makes the length of the pool, not its area, the number that drives the price.
  • Manual safety covers are an order of magnitude cheaper than automatic ones. Precision Landscaping prices one at $3,000 to $5,000 installed and Project Landscaping at $1,200 to $3,000, while Pool Supplies Canada sells stock safety covers from $599.00 and custom ones from $1,209.00 with installation hardware included.
  • A winter tarp and a safety cover are different products. Precision Landscaping prices a winter cover at $650 to $1,000 and puts its life at 3 to 5 years, against a safety cover at $3,000 to $5,000 lasting 8 to 10 years and an automatic cover at $15,000 to $30,000 lasting 7 to 10 years.
  • Fencing is priced per linear foot in the GTA and the material choice moves the number sharply. Aluminum Solutions quotes aluminum picket at $75 to $130 per linear foot installed, post-mounted glass at $145 to $190 and frameless glass at $195 to $275 and up. Art Metal Workshop starts its glass pool fence at $310 per foot and its safety pool fence at $300 per foot.
  • Fence is often buried inside a pool build quote. Swimpool 360 lists fence or enclosure as a $3,000 to $15,000 line on a new pool, which is consistent with the per-foot rates above for a typical residential perimeter.
  • Full retractable enclosures are a separate category again. Art Metal Workshop puts pool enclosure installation in Toronto at $10,000 to $30,000 and up, and quotes swimming pool enclosures from $280 per foot.

Sources

Who can do the work?

The shortlist/3 of 46 shown

PoolBuilderIndex tracks 46 pool cover and enclosure companies across the Greater Toronto Area, rated 4.58★ on average. The three below rank highest on our published score, based on PoolBuilderIndex's analysis of 46 GTA businesses, August 2026.

  • Orange Pools Design & Build, photographed at its own listing

    Orange Pools Design & Build

    5.0★ rating · 42 Google reviews

    68/100 score

    Richmond Hill · Pool Builders

    Monday: 8 a.m.–8 p.m.

    • Says it has been going since 2014
    Request a quote
  • GTA RAILINGS, photographed at its own listing

    GTA RAILINGS

    4.9★ rating · 338 Google reviews

    67/100 score

    Vaughan · Pool Covers & Enclosures

    Monday: 7 a.m.–11 p.m.

    • Says it is insured
    Request a quote
See all 46 pool cover and enclosure companies on PoolBuilderIndex

Who else does this work, in their own pictures?

Their own photographs/ranks 4 to 9 of 46

Not stock photography, and not ours: every picture below was taken by the company named on it and carries whatever that company chose to photograph, which for some is a finished backyard and for others is the vans. These are the next 6 pool cover and enclosure companies down the same ranking as the shortlist above, carrying 26 pictures between them, and the largest tile belongs to whichever of the six has the most on file here: TLC Pool Services, with 6. Open one for the rest of that company’s pictures, its hours and its number.

See every pool cover and enclosure companie company and its own photographs

What will it cost for my own pool?

Calculators

Put your own dimensions in and these work it out from the same researched figures as the table above. Every answer shows the arithmetic and names the source it multiplied, so you can check it rather than take it.

What do these trade terms mean?

Definitions

These are the words a quote for pool covers and enclosures will use without explaining them. Each one below is defined as this page uses it, so a line on an estimate can be read for what it is rather than guessed at.

Safety cover
A tensioned mesh or solid cover anchored into the deck, rated to hold the weight of a person or a pet that walks onto it. It is a different product from a winter cover, which keeps debris out and carries no weight rating at all.
Automatic cover
A motorised cover that runs on tracks along the pool edge and closes at the turn of a key. Its price is driven by the length of the pool rather than its area, and retrofitting one to an existing pool costs less than the track work built into a new pool.
Pool enclosure
In Ontario law, the barrier that stops a child reaching the water: the fence, its gates and their latches. Toronto issues a pool fence enclosure permit for it, and the pool cannot be filled until an inspection confirms it complies.
Thermal cover
A floating cover that sits on the water surface to slow evaporation and hold heat in. This guide's sources price it as the cheapest heating upgrade available in Ontario and recommend it as an add-on to any heater. It is a heating accessory rather than a safety product, and it carries no weight rating and no bearing on an enclosure requirement.

What should I read next?

Related guides

A pool is rarely one decision. These are the PoolBuilderIndex guides that price the jobs sitting either side of this one, and the head-to-head pages for the choices that change the number most.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a pool cover cost in Toronto?

Precision Landscaping, serving Toronto and the GTA, prices a winter cover at $650 to $1,000, a manual safety cover at $3,000 to $5,000 and an automatic cover at $15,000 to $30,000. Retail is cheaper if you fit it yourself: Pool Supplies Canada sells stock inground safety covers from $599.00 and custom ones from $1,209.00, both in Canadian dollars.

What does an automatic pool cover cost in Canada?

Estimates vary widely. Project Landscaping quotes $8,000 to $20,000 installed, Pool Covers BC puts a small cocktail pool or basic under-track retrofit at $10,000, with $14,000 to $15,000 the average for a larger existing pool and $17,000 to $20,000 for a new build, and Precision Landscaping quotes $15,000 to $30,000 for Toronto. Action Home Services does not publish a total at all; it quotes a unit rate of around $2,500 per linear foot to supply and install, which means the length of your pool, not its area, is what decides the number.

Do I need a pool fence in Toronto?

Yes, and you need the permit before you dig. City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 447 states no person shall excavate for or erect a swimming pool without first obtaining a pool fence enclosure permit. The City also states you cannot fill the pool or allow water to remain in it until an inspection confirms a compliant permanent enclosure. The permit fee is $198.59 per application under Chapter 441.

How much does a pool fence cost per foot in the GTA?

Aluminum Solutions, which covers Toronto and the surrounding municipalities, quotes aluminum picket pool fence at $75 to $130 per linear foot installed, post-mounted glass at $145 to $190 and frameless glass at $195 to $275 and up. Art Metal Workshop in Toronto starts its safety pool fence at $300 per foot and its glass pool fence at $310 per foot.

How high does a pool fence have to be in Toronto?

Confirm the exact figure with the City before ordering, because published installer figures differ. Aluminum Solutions states the fence must stand at least 1.2 metres high measured from grade outside the enclosure, while Project Landscaping states 1.5 metres for Toronto residential properties. The binding requirements are set out in City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 447, Fences, and the City inspects the finished enclosure before the pool may be filled.

How long does a pool cover last?

Precision Landscaping puts winter covers at 3 to 5 years, safety covers at 8 to 10 years and automatic covers at 7 to 10 years. Pool Supplies Canada states its safety covers, manufactured by Latham, carry warranties of 15 to 25 years depending on the model.

Can a cover replace a fence around my pool?

Not for a pool in Toronto. Municipal Code Chapter 447 requires a swimming pool enclosure, and the cover-based exemption applies only to a whirlpool, hot tub or spa that has a substantial, structurally adequate cover permanently attached to it or to its supporting structure.

What does a retractable pool enclosure cost in Toronto?

Art Metal Workshop puts pool enclosure installation in Toronto at $10,000 to $30,000 and up depending on pool dimensions, enclosure type, materials and custom features, and lists swimming pool enclosures starting from $280 per foot.

Questions to ask your contractor

  • Will this meet the enclosure requirements for my municipality, and will you confirm that in writing?
  • Who applies for the enclosure permit and who attends the inspection? Fencing and cover costs
  • Is this a safety cover rated to hold weight, or a winter cover, and which am I paying for?
  • For an automatic cover, where do the tracks and the housing sit, and what does that do to the deck?
  • What is the warranty on the fabric, the mechanism and the installation?

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