Westchase pool cages must have white or bronze frames with charcoal screen, and many of them are now more than 30 years into a 20 to 30 year frame life. That pairing, strict association rules and an aging stock of cages, is what pool cage Westchase FL homeowners deal with most. Westchase is an unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough County (ZIP 33626), so the county issues permits, and its 25,952 residents (2020) live across 28 neighborhoods the community calls villages.
Westchase was established on April 15, 1991, with development starting that September. Villages like Abbotsford, Berkeley Square, The Bridges, Castleford and West Park Village went up through the 1990s and 2000s, and the community also has the Westchase Golf Course, designed by Lloyd Clifton.
What the Westchase Community Association allows
The Westchase Community Association is the largest deed-restricted community in Westchase, and its Residential Guidelines spell out enclosure rules in detail. From Section 2.1.18 and Section 4.5.1, as written in the WCA's 2022 amendment document:
| Topic | Guideline | Practical effect |
|---|---|---|
| Frame color | White or bronze | No black frames unless your INSG allows them |
| Screen color | Charcoal, unless the INSG specifies otherwise | Check your village's own guidelines |
| Privacy screen | Florida Glass type products for no more than 40% of the screen's height | Lower walls only, not full-height panels |
| Shade | Fabric sails and shade sails allowed inside enclosures | Shade without a solid roof |
| Lighting | String lights allowed inside enclosures | Lighting inside the cage is fine |
| Rear setback | At least 5 ft from a rear lot setback line or wetland setback line | Limits how deep a cage can go |
| Side setback | At least 3 ft from a side lot line | Matters on narrow lots |
| Wetland line | Pool facilities crossing a county wetland setback line need Hillsborough County approval | Extra county review |
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From the WCA's 2022 draft amendments to the Westchase Residential Guidelines and INSGs (westchasewca.com), fetched 2026-10-13. This was a draft amendment document; the full current guidelines PDF was too large to fetch, so confirm the current wording with the WCA before you apply.
The 40% privacy rule in practice
Florida Glass is the common name for vinyl-laminated screen such as Phifer's Glas-Shield, which Phifer makes for the lower enclosure panels and privacy walls, not roofs. The 40% cap lines up with that use: a solid band along the bottom of the cage walls that blocks the neighbor's view of your deck and keeps splash and debris out, with charcoal screen above.
Shade and lights without a roof
Because shade sails and string lights are allowed inside an enclosure, you can add shade and evening light without changing the cage structure. Anything that changes the frame itself, like a new roof section, goes back to the Modifications Committee and, for structural work, the county.
A 1990s Westchase cage: rescreen, repair or replace?
On a cage built in the 1990s, check the frame before paying for screen. Florida contractors put a well-kept aluminum frame at 20 to 30 years or more, so the first Westchase cages are at or past that mark. Screen that lasts 5 to 10 years has likely been replaced two or three times already on those homes.
- Rescreen: frame straight, screws tight, only the mesh is chalky, torn or sagging.
- Repair first: a few rusted screws, a dragging door or a loose kick plate.
- Replace: kinked beams, corrosion through posts, a cage that sways when pushed.
- Replace or rebuild: a cage that predates today's wind design or was damaged by a storm.
A University of Florida study for the Florida Building Commission found that the ceramic coating on stainless steel masonry screws, common on screen enclosures, peeled in corrosion testing, which can cause trouble where different metals meet. Rust streaks at the fasteners on a 30-year-old cage are a reason to look harder.
Sound frames get a pool cage rescreening, often paired with pool cage painting to bring a faded white or bronze back to an approved finish. Worn-out frames are a pool cage replacement, built to the current code and permitted by the county. A sticking door on its own is a pool cage door replacement.
Ponds, wetlands and Westchase storms
Water shapes Westchase lots: many back onto the CDD's numbered stormwater ponds or wetlands, and recorded plats carry wetland setback lines. That is why the WCA's 5 foot wetland setback and the county's approval rule matter: on a pond lot, the setback line, not your wish list, sets the cage's depth.
Storm-wise, the National Weather Service measured Milton's gusts across Hillsborough County mostly at 80 to 100 mph, with a 93 mph peak near Tampa International Airport, a short drive from Westchase. The CDD later noted that TECO had trouble reaching its lines after Milton because of flooding, and discussed elevating the road. Hurricane Helene's strongest Hillsborough gust was 68 mph near the same airport.
Storm-bent frames and blown-out panels are covered under hurricane damage repair; the are pool cages hurricane proof guide explains the design wind speeds.
Westchase pool cage prices
A full rescreen on a typical cage runs about $1,500 to $4,500; full replacement of a worn-out cage runs $12,000 to $25,000 or more.
| Job | Range | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Several torn panels | $250 to $600 | Tampa Bay contractor guide, Jan 2026 |
| Full rescreen | $1,500 to $4,500+ | Florida contractor price guide, Dec 2025 |
| Full fastener refresh, no rescreen | $800 to $2,400 | Tampa Bay contractor guide, Sep 2026 |
| Rescreen plus fastener upgrade | $1,000 to $3,400 | Tampa Bay contractor guide, Sep 2026 |
| Frame repaint | $1.50 to $2.50 per sq ft | Tampa Bay contractor guide, Jan 2026 |
| Full cage replacement | $12,000 to $25,000+ | Tampa Bay contractor guide, Jan 2026 |
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Compiled from published contractor price pages, fetched 2026-10-13. Planning ranges only.
Permits and pool barrier rules in Westchase
A new or replacement cage in Westchase needs both WCA approval and a Hillsborough County permit. The county wants plans signed and sealed by a Florida registered architect or engineer, a site plan that marks easements, wetlands and setbacks, and a recorded Notice of Commencement. Start with the WCA's Modifications Committee, then the county.
If the cage is your pool's safety barrier, Florida Statute 515.29 says the barrier must be at least 4 feet high, and gates must open outward, self-close and self-latch. Door hardware replacement runs about $100 to $250 per door in Tampa Bay (March 2026), far less than any frame work.
The Tampa Bay pool enclosure permit guide and the Florida pool enclosure requirements guide go deeper. Nearby: Lutz and Odessa, with every town on the service area page. Request a free quote when you're ready.
