TL;DR
A gate latch is the catch hardware that holds a fence or pool gate closed, ranging from simple gravity thumb latches to spring-loaded, key-lockable, and magnetic mechanisms. Around pools the latch is regulated: barrier codes require gates to be self-closing and self-latching, with the release at least 54 inches above grade when on the pool side, so a toddler cannot reach it.
What it means
A gate latch is the catch hardware that holds a fence or pool gate closed, ranging from simple gravity thumb latches to spring-loaded, key-lockable, and magnetic mechanisms. Around pools the latch is regulated: barrier codes require gates to be self-closing and self-latching, with the release at least 54 inches above grade when on the pool side, so a toddler cannot reach it. Sagging gates defeat any latch — alignment, not the hardware, is the first thing a fence tech checks on a latch complaint.
Where it sits in the glossary
Gate latch is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
License: CC-BY-4.0 — quote freely with attribution to ProFix Editorial Team / ProFix Directory.