I am looking at pouring a 13 ft square slab for my hot with a thickness of about 5". would I need to reinforce the concrete with wire mesh or rebar?

thanks
jtfrock

it's just a simple patio. The most important thing is the substrate preparation. If local codes require rebar, then that's what you would need to use.

Dig a footing around perimiter and use rebar. Not much more work and will make much better slab.