Things to keep in mind when planning a pool in Florida
From King Tides to seasonal hurricanes, swimming pools in Florida will take a beating. In areas throughout The Sunshine State like Palm Beach, Indian Creek Village, Naples, or Parkland, a pool permit is required. A pool building permit in FL is generally mandated at the local municipal or county level and may include HOA and deed restricted guidelines in addition to the city and county. State licensed contractors are typically required for pool construction in Florida.
Swimming pools in Florida must be designed by a professional and include all applicable national, state and local code compliance. At minimum, a detailed site plan showing the pool, spa, and other proposed improvements is required and should also include property line distances, pool equipment location, and safety fences/gates. Other plan sheets may also be required with detail showing pool & spa features, dimensions, electrical, plumbing, methods of construction and materials.
What is special about Florida pool plans?
Pool plans in Florida and subsequent requirements are governed by the Florida Public Health Department (FPHD) and influenced by The Florida Swimming Pool Association (FSPA) as the first step in the pool permitting process in FL, and from there go through the chain to the building department. Pool plan checkers in FL want to see detail associated with the pool plumbing plan in comparison to many other states. Florida pool plan checkers typically wants to see a pool cross section drawing showing the pool and deck, but not in all cities or counties yet. A few particular communities want to have a detailed pool site drainage plan as well. FL plan checkers want to see some specific callouts and data as set forth by the FHD. So you can anticipate having to spend a little more money on having those specific plan sheets added to your standard pool plan set.
General guidelines for Florida swimming pool permits
The state of Florida will has set forth state-wide pool building codes for general health and safety usually adopted from the International Swimming Pool Code (ISPSC). Requirements and guidelines for swimming pools, including locally adopted codes, are mandated at the local municipal city or county level. This means that the specific swimming pool code adoptions for any city or county varies throughout the state but is always based on the foundation of the ISPSC.
Pool permit plans in Florida, requiring a permit, must be professionally drawn to scale and are typically presented on 36″ x 24″ size sheets and must include detail specific to the approval authority which may include, but not limited to, the following standard plan sheets:
- Site plan
Showing the required detail, setbacks, and more. - Layout plan
Showing all specifically required details about the pool project.
Do I need engineered pool plans in Florida?
Yes, you need pool plans to be certified and sealed by an engineer in Florida. When and where engineered pool plans are required, a few additional sheets may be added to the plan depending on the scope of requirements of the approval authority, such as:
- Pool cross section drawing(s)
- Pool electrical layout plan
- Pool plumbing layout plan
- Pool drainage layout plan
- Structural plan prepared by a Florida registered professional civil or structural engineer, which includes sealing all other plan sheets.
(All sets must be stamped and signed by the Florida registered engineer.)
Those special plan sheets must be drawn to scale and include all required specific detail the approving authority wants to see.
Florida pool permitting links
- Florida commercial pool permit process guide PDF
- Orange County, FL pool permit resource page
- Miami-Dade County, FL pool permit resource page
- Clearwater, FL pool permit resource page
- Jacksonville, FL pool permit resource page
- Jupiter, FL pool permit resource guide PDF
- Pasco County, FL pool permit resource page
What if I don’t need a pool permit in Florida?
Not needing a pool permit in Florida is highly unlikely, but if that is the case we recommend that you still get a professionally designed pool project and at least the standard set of pool construction plans so that you can budget cost and build with confidence.
Let us take you from design to permit ready pool plans
Florida pool design and permit plan set example
This Florida pool plan captures the simple traditional appeal of a geometric pool shape, nothing too fancy here, but a nice cohesive project non-the-less. Going in at the same time as the new home construction this pool design includes a raised spa and baja shelf along with plenty of decking space to accommodate any size pool party. This design provides the amenities you think of on those warm days under the Florida sun. Surrounded on one side by a covered seating area design there is plenty of shade and sun, simple, functional, perfect. As with most pools around Florida the owner intends on fully enclosing the entire pool and patio area with a screen.
Florida Pool Design Details
Pool Type: Gunite
Pool Style: Geometric
Spa: Yes
Spa Height: +12″
Spa Spillway: Flat 5ft
Pool Length: 34′
Pool Width: 12′
Pool Wall: None
Depth Profile: Gradual slope, Spa on deep end
Min Pool Depth: 3.5′
Max Pool Depth: 6′
Pool Perimeter: 100′
Surface area: 383′
Capacity: 8,300 gallons
Decking max sqft: 415+ sqft
Pool lights: 3
Sun ledge: Yes
Water features: LED Color Cascade bubblers
Pool equipment: Pentair
Type of sanitation: Chlorine, Salt System
Include heater: Yes
Pool Design Materials
Waterline tiles: 6×6 Ceramic
Interior surface: Regular Pebble
Coping material: Natural Stone
Decking material: Concrete, Honed Fossil Shell Tiles
Vertical Faces materials: Ledge Stone, Split Face
