Do you need a pool permit in Florida?
By Mario Bailey Last checked
- Always required
- 19
- of 28 jurisdictions
- Conditional
- 9
- depends on size or scope
- Not required
- 0
- exempt outright
Pool Permit rules nationwide, beyond Florida.
Requirements and size thresholds for pool permits vary by locality. The table below compares what each Florida county or city requires. Always confirm with the local office before starting.
Comparing states? See pool permit rules across every locality we cover.
What to know about pool permits in Florida
Pool permits in Virginia generally apply once a pool passes a size or depth threshold, and they often involve barrier and electrical safety requirements. Costs depend on the pool type and your locality. A licensed contractor helps ensure the pool and its safety features meet code.
The application steps and inspection sequence for pool permits come from the model code rather than from Florida law, so they read the same wherever you build. We keep that walkthrough in one place: how a pool permit application and its inspections work, start to finish. What changes between Florida jurisdictions is below: who requires a permit, what they charge, and which office you file with.
Swipe sideways to see thresholds and confidence.
| Locality | Permit required? | Typical threshold | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alachua County | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Brevard County | Conditional | Permits are issued for in-ground pools and spas, and for above-ground pools with a depth of 24 inches or greater. | Confirmed on official page |
| Broward County | Yes | Not specified | From an official source |
| Charlotte County | Yes | This residential pool/spa permit type includes spas, swim spas, and above-ground pools that are 24 inches or greater in depth. | Confirmed on official page |
| Clay County | Yes | Not specified | From an official source |
| Collier County | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Escambia County | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Hernando County | Conditional | Manufactured pools less than 24 inches deep are exempt from a building permit | Confirmed on official page |
| Hillsborough County | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Jacksonville | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Lake County | Conditional | Storable swimming or wading pools capable of holding water to a maximum depth of 42 inches, or pools with nonmetallic molded polymeric or inflatable fabric walls regardless of dimension, are exempt from a building permit except for non-cord-and-plug electrical work | Confirmed on official page |
| Lee County | Conditional | All in-ground pool construction or renovation requires a permit; an above-ground pool requires a permit when its water depth is 24 inches or more. | Confirmed on official page |
| Leon County | Yes | Applies to private residential swimming pools, hot tubs, or non-portable spas containing water over 24 inches deep. | Confirmed on official page |
| Manatee County | Conditional | Swimming pools require a building permit, including above ground pools that exceed 24 inches in height. | Confirmed on official page |
| Marion County | Yes | Pools larger than or equal to 24 inches in depth, above ground or in ground, require a permit | Confirmed on official page |
| Miami-Dade County | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Orange County | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Osceola County | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Palm Beach County | Conditional | Portable or manufactured pools and spas less than 24 inches deep need no permit; all in-ground pools, larger above-ground pools, and spas require a Building Permit (Type 3(E) for 1 and 2 unit dwellings) plus applicable electrical, plumbing, and pool-barrier sub-permits, and must satisfy Florida's residential pool safety-feature requirements under F.S. 515.27 before final inspection. | Confirmed on official page |
| Pasco County | Yes | Only residential pool resurfacing is exempt; new pool or spa construction requires a building permit. | From an official source |
| Pinellas County | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Polk County | Conditional | In-ground pools and spas always require a permit; above-ground pools and spas require one only when more than 24 inches deep. | Confirmed on official page |
| Santa Rosa County | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Sarasota County | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Seminole County | Conditional | Prefabricated above-ground swimming pools accessory to a one- or two-family home that are less than 24 inches deep and hold 5,000 gallons or less are exempt from permit | From an official source |
| St. Johns County | Yes | pool surface area per the LDC regulated-pool definition, which also uses a 2 foot depth test | Confirmed on official page |
| St. Lucie County | Conditional | Portable or manufactured pools or spas less than 24 inches deep do not require a permit; in-ground pools, permanent spas, and portable or manufactured pools or spas 24 inches deep or more require a permit. | Confirmed on official page |
| Volusia County | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| No localities match your filter. | |||
What a pool permit costs in Florida
24 Florida jurisdictions we cover publish a fee figure for this work. Each line is quoted from that office's own schedule and linked to its citation. The figures are not comparable to one another: some are flat minimums, some a percentage of job value, some charged per fixture, so what you pay depends on which schedule applies and on your job's valuation.
Flat fees: swimming pool (in-ground) $380.00, swimming pool (above-ground) $205.00, per the Building Fee Schedule effective 11/01/2025.
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Brevard's Residential Pool Permit Application fee table lists a Building Code Review fee of $75.00 for the first $1,000 of job value plus $3.25 per $1,000 thereafter, a $25.00 Application Processing Fee, $15.00 Land Development Review, $90.00 Natural Resources Review, and $36.00 Zoning Review, plus a $10.00 Unlicensed Contractor Activity Enforcement fee and state surcharges of 1.5% (BCA) and 1% (FBC). No effective date is shown on the fee table.
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Pool work needs separate Structural, Plumbing, Mechanical and Electrical permit applications per the county's Swimming Pools procedure, each charged the greater of a $125 minimum base fee or 3.0% of job value under Sections 40.29-40.32 (Ord. 2025-038, eff. 5-1-25)
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At application: $94 flat fee for above-ground pools or $200 for in-ground pools, plus a 0.025 x building-fee surcharge; at issuance: Zoning Review $22 and Right-of-Way Review $90, plus building fees based on ICC valuation if $50,000 or more.
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FY24/25 Building Fee Schedule, Pool Permits (Section 208.5), effective January 1, 2025: minimum fee for the first 15,000 gallons $75.00, each additional 1,000 gallons $5.00, and Remarcite (resurfacing) $75.00. (Resolution No. 2023/2024-97, effective October 1, 2024.)
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Fee Schedule (Resolution 2025-231, effective January 1, 2026), Section U (Pool or Spa Permit Fees): private pool or spa, "$100.00 application plus applicable inspection fees as required"; resurfacing, "computed at a rate of $100.00 plus applicable inspection"; above ground pool, "no review fee and shall be computed at $50.00 for initial inspection."
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Swimming Pool, Above Ground: $140.00; Swimming Pool, In-Ground: $361.00; Spa (In-ground/Permanent): $361.00; Spa (Portable): $180.00; Pool Heating System: $115.00; Screen Enclosure (Pool): $140.00, per Resolution No. 2026-037 (effective March 3, 2026).
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Residential in-ground Pool/Spa permit fee is $475 flat, or $150 flat for an above ground pool or spa, each includes a $50 application fee, per Building Permit Fee Schedule effective October 5, 2024
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City Fees schedule (Municipal Code Section 320.409), Building Inspection Division (11) Swimming Pools: in-ground pools are billed at $1.50 BID permit fee per 1,000 gallons of capacity, plus a $0.50 resource management fee, a 12 percent landscape fee, and a $0.50 Development Services fee, subject to a $45.00 minimum BID permit fee and a $15.00 minimum Development Services fee; above-ground pools are a flat $75.00 including plan review, plus a $25.00 Development Services fee.
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Private Above-ground Swimming Pools or self contained spa (includes electric): $91.00; Private In-ground Swimming Pools and/or spa (includes electric): $269.00, per the county's FY 2026 Adopted Fee Schedule (Office of Building Services).
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Fee schedule effective 2026-04-15: $50 application fee and $35 technology fee per application plus an operational support fee; residential pool plan review $35 initial, regulatory review $25, structural, electrical, and plumbing inspections $50 per required inspection
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Fee Schedule, "Swimming Pools" flat-fee category: "Above-Ground Pools $180.00," "In-Ground Pools $382.48," "Pool Enclosures (Screen Cage) $397.66," "Pool Liner Replacements $135.00."
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Manatee County Development Services Building Fee Schedule, effective 04/01/2023 (R-23-043, R-23-045, R-23-046): Above Ground Pool/Spa Permit $100; In Ground Pool/Spa Permit $244.
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Res Pool/Spa (Pool In-ground/Whirlpool Non-Portable): $250.00; Pool - Above Ground/Spa-Portable/Pool Accessory: $80.00, per Resolution 25-R-295 (effective Oct. 1, 2025).
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Installation of a residential swimming pool or spa carries a flat $640 building permit fee with separate electrical and plumbing sub-permits required, per Implementing Order 4-63 effective 6/30/2025
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The pool shell bills under the Accessory Structure schedule using the Fee Directory's $41 per sq ft pool valuation ($26 minimum plus $4 per additional $1,000), plus flat fees of $64 for the plumbing Swimming Pool Permit and $59 for Pool Wiring, per the FY2025-26 Fee Directory
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Appendix A lists 'Swimming Pool/Spa In-ground' at $60.00 plan review fee plus $160.00 permit fee, and 'Swimming Pool/Spa Above Ground' at $160.00 with no plan review fee required; the fee includes initial construction of the pool or spa and related electrical, plumbing, and concrete work. Effective October 1, 2025, per Resolution #25-036R.
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Charged by value of construction with a $75 minimum for a site-built in-ground residential pool, per the PZB Building Division fee schedule
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Base permit fee $45 plus $25 per unit for residential in ground swimming pools and spas per posted fee Resolution 18-17
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$550 base covers building, electric and plan review for a pool, spa or hot tub with deck up to $40,000 in value, plus $5.50 per $1,000 above that, per Combination Permits IV-J of the FY26 BDRS schedule
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Per the Pool Permit checklist: Residential In-Ground Pool $313.17; Residential Spa, Hot Tub, or Above-Ground Pool $203.57; Commercial In-Ground Pool $277.08. Residential pool permit fees include an $85.00 site permit fee and a $25.00 zoning review fee, which do not apply if the property is in the city limits of Jay, Milton, or Gulf Breeze.
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Swimming pools: $400.00; Pool Enclosures: $30.00 base permit fee plus $4.00 per $1,000 value of construction. Per the Section 20.10 fee schedule (Resolution 2024-R-139, adopted Dec. 12, 2023).
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Swimming Pool Fees (F.S. 553-80): Permit Issuance $11.00; Residential pools/spas: in ground $175.00, above ground $26.00; Alteration or repair requiring inspection $26.00, per St. Johns County's Schedule of Fees and Services, Exhibit A (amended 07/21/2026).
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Volusia County Building Permit Fee Schedule (Resolution 2005-191, as revised October 1, 2025, reflecting a 2.7 percent CPI increase), Exhibit F, Swimming Pool Permit Fees Schedule: Public Pool $194.35, Private Pool (in ground) $145.74, Private Pool (above ground) $58.30, plus any additional permit fees such as electrical, gas, or screen enclosures.
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Jurisdictions not listed publish no dollar figure we could quote. Absence does not mean a permit is free.
Common questions about pool permits in Florida
- Do I need a pool permit in Florida?
- In most of Florida, yes. Permits are issued locally, so the answer comes from your Florida city or county rather than a single statewide rule. Of the 28 Florida jurisdictions we have verified for pool work, 19 require a permit outright, 9 depend on the size or scope of the job, and 0 require none.
- Is there a pool permit exemption in Florida?
- 9 of the 28 Florida jurisdictions we cover set a threshold rather than a flat rule, so the same job can be exempt in one Florida county and permitted in the next. The table above lists each Florida jurisdiction's published threshold in its own words, with the source and the date we verified it.
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