Pool Permit in Columbia, South Carolina

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a pool permit in Columbia?

Columbia requires a Swimming Pool Permit for residential pools, and its permit sheet scopes that requirement to in ground pools and permanent above ground pools within the city limits. It runs through the city's residential building permit process: construction documents, an existing and proposed site plan with setbacks and easements, the location of overhead power lines with dimensions to the water's edge, and an electrical bonding plan. The pool barrier or fence is a separate permit that must be applied for separately, and the applicant must initial that the pool will not be filled with water until the barrier required by Ordinance Section 5-1 is constructed, inspected and approved. Inspections include site and location, structural and pre concrete, pool bonding, equipotential perimeter bonding, barrier or fence, and final. Pools that are in ground or permanent above ground. Always confirm with the office before starting.

How much does a pool permit cost in Columbia?

Residential building permit under Code of Ordinances Sec. 5-204(a)(2): $20.00 for total value of $1.00 to $5,000.00 and $4.00 per $1,000.00 or fraction thereof above that, plus the $25.00 residential plan review fee. Sec. 5-204(e) requires elevation certificates and a $50.00 inspection checklist fee for pools in a flood plain. The barrier fence is a separate permit with its own fee. See the official fee schedule for current amounts.

Where do you apply for a pool permit in Columbia?

You can apply through the Columbia permit portal or contact the City of Columbia Planning and Development Services, Building Inspections Division and Development Center directly. The links are listed on this page.

Can a homeowner pull a pool permit themselves in Columbia?

Under South Carolina law (S.C. Code Ann. 40-59-260(A), (B), (C), (E), (F); 40-59-265; 40-59-280; 40-59-20(6), (7); 40-59-30(A)): South Carolina licenses residential builders and residential specialty contractors under S.C. Code Title 40 Chapter 59, and 40-59-260 exempts the owner of record who builds for himself. The exemption applies only if the owner does the work himself, with his own employees, or with licensed contractors or registered entities, if the structure is intended for the owner's sole occupancy or occupancy by the owner's family and is not intended for sale or rent, and if the general public does not have access to it. The owner must personally appear and sign the building permit application, and the local permitting agency must hand over a disclosure statement whose statutory text reads in part: You must supervise the construction yourself. You may build or improve a one-family or two-family residence. The building must be for your own use and occupancy. It may not be built for sale or rent. The sale restriction is two years and is a presumption rather than a flat bar: 40-59-260(B) makes proof of sale or rent, or of offering for sale or rent, within two years after completion or issuance of a certificate of occupancy prima facie evidence that the project was undertaken for sale or rent, which forfeits the exemption and exposes the owner to the chapter's penalties. South Carolina then adds a step no other state in this wave has: 40-59-260(E) requires the owner to promptly record a notice with the register of deeds, indexed under the owner's name in the grantor index, stating that the building was constructed by the owner as an unlicensed builder, and failure to record revokes the statutory exemption. The exemption is from the licensing chapter, not from the permit, and 40-59-280 requires the building official to refuse a permit unless the applicant furnishes evidence of licensure, registration, or exemption. Confirm how Columbia applies this before you apply.