Lexington's Swimming Pools & Spas: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles swimming pools & spas a little differently. In Lexington, Kentucky, there are 2 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Pool Permits

A Lexington-Fayette homeowner must pull a building permit before erecting a residential swimming pool, and LFUCG Code Sec. 5-29 sets that permit fee at a flat one hundred dollars. Commercial pools cost more: the same fee schedule charges two hundred dollars for erecting a commercial swimming pool, payable to the division of building inspection before the permit issues.

Key details: Residential pool fee: Flat $100. Commercial pool fee: Flat $200. Plan-review fee: None: pools are excluded. Unpermitted work penalty: Doubled fee under Sec. 5-29.3. Who collects it: Division of building inspection.

Building a residential or commercial swimming pool before obtaining the Section 5-29 permit triggers an additional fee under Section 5-29.3 equal to the original permit fee, charged immediately upon discovery that construction began without the permit, on top of the standard one-hundred- or two-hundred-dollar erection fee itself.

Fencing & Safety Requirements

Lexington-Fayette's park ordinance keeps smoking and food or drink out of designated swimming pool areas at public parks, and limits swimming itself to waters the parks division has set aside and posted for that use, rules the director's staff enforces on site.

Key details: Governing section: Sec. 14-62(c)(15)-(16). Smoking: Banned outside designated pool areas. Food/beverages: Banned outside designated pool areas. Swimming location: Limited to posted, approved waters. Penalty: $5.00-$500.00, up to 30 days.

Smoking, handling food or beverages outside a designated pool area, or swimming outside posted waters carries the Sec. 14-62 penalty: a fine of not less than $5.00 nor more than $500.00, imprisonment for not more than 30 days, or both, enforced by park staff and Urban County Government police.

The Bottom Line

Lexington's swimming pools & spas rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Lexington is broadly strict or permissive.

Keep in mind that Lexington can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.