5 rules for unincorporated Camden County, New Jersey.
Verified from official government sources
Backyard residential pools are permitted by your municipality under the state Uniform Construction Code, not the county. The Camden County Department of Health only permits and inspects PUBLIC recreational bathing pools (clubs, apartments, motels) under N.J.A.C. 8:26.
Camden County Dept. of Health — Recreational Bathing (N.J.A.C. 8:26)
Public recreational bathing facilities, including swimming pools, spas, lakes, and other natural waters are permitted & inspected by the Camden County Department of Health.
New Jersey requires a barrier at least 48 inches (4 feet) high around a residential pool, set statewide by the Swimming Pool and Spa Code, not by Camden County. Public pools follow the county-inspected rule N.J.A.C. 8:26-3.12.
NJ Swimming Pool & Spa Code 2018, §305.2.1 & §305.3
The top of the barrier shall be not less than 48 inches (1219 mm) above grade. Pedestrian access gates shall open outward away from the pool or spa, shall be self-closing and shall have a self-latching device.
Public pool safety in Camden County is enforced by the county health department under N.J.A.C. 8:26 (lifeguards, signage, water quality). Residential pool safety — barriers, alarms, anti-entrapment drains — is set statewide by the Swimming Pool and Spa Code, not the county.
Above-ground residential pools are regulated by your municipality under the state Uniform Construction Code, not Camden County. Most need a construction permit and the same 48-inch barrier as in-ground pools, with removable or lockable ladders counting toward the barrier.
Residential hot tubs and spas follow the statewide Swimming Pool and Spa Code, not a Camden County rule. A spa with a lockable safety cover meeting ASTM F1346 is exempt from the pool-barrier requirement. Public spas are inspected by the county health department.
NJ Swimming Pool & Spa Code 2018, §305.1
Where spas or hot tubs are equipped with a lockable safety cover complying with ASTM F1346, the areas where those spas or hot tubs are located shall not be required to comply with Sections 305.2 through 305.7.
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