3 rules for unincorporated Greenville County, South Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Pool permitting in Greenville County splits into two tracks. PUBLIC pools — including those at hotels, motels, apartments, condos, country clubs, schools, swim clubs, campgrounds, subdivisions, and water parks — require a state Construction Permit under SC Regulation R.61-51 (Statutory Authority: S.C. Code §44-55-2310 et seq.) issued by the SC Department of Public Health (DPH, formerly DHEC) BEFORE construction or alteration, plus an annual Operating Permit. RESIDENTIAL pools at single-family homes are expressly EXCLUDED from "public swimming pool" under R.61-51.A.45/A.49 and require instead a Greenville County BUILDING permit under the adopted International codes (IRC, ISPSC) enforced by Greenville County Building Safety (864-467-7060), along with compliance with Zoning Ord. Sec. 6:2(18)(B) on placement, setbacks, screening, and lot coverage.
Residential swimming pool, spa, and hot tub barriers in Greenville County are governed by Appendix G of the 2021 International Residential Code (IRC), adopted statewide as the South Carolina Residential Code effective January 1, 2023 by the SC Building Codes Council (SC LLR). Under IRC §AG105, any outdoor in-ground, on-ground, or above-ground pool, hot tub, or spa with water deeper than 24 inches must be surrounded by a barrier at least 48 inches above grade, with self-closing/self-latching gates that open outward and openings small enough to prevent passage of a 4-inch sphere. Enforcement in unincorporated Greenville County is through Greenville County Building Safety / Code Enforcement; municipal building departments enforce inside city limits.
Every public swimming pool in Greenville County — including hotel, motel, apartment, condominium, fitness-club, campground, school, water-park, and municipal pools — is regulated under SC Code Title 44, Chapter 55, Article 23 and the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) Regulation 61-51, "Public Swimming Pools." SC Code §44-55-2390 mandates lifeguards at all Type "A" public pools as defined in R.61-51, with explicit patron-to-lifeguard ratios that scale with pool surface area (e.g., one lifeguard per 1–25 patrons in pools up to 3,000 sq ft; minimum two lifeguards in pools 3,001–9,000 sq ft; minimum three lifeguards in pools over 9,000 sq ft). Type "E" pools must file an approved lifeguard coverage plan with DHEC. Pools requiring only one lifeguard must also have a second pool-staff employee on site for emergency communication.
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