5 rules for unincorporated Manatee County, Florida.
Verified from official government sources
Yes. Building a residential swimming pool in unincorporated Manatee County requires a building permit through the county's Building & Development Services. The pool must pass final inspection and meet a Florida Building Code and FS 515 barrier safety feature before a certificate of completion is issued.
FS 515.27(1)
In order to pass final inspection and receive a certificate of completion, a residential swimming pool must meet at least one of the requirements relating to pool safety features provided in subsection (2).
A pool barrier used to satisfy Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act must be at least 4 feet high on the outside, have no gaps a child could crawl under or climb over, and be set back far enough from the water to prevent immediate falling in.
FS 515.29(1)(a)-(b)
The barrier must be at least 4 feet high on the outside. The barrier may not have any gaps, openings, indentations, protrusions, or structural components that could allow a young child to crawl under, squeeze through, or climb over the barrier.
Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act requires every new residential pool in Manatee County to have at least one approved drowning-prevention feature: a 4-foot barrier, an approved safety cover, exit alarms on doors and windows, self-latching door locks, or a pool alarm.
FS 515.27(2)(c)
All doors and windows providing direct access from the home to the pool must be equipped with an exit alarm that has a minimum sound pressure rating of 85 dB A at 10 feet.
Above-ground pools count as swimming pools under Florida law once they hold water more than 24 inches deep, so they need a permit and must meet the same Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act barrier or safety-feature requirements as in-ground pools.
FS 515.25(11)
"Swimming pool" means any structure, located in a residential area, that is intended for swimming or recreational bathing and contains water over 24 inches deep, including, but not limited to, in-ground, aboveground, and on-ground swimming pools; hot tubs; and nonportable spas.
Florida law treats hot tubs and nonportable spas as swimming pools when they hold water over 24 inches deep, so they generally require a permit and a safety feature. A lockable, rigid safety cover meeting the code can substitute for a full barrier.
FS 515.25(11)
"Swimming pool" means any structure ... that contains water over 24 inches deep, including, but not limited to, in-ground, aboveground, and on-ground swimming pools; hot tubs; and nonportable spas.
See every category we cover for Manatee County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Manatee County Ordinance Hub →