5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Mohave County, Arizona.
Verified from official government sources
Mohave County requires a building permit for in-ground pools, spas, and permanent above-ground pools, reviewed by the Development Services Building Division under the 2018 IRC adopted in Building Ordinance 2021-03. Only small prefab pools are exempt.
Mohave County Building Ordinance 2021-03 — Work Exempt from Permit (pools)
Prefabricated swimming pools accessory to a Group R-3 occupancy that are less than 18 inches deep and not wider than 8 feet at any one point, are not greater than 5,000 gallons, and are installed entirely above ground.
Arizona's pool barrier law, A.R.S. §36-1681, is among the strictest in the nation. A Mohave County residential pool must be enclosed by at least a five-foot wall, fence, or barrier with a self-closing, self-latching gate.
A.R.S. §36-1681 (pool enclosure requirements)
Be entirely enclosed by at least a five foot wall, fence or barrier.
Beyond the five-foot barrier, Mohave County pools must meet A.R.S. §36-1681 enclosure detailing and the federal Virginia Graeme Baker anti-entrapment drain rule. Arizona's high child-drowning rate drives strict enforcement.
A.R.S. §36-1681 (pool enclosure requirements)
Have no openings in the wall, fence or barrier through which a spherical object four inches in diameter can pass.
An above-ground pool over 18 inches deep needs a Mohave County permit and must meet A.R.S. §36-1681, though a pool wall at least four feet high with non-climbable sides can itself serve as the barrier.
A.R.S. §36-1681 (aboveground pool barrier)
The swimming pool shall be an aboveground swimming pool which has non-climbable exterior sides which are a minimum height of four feet.
A permanent spa in Mohave County needs a building and electrical permit under the 2018 IRC. Arizona's barrier law, A.R.S. §36-1681, only reaches water wider than eight feet, so most compact hot tubs fall outside it.
A.R.S. §36-1681 (definition of swimming pool)
A swimming pool, or other contained body of water that contains water eighteen inches or more in depth at any point and that is wider than eight feet at any point and is intended for swimming
1 cities in Mohave County have their own swimming pools & spas rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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