5 rules for unincorporated Santa Rosa County, Florida.
Verified from official government sources
A building permit is required to build a residential pool in unincorporated Santa Rosa County. Pools must sit in side or rear yards, meet dwelling setbacks (min 5 ft from side/rear lines), and satisfy Florida Building Code barrier rules.
Santa Rosa County LDC 5.02.05.A.1
All swimming pools shall have the same front setback as the principal dwelling when measured from the pool's water edge to the property line and may be erected no closer than five (5) feet from the rear or side property line.
Residential pools must be enclosed by a barrier at least 4 feet high with no gaps a child could crawl under or climb, under Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act (FS 515.29). Gates must open outward, self-close, and self-latch on the pool side.
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 (FS 515.27) requires every new residential pool to have at least one approved safety feature: a barrier, an approved safety cover, exit alarms on doors/windows, self-closing self-latching doors, or a pool alarm.
FS 515.27(1)
At the time of completion of construction of a residential swimming pool, the pool must be equipped with at least one of the following: (a) isolated by an enclosure meeting s. 515.29; (b) an approved safety pool cover; (c) exit alarms on all doors and windows with direct pool access; (d) self-closing, self-latching devices; or (e) a swimming pool alarm.
Above-ground pools are allowed in unincorporated Santa Rosa County under the same LDC 5.02.05 setback and barrier rules. The pool structure can serve as the barrier, but ladders and steps must be securable, lockable, or removable to block child access.
Santa Rosa County LDC 5.02.05.A.2.a
The structure of an aboveground swimming pool may be used as its barrier or the barrier for such a pool may be mounted on top of its structure... any ladder or steps that are the means of access to an aboveground pool must be capable of being secured, locked, or removed to prevent access or must be surrounded by a barrier that meets the requirements of this section.
Spas and hot tubs are treated as swimming pools under Florida's Safety Act. Unless equipped with a locked, ASTM-approved safety cover, a spa must meet the same 4-foot barrier and safety-feature rules (FS 515.29, FS 515.27) as an in-ground pool.
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