Swimming Pools & Spas in Alabama (2026)
21 rules on the books across Alabama, 12 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Pool Permits
Building and electrical permits required before installing a pool, including the depth and size thresholds that trigger them, and where above-ground and inflatable pools fall in or out of the rules.
Auburn
Some RestrictionsAuburn treats a residential swimming pool as an accessory structure, so no pool may be built until the Planning…
Read full rule →Bessemer
Some RestrictionsBessemer requires a building permit for pool construction because Sec. 18-32 deletes the International Building Code's…
Read full rule →Birmingham
Some RestrictionsBirmingham does not require a building permit to construct a residential swimming pool, but the applicant must submit a…
Read full rule →Hoover
Some RestrictionsHoover treats any pool holding water over 24 inches deep, including above-ground and portable models, as a regulated…
Read full rule →Huntsville
Some RestrictionsHuntsville requires every outdoor family pool holding 18 inches of water or more, above-ground or in-ground, to be…
Read full rule →Jefferson County
Some RestrictionsJefferson County has no separate swimming-pool code, but a residential pool counts as a "structure" under the county's…
Read full rule →Madison
Some RestrictionsAbove-ground pools require a City of Madison swimming pool permit and the same safety barrier as in-ground pools: a…
Read full rule →Madison County
Some RestrictionsA pool or spa in unincorporated Madison County needs a county Swimming Pool and Spa Permit. The county adopts the 2018…
Read full rule →Montgomery
Some RestrictionsMontgomery requires a building permit before work starts on any residential swimming pool, issued under the city's…
Read full rule →Tuscaloosa
Some RestrictionsTuscaloosa bars any excavation or construction work on a residential pool until the chief building official issues a…
Read full rule →Vestavia Hills
Some RestrictionsVestavia Hills adopted the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code to govern construction, alteration and…
Read full rule →Fencing & Safety Requirements
Mandatory barriers around pools, spas, and hot tubs, minimum heights, self-latching gate specs, and the alarm, cover, and anti-entrapment rules that ride along with them.
Birmingham
Heavy RestrictionsPublic, apartment, and condominium pools in Birmingham must be maintained to Jefferson County Board of Health…
Read full rule →Madison County
Heavy RestrictionsEvery pool in unincorporated Madison County must sit behind a barrier at least 48 inches high under the adopted 2018…
Read full rule →Tuscaloosa
Heavy RestrictionsEvery permanent Tuscaloosa swimming pool, and any temporary pool that holds more than 18 inches of water, must be…
Read full rule →Bessemer
Some RestrictionsBessemer requires a wall or fence at least four feet high around any private swimming pool deeper than one and one-half…
Read full rule →Hoover
Some RestrictionsHoover's zoning ordinance classifies hot tubs and spas as private swimming pools once they hold more than 24 inches of…
Read full rule →Huntsville
Some RestrictionsOutdoor hot tubs and spas deep enough to hold 18 inches of water must be fenced under Huntsville's family-pool law…
Read full rule →Madison
Some RestrictionsMadison requires a minimum 4-foot-tall barrier around a pool that will not allow passage of a 4-inch sphere, in…
Read full rule →Mobile
Some RestrictionsMobile's Property Maintenance Code separately requires private pools, hot tubs and spas over 24 inches deep to have a…
Read full rule →Montgomery
Some RestrictionsMontgomery requires a physical barrier around any pool or spa holding more than 24 inches of water, adopted as part of…
Read full rule →Vestavia Hills
Some RestrictionsVestavia Hills makes the pool permit holder, not just the builder, personally responsible for meeting every barrier…
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