Santa Paula, CA Swimming Pools & Spas: Above-Ground Pools (2026)

Above-ground swimming pools in Santa Paula are regulated under the Santa Paula Municipal Code together with the California Building Standards Code adopted in SPMC Chapter 150. The Building and Safety Department confirms that any permanent pool requires a building permit, and the pool barrier must be a minimum of 5 feet (60 inches) in height, with the remaining enclosure specifications - gate self-closing/self-latching hardware, vertical and horizontal member spacing, ground clearance, and gate latch height - set out in SPMC Chapter 154. State law (Health & Safety Code 115920-115929, the Swimming Pool Safety Act) applies to any pool or spa over 18 inches deep on a single-family residential lot. New or remodeled pools must include at least two of the seven approved drowning-prevention safety features in HSC 115922(a), such as an isolation fence at least 60 inches high, an approved safety pool cover, removable mesh fencing with a self-closing gate, exit alarms on doors leading to the pool, self-closing/self-latching dwelling doors, an approved alarm on the pool itself, or other approved means. Anti-entrapment suction-outlet covers compliant with the Virginia Graeme Baker Act are required at all pool and spa drains whenever a building permit is issued. Portable, self-contained spas with a locking cover are exempt from a permit under SPMC Section 150.002, but inflatable or rigid above-ground pools that hold water more than 18 inches deep are not portable spas and must comply with the full barrier and permit requirements. Property setbacks for the pool structure itself follow the residential zone rules in SPMC Chapter 16.13, with the pool typically required to sit at least 5 feet from interior side and rear lot lines.