Evansville, IN Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Standard
- clean, sanitary, good repair
- Applies to
- all swimming pools
- Technical safety code
- state-adopted, not local
- Governing chapter
- Property Maintenance Code
Summary
Evansville's property maintenance code requires every swimming pool to be kept clean, sanitary, and in good repair: a citywide standard enforced alongside the zoning fence and permit rules.
(H) Swimming Pools. Swimming pools shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition, and in good repair.
(I) Motor Vehicles. See Chapter 8.10 EMC, Article II, Abandoned Vehicles.
(J) Defacement of Property. No person shall willfully or wantonly damage, mutilate or deface any exterior surface of any structure or building on any private or public property by placing thereon any marking, carving or graffiti without the consent of the owner. It shall be the responsibility of the owner to restore said surface to an approved state of maintenance and repair.
(K) Exterior Use or Storage of Indoor Furniture Prohibited. No person occupying or having control of any premises shall allow the use or storage of furniture which is upholstered or not designed for outdoor use in an uncovered or exposed area where it is likely to decay, decompose, or retain moisture causing a health hazard.
(L) No person shall construct or cause to be constructed any type of fencing or retaining walls in drainage easements. Any of the items found to be in a drainage easement will be ordered removed by the Building Commissioner or Code Official. Failure to comply with the order shall be considered a violation and subject the owner to fines pursuant to EMC 15.15.360. [Ord. G-2015-11 § 1, passed 4-27-15; Ord. G-2008-29 § 12, passed 12-10-08. 1983 Code § 15.150.185.]
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance G-2026-12, passed June 22, 2026).
Full Breakdown
EMC 15.15.110, the exterior-property-areas section of Evansville's Property Maintenance Code, folds swimming pools into the same maintenance duties owners already have for yards, stairs, and exterior structures: pools must be kept clean, sanitary, and in good repair at all times. The provision doesn't set technical specs like drain-cover or alarm standards, those come from the state-adopted Indiana Swimming Pool Code, incorporated by reference into EMC 15.10.010 along with the rest of Indiana's building rules, but a dirty, unsanitary, or dilapidated pool is itself a code violation the city can act on independently of any zoning fence requirement.
Violations & Fines
Code enforcement can issue a violation notice and pursue civil fines under EMC 15.15.360 for a pool left unclean, unsanitary, or in disrepair, separate from any zoning fence violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Evansville have its own drain-cover or pool-alarm law?
Can Evansville cite me for a dirty or broken-down pool?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Evansville
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