Saint Paul, MN Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- before operating any public pool
- Plan review
- MDH + city building official, both required
- Governing pool code
- Minn. Rules ch. 4717
- Governing statute
- Minn. Stat. § 144.1222
- License transferability
- not transferable (Sec. 360.08)
- Inspecting agency
- Dept. of Safety and Inspections
Summary
Any pool open to the public, members, apartment residents, or hotel guests in Saint Paul needs a Sec. 360.01 public-pool license before it can operate. Sec. 360.04 requires the Minnesota Department of Health and the city building official to approve construction plans first, and Sec. 360.05 locks every public pool into the state's Minn. Stat. § 144.1222 and Minn. Rules ch. 4717 pool code.
Sec. 360.01. No person shall conduct, operate or maintain a public pool in Saint Paul without a license. Sec. 360.04(1). No person shall begin construction of a public pool or shall substantially alter or reconstruct any public pool without first having submitted plans and specifications to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) for review and approval. All plans and specifications shall also be submitted in duplicate for review and approval by the department of safety and inspections building official. Sec. 360.05. All public pools must comply with Minnesota Statutes section 144.1222 and Minnesota Rules chapter 4717 (Pool Code) in effect on the effective date of this chapter, as it may be amended from time to time. Sec. 360.07. The department of safety and inspections is authorized to conduct such inspections as it deems necessary to ensure compliance with all provisions of this chapter and shall have the right of entry at any reasonable hour to the pool for this purpose.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 133 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 360 of the Saint Paul Legislative Code governs any 'public pool', defined in Sec. 02 as any pool other than a private residential pool that's open to the public, exclusive to an organization's members and guests, open to residents of an apartment building or manufactured home park, open to hotel or lodging patrons, or run by a park, school, licensed child care facility, group home, motel, camp, resort, club, or condominium. Swimming pools at licensed family day care homes under Minn. 14, subd. 11(a) are carved out.
Sec. 01 makes operating any public pool without a license unlawful, and Sec. 08 makes that license non-transferable to a new owner or operator. Before anyone can build, substantially alter, or reconstruct a public pool, Sec. 04 requires plans and specifications submitted in duplicate to both the Minnesota Department of Health and the department of safety and inspections building official, no construction or renovation permit issues until both agencies sign off, and the pool cannot open until post-construction inspections confirm compliance. Sec. 05 folds the state's own safety substance into city law: every public pool must meet Minn.
1222 and the Minnesota Pool Code at Minn. Rules ch. 4717, which is where drain-cover, entrapment-prevention, and water-quality requirements actually live. Sec. 06 authorizes the department of safety and inspections to write its own operation and maintenance regulations for public health and safety, and Sec. 07 gives that department a standing right of entry at reasonable hours to inspect any licensed pool for compliance. The license fee itself is set separately under Sec. 09(b) rather than fixed in this chapter.
Violations & Fines
Operating a public pool without a Sec. 360.01 license, transferring a license in violation of Sec. 360.08, starting construction before MDH and the building official approve plans under Sec. 360.04, or refusing a Sec. 360.07 inspection all violate Chapter 360. The department of safety and inspections can deny, refuse to reissue, or revoke a license for noncompliance, on top of any misdemeanor penalty under the Legislative Code's general provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my backyard pool need a Saint Paul public pool license?
Who approves the design of a new public pool in Saint Paul?
What safety code actually governs drain covers and water quality?
Can the city inspect a licensed public pool without notice?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Saint Paul
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