Arvada, CO Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

Arvada regulates pools through Chapter 18, Article XIII, which adopts the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, 2024 Edition, by reference under C.R.S. § 31-16-101 et seq. and the City Charter (§ 18-550). The city calls it the ISPSC and retitles its local version the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code of the City of Arvada (§ 18-551). Section 18-552 makes the Building Safety Division the enforcing agency, and its head is the code official. Ordinance No. 4921, adopted March 24, 2026, enacted this version of the chapter.

The permit mandate sits in the administrative code. Section 18-39(a)(3) makes it unlawful to erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, improve, remove, convert, demolish, equip, use, occupy, or maintain any building or structure without first obtaining the required permit. Section 18-2 defines "building service equipment" to include swimming pool, spa, or hot tub equipment, so the equipment falls under the same rule as the structure. The Arvada police department is also authorized to enforce any provision of Chapter 18 (§ 18-32(h)).

Permit life is set by § 18-39(f). Section 18-553 replaces the ISPSC's own expiration clause with it, and § 18-554 deletes the ISPSC extension clause. A pool permit becomes null and void if work does not begin within 180 calendar days of the permit date, or if work stops for 180 calendar days after starting. It counts as suspended when 180 days pass with no required inspection called for. Restarting within one year costs one half of a new permit fee, provided the plans do not change. Past one year, the permittee must apply in writing for reactivation and pay full new fees. The building official can extend the start deadline by up to 180 calendar days on a written request showing circumstances beyond the permittee's control. If a different contractor or the homeowner takes over a stalled job, a new permit application is required.

Exterior work has its own clock: additions or modifications must be finished within two years of the original permit, or the property can be treated as a nuisance. Fees follow § 18-42 (see § 18-555): the permit is not valid until fees are paid, a check or card that fails to clear voids it, and plan review fees are due when submittal documents are filed. Amounts sit in the city's administrative fee schedule, not in the code.