Bellevue, NE Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

Bellevue Code of Ordinances § 8-18.5(A)(3) amends Section 301.2.1(I 1) of the 1997 Uniform Administrative Code to set the size threshold for pools that can go in without a permit. An above-ground swimming pool at a one- or two-family dwelling is exempt only if its diameter is less than 20 feet and its water depth is less than 18 inches; a pool at or above either measurement needs a building permit from the Permits and Inspections Department, which logs every application under § 8-19. The same amendment package sets the fee track: permit fees follow the Master Fee Schedule referenced in Tables 3-A through 3-H (§ 8-18.5(A)(4)), and where submittal documents are required a plan review fee of 25 percent of the building permit fee applies, though § 8-18.5(A)(5) exempts R-3 and U occupancies, the classification that covers one- and two-family residential work, from that plan review fee.

Installing a pool over the exempt size without first pulling a permit exposes the homeowner to the investigation fee in § 8-18.5(A)(6): twice the normal fee if reported voluntarily, four times the fee if the Permits and Inspections Department issues a stop-work order first. Once granted, the permit expires under § 8-20 if pool construction has not started within 180 days, or is abandoned for 180 days, and only one extension is available before a new full fee is charged to resume the project.