Bensalem, PA Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

Section 232-763(1)a of the Bensalem Township Code makes it unlawful to make any use of land or a structure until the Township issues a use permit, and it specifically lists use of any structure for which a building permit or an alteration of land permit is required as one of the triggers for that permit. Installing a residential swimming pool counts as exactly that kind of land alteration, and the Township's own fee schedule confirms it: Section 99-31, under the heading 'Alteration of land,' lists a $75.00 fee for an above-ground pool and a $100.00 fee for an in-ground pool, alongside the $150.00 fee charged for a new home or an addition.

Applications go to the Zoning Officer, who under Section 232-762(b)(1)-(2) receives and processes zoning permit applications and has 90 days under Section 232-763(1)c(2) to either issue the permit or reject it in writing with an explanation of what needs to be fixed. Section 232-588(a), the Township's area regulations for residential pools, layers additional zoning requirements on top of the permit itself: a pool 18 inches deep or more cannot sit in a front yard, must stay at least ten feet from any property line, and on a corner lot cannot sit closer to the street than the house or closer than ten feet to a side line, and the pool must be enclosed per the applicable building code.

Beyond the zoning-side alteration-of-land permit, the pool's electrical work draws a separate $25.00 residential swimming pool fee under Section 99-26, and the structure itself still needs a building permit whose fee is set by the Township's adopted schedule under the amended Section 108.2 of the building code.