Bessemer, AL Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)
Swimming pool permit rules in Bessemer, AL, also covering above-ground pools, in-ground pools, and spa installations, set fencing, barrier, alarm, and inspection requirements.
Key Facts
- Permit exemptions
- Deleted; all construction needs a permit
- Pool licensing threshold
- $5,000 triggers general contractor license
- Licensing body
- Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board
- Permit fee basis
- Contract cost or Building Valuation Data chart
- Unlicensed business fine
- Up to $500 per offense, Sec. 22-6
Summary
Bessemer requires a building permit for pool construction because Sec. 18-32 deletes the International Building Code's exemption for work not needing a permit. Sec. 22-22 adds that anyone building, superintending or renovating a swimming pool for a fee over $5,000 must hold a general contractor's license from the Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board.
Sec. 18-32. - Adoption of building code. The 2015 edition of the International Building Code, published by the ICC is hereby adopted by reference pursuant to Code of Ala. 1975, § 11-45-8 and is incorporated as is set out and fully herein with the following modifications, amendments and additions to the below sections: (1)105.2. Delete section 105.2 of the 2015 International Building Code and any other sections dealing with work exempt from permits. ... In addition, one who for a fixed price, fee, commission or wage exceeding $5,000.00 in value undertakes the construction or superintendents of construction, repair or renovation of a swimming pool is required to have a general contractor's license and must be licensed by the Home Builders Licensure Board.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Republication).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 2, the list of work exempt from a permit, along with any other section exempting work from permits, so pool construction in Bessemer has no carve-out and needs a building permit like any other structure. The city's business-license classification schedule, Sec. 00 in value, undertakes the construction, or superintends the construction, repair or renovation of a swimming pool, must hold a general contractor's license and be licensed by the Home Builders Licensure Board of Alabama, the same licensing body that oversees general construction contracting citywide.
Sec. 18-34 sets the mechanics for the underlying building permit itself: the applicant submits plans and a cost estimate, drawn from a bona fide signed contract or comparable evidence, and the fee is calculated against the Building Valuation Data chart published twice a year in the Building Safety Journal if that produces a higher number than the contract price. The minimum permit fee, the fee bands by valuation and the reinspection fee for faulty work are all set in the fee schedule the city council keeps in the city clerk's office, the same mechanism used for every technical-code permit in Chapter 18.
Violations & Fines
Building or renovating a pool worth more than $5,000 without a general contractor's license from the Home Builders Licensure Board of Alabama violates the Sec. 22-22 licensing schedule, and Sec. 22-6 separately makes doing any licensed business in the city without first procuring the required license punishable by a fine up to $500.00 per offense, with each day of continued unlicensed work counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to put in a backyard pool in Bessemer?
Does my pool contractor need a special license?
How is my pool's building permit fee calculated?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bessemer
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Pool Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Jefferson County handle pool permits.