Boone County, IN Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

Boone County Code § 157.021(F) requires an application for an improvement location permit certifying that all applicable requirements of the chapter have been met before any of the listed accessory structures goes in, and item (3) of that list names in-ground swimming pools specifically. Under § 157.140, the Area Plan Commission (APC) Director issues the ILP, and the applicant must obtain the permit from the APC prior to the start of any construction, meaning excavation cannot begin before approval. Appendix A to Chapter 157 sets the filing fee for a swimming pool at a flat $175, separate from the $200 base fee charged for a new single-family dwelling or the $100 minimum charged for a detached garage.

The ILP application package, per § 157.142, must include a certified, dimensioned site plan showing the pool's location relative to property lines, easements, wells and septic systems, along with any homeowners'-association approval on file. The Director confirms compliance with the fence requirement in § 157.021(F)(3) before signing off. Because Chapter 157 sets no separate zoning penalty, building a pool without the ILP, or without the required fence, exposes the owner to the county's general penalty in § 10.99: up to $2,500 for a first violation and up to $7,500 for each later violation, with every day of noncompliance counted separately. Lebanon, Zionsville, Whitestown, Jamestown and Thornton administer their own pool-permit rules and fall outside this county section.