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

Bristol Township treats a residential swimming pool as an accessory use under § 205-16G(2)(f) of the zoning chapter. The Code defines a swimming pool as a structure designed to contain a water depth of 24 inches or more and intended for swimming or recreational purposes, and allows it as an accessory use to a residential use only if every listed condition is met.

Condition [1] is the permit rule: a building permit shall be required to locate, construct or maintain a swimming pool. The word maintain matters, because the permit requirement is not limited to the day the pool is dug or set up.

Condition [2] fixes the location. A pool must be located no closer than six feet from a side or rear yard property line, and the measurement runs to the waterline, not to the deck or the pool wall. A pool shall not be located in a front yard unless it is located no closer than the front yard setback requirement or 25 feet from the street line, whichever is less.

The remaining conditions cover the installation itself. Under [3], the pool can be lighted by underwater or exterior lights, or both, but exterior lights must be located so the light is neither directed nor reflected upon adjacent properties in a way that is a nuisance or an annoyance, and underwater lighting must comply with the applicable National Electrical Code. Under [5], there shall be no cross connection with a public sewerage system. Under [6], the permanent inlet shall be above the overflow level of the pool. The barrier requirement in [4] is covered on its own page.

Use G2, the residential accessory use that carries these pool rules, is permitted by right in the R-1 District under § 205-22 and in the R-2 District under § 205-25.