Charleston, SC Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)
Swimming pool permit rules in Charleston, SC, also covering above-ground pools, in-ground pools, and spa installations, set fencing, barrier, alarm, and inspection requirements.
Key Facts
- Building code authority
- City Code Sec. 7-26
- Pool-specific code adopted
- International Swimming Pool and Spa Code
- Zoning approval required
- Zoning Administrator, Sec. 54-217
- Permitting office
- Building Inspections Division
- In-ground pool rear setback
- Base district requirement or 10 ft, less
- Above-ground pool side setback
- No encroachment allowed
- Latest zoning amendment
- Ord. No. 2025-087, 6-17-25
Summary
Charleston requires residential pool construction to comply with the adopted South Carolina Residential and Building Code, including the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, and in-ground or above-ground pools sited as an accessory use also need the Zoning Administrator's sign-off on setback compliance before work begins.
(a)The latest edition of the South Carolina Residential Code and Building Code, as adopted by the state and published by the International Code Council, Inc., is hereby adopted so that hereafter all building construction, reconstruction, alteration and repairs; including all building materials, electrical systems, gas systems, mechanical systems, plumbing systems and appliances used in connection with building shall conform thereto.(b)The latest edition of the following permissive codes published by the International Code Council, Inc. is hereby adopted pursuant to S.C. Code § 6-9-60:(1)International Existing Building Code.(2)International Swimming Pool and Spa Code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 114 | Zoning: Supplement 25).
Full Breakdown
Under City Code Sec. C. Code Section 6-9-60. That means a residential pool project runs through the same permitting track as any other building work: plans reviewed and permitted through the city's Building Inspections Division, which Sec. 1 and the parallel Residential Code sections). Beyond the building permit itself, Zoning Ordinance Sec. 54-217 requires the Zoning Administrator to separately approve a pool as an accessory use in every base zoning district before it can be built. That approval turns on where the pool sits: in-ground pools not elevated above existing grade may sit within building setbacks, critical line buffer setbacks and visual buffer zone setbacks, but not within landscape buffers, critical line buffers or a visual buffer zone; elevated in-ground sections such as spas cannot encroach into required side setbacks and must meet the rear setback of the base zoning district or 10 feet, whichever is less.
Above-ground pools follow the same side- and rear-setback rule: no encroachment into required side setbacks, and rear setback equal to the base district's requirement or 10 feet, whichever is less. Homeowners in a Board of Architectural Review overlay or historic district face additional design review on top of both approvals; that review is separate from the citywide Sec. 54-217 standard and is not covered by this page. Sec. 7-26 was last amended by Ord. No. 2023-098 on May 23, 2023, and Sec. 54-217's setback rules were rewritten by Ord. No. 2025-087 on June 17, 2025, so applicants should confirm they are working from the current text rather than an older printed copy.
Violations & Fines
Building without the required permit or outside the plans the Building Inspections Division approved is enforced as a code violation under the adopted South Carolina Building/Residential Code, which can trigger stop-work orders and require the pool to be brought into compliance or removed. A pool built without the Sec. 54-217 Zoning Administrator approval, or one that encroaches into a landscape buffer, critical line buffer or visual buffer zone in violation of that section, is a zoning violation subject to the city's standard zoning enforcement and correction process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a residential pool in Charleston need a building permit?
Is zoning approval separate from the building permit?
How close to the property line can I build a pool?
Does the Board of Architectural Review get involved?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Charleston
Compare Charleston to another location·View the South Carolina swimming pools & spas overview
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Pool Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Charleston County handle pool permits.