Effingham County, GA Swimming Pools & Spas: Pool Permits (2026)

Effingham County's zoning ordinance defines a swimming pool broadly under Appendix C § 3.41.1 as any pool, lake, or open tank outside a fully enclosed building capable of holding water more than 1½ feet deep, sweeping in most in-ground and many above-ground residential pools. Development Services will not permit a private pool in the B-1 commercial, AR agricultural-residential, or PUD districts, or in any R residential district, unless it is built strictly as an accessory use to the principal dwelling and meets every condition in § 3.41.

Under § 3.41.2, the pool must be for the free use of the occupants and their guests only; charging a fee changes the use category. Location standards in § 3.41.3 require the pool's water's edge to sit at least ten feet from any property line and at least ten feet from any dwelling, and pools cannot go in the front yard of an agricultural or residential lot at all. Because a pool is a structure, the county's general building-permit trigger in Code § 14-56(a) also applies: an owner must first apply to the building official and obtain a permit before construction, with fees set by the schedule referenced in Code § 14-39.

A private pool used to host swimming lessons must meet the stricter community/club pool standards of § 3.41.5, including landscaping and a grounded, four-foot fence, and the operator must also hold a home occupation tax certificate under § 3.41.6.